MB visits my parent’s graves and leaves flowers, and she’s been cooking on a daily basis, trying to fatten both Quinn and me up, who told his parents post-graduation he was moving in with me—us technically to help support.

Our new life can wait.

The perfect college—has to wait.

My life is on hold for the first time since I was born.

And I’m weirdly okay with the wait because I have my two best friends with me.

Maybe we’ll start a company.

Maybe we’ll go fishing for ten days straight.

My parents worked hard to make it possible for me to do that, and I have to thank them every day for providing for me despite all my complaints so that when shit hit the fan, I could sit and stare at a wall or cry.

I keep my dad’s office pristine, and one day, I hope to sit in that chair and do better.

To work just as much as I play.

To love my kids even when they crap their pants and draw on the walls with permanent marker—and I hope to God that it’s Mary-Belle being the one yelling at me for letting them get away with everything.

God, I hope so.

I love her so much.

I turn in bed and look over at her; she’s spread out like she owns the King-sized thing and slightly snoring.

She’s amazing.

She saved me.

I lean over. “You’re snoring again.”

“Eat shit,” she whispers hoarsely.

Yup, that’s my girl, my future wife—and on one perfectly imperfect day—I’m going to get down on one knee and ask her to be mine forever.

The door to my room pushes open. “Dude, you’ll never believe who just got an even heavier prison sentence.”

I jolt up. “Tessa?”

MB freezes next to me.

Quinn comfortably sits on the bed. “Yeah, the girl I just started seeing from the coffee shop.” He nods. “You know the hot barista with the really cool bracelets from overseas?”

I nod. “Yeah, yeah, makes the best cappuccinos.”

“That girl.” He snaps his fingers.

“Does she not have a name?”MB asks.

“Lexi.” Quinn and I say in unison.

MB groans. “So you still call her that girl?”

“Focus!” Quinn snaps his fingers. “I was in a panic. Okay, so Tessa apparently had more videos of other guys from our school.”

I feel myself start to feel sick. “Seriously?”

“Yeah, none came forward, but it’s like almost every single investor in her dad’s company, she was basically sent out to like… you know…”

I shudder. “Were they underage?”

“All of them.” Quinn nods. “It was front page news, anyway, I didn’t mean to mess up your morning sex routine.”

MB throws a pillow at him.

He dodges it.

And then dives into bed between us. “Ahhhh, memories.”

“GO FIND THE BARISTA!” I yell.

“Already did. She’s in my room.” He winks. “Oh, I told her she could move in but that my parents might be weird about it.”