Page 45 of Always: A Legacy Novel

“Maybe, but that’s life. They’re already halfway through the school year. They’ll be lucky to make it to the end of summer, trust me. Just prepare for that, Cat.”

“Ma?” Catherine asked, still not paying much attention to their conversation.

“Yes, Catherine?”

“Can we go to that new boutique on Fifth Avenue?”

Catrina blew out a hard breath. “See, I told you. In a whole other universe.”

Kim only laughed again.

You ready?

Catherine’s responding text came almost at the same time Cross saw her come out of the front door of her home. Yep.

Cross usually loved summer because at any given time he could be anywhere. It was harder for him to go on trips with his father or Wolf during the school months unless it was on a weekend. In the summer, all he had to do was roll his ass out of bed in the morning and get in whatever car was waiting outside.

Usually, he liked this.

But once June had rolled around, the end of the school year came, and Cross quickly realized this summer wouldn’t be the same. Most of the time he spent with Catherine was at school, and it was almost impossible to see her outside of it unless he didn’t mind having one of her babysitters standing at his back the whole time.

For the most part, he didn’t mind.

He still didn’t get to see her enough.

Add in the week-long trip to Vegas, a few days stay in Ontario, Canada, and a quick run to Chicago, and it was already the end of July.

Cross had a handful of days in between when he had actually seen Catherine for more than a few minutes.

It fucking sucked.

Maybe that was why he had been so surprised when he texted her that morning to hang out, and Catherine said she was free to go wherever the hell he wanted. Without someone following behind.

So yeah, usually Cross loved summer, except he wasn’t enjoying it very much that year. But seeing Catherine’s sly smile, the flower crown decorating the French braids in her hair, and the flowy summer dress that stopped at her mid-thigh, it was about to get a whole lot better.

Cross pushed open the back door of Zeke’s Camaro, and Catherine slid inside without a look over her shoulder. She kicked her flats off to the car’s floor, dropped her bag, and then climbed onto Cross’s lap for her kind of hello.

He really loved her hellos.

All he could taste was summer heat and cherry-flavored lip balm when she kissed him sweetly on the mouth. Her green eyes locked onto his as she pressed another kiss to his lips, and her thighs straddled his waist.

“All right, that’s enough,” Zeke said from the front, “or it’ll be all damn day before we get where we’re going.”

Amanda laughed in the middle front seat, saying, “Yeah, I want to bake in the sun.”

A girl—a friend of Amanda’s but not someone Cross knew personally—fiddled with the radio from the front passenger seat.

Catherine rolled her eyes, but slid off Cross’s waist to settle in beside him.

Zeke waved a finger in the air. “Buckle up, buttercup.”

“That’s an awful nickname,” Catherine said.

“It’s not for you. It’s for Cross.”

Catherine laughed, while Cross just scowled at his best friend in the rearview mirror.

“What?” Zeke asked. “You’ve been a miserable prick all week. Smile, Cross.”