My heartbeat steadily rose in my chest while I contemplated how to respond. "No," I finally came right out and said. "To be honest with you, I have no idea what I want to do with my life after high school."

"No?"

I shook my head. "Not a clue."

"I've already committed to Alabama State."

"Yeah." I set my spoon back in my bowl and sighed. "I know."

Finished with his cereal, Daryl chewed on a slice of toast, clearly deep in thought, before asking, "So, there ain't anyplace you've got your heart set on going?"

"Nope." I shook my head. "I haven't thought that far ahead to be honest."

He stared hard at me for the longest time. "Do you think Alabama State might be somewhere you could be happy?"

My breath hitched and I froze on my seat. "Are you…" I expelled a puffy breath. "Are you asking me to go off to college with you, Daryl?"

"I'm asking you to consider it," he replied, keeping his green eyes locked on mine.

There it was.

There it freaking was!

My pulse skyrocketed. "You want me there with you?"

"It's your decision, Molly," he replied. "I don’t want to coerce you into doing anything you don’t want to do. I don’t want be that guy to you –"

"But you want me there with you?" I pressed, heart pounding now.

"Full disclosure?"

"Always."

"Yeah, I want you there with me." He leaned back in his chair and gave me his full attention. "I can't even contemplate the notion of leaving you behind next year – for a game, no less. The way I'm feeling, if it's a choice that I've gotta make between Alabama and you, then there's no choice to make at all. It's you. Every damn time."

"Well…" I blew out a shaky breath, so incredibly touched by his heartfelt words. "I'm not sure if attending Alabama State will make me happy, but I know that you do, and that's enough for me."

"Molls." A slow smile crept across his face. "Are you saying what I think you're saying…"

"That I've already applied and been provisionally accepted because I'm a freaking academic genius? Or that I've become one of those depressingly cliché teenage girls that follow their football-scholarship-yielding boyfriend off to college?" I nodded. "The answer is yes to both, D."

Daryl just sat there, gaping at me, with a look of pure wonder on his face. "We're really doing this."

I smiled back at him, feeling both nervous and excited. "I guess so."

Choking out a laugh, Daryl rose from his seat and rounded the table, not stopping until he was crouched down in front of me. "Goddamn, I love you hard," he said, cupping the back of my neck. "Fuck." Pressing a hot, drugging kiss to my lips, he pulled back to grin at me. "You just made my life, baby."

Daryl

She said yes.

Molly said yes.

For the first time in weeks, I felt some semblance of peace settle inside of me.