But first things first. Graduation.

High school had been good and fun, but I was ready to move on to the next chapter of my life. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in. I figured I’d determine that when I got to school. All I knew was that I had to start planning for my future, one in which I could take care of Sierra and the family we’d hopefully be blessed with.

It might have seemed too early to be thinking that way, and if it hadn’t been for my dad, I probably wouldn’t have been. But, just a few nights before, he’d sat me down to talk about the future. That was a fun memory.

I’d been lying in my bed, throwing my football up into the air, waiting for Sierra to return from getting a manicure with Jenna. Something about a special occasion, whatever. Dad had walked into the room and closed the door behind. When he’d sat in the chair, I’d immediately known something was up.

“So, Jeremy,” he began. He cleared his throat and then took a sip of whatever was in his glass. Judging by the color, it was probably scotch, so I knew what this conversation was going to be like.

“What’s up, Dad?” I asked, sitting up and giving him my undivided attention.

“I know about your talk with Nick before Prom.”

Well, at least he was laying it all out on the line instead of stammering around the issue this time.

“And?” I asked.

“I just wanted you to know that I’m proud of you. For making good choices and respecting Sierra as a woman,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Thanks?” I replied, not really sure what else to say. It wasn’t that I hadn’t wanted to have sex with Sierra. I had. God, I did. But he was right. I respected her. I’d wait as long as I had to until she was ready.

If only he knew about Jenna. Yikes. I was keeping my mouth shut on that one.

My sister, God love her, was definitely not as virtuous as the male Banks twin. Not that I thought any less of her. She was, as far as I knew, always careful, and Chris loved her. What more could a brother ask for?

“I know how easy it is to give in to peer pressure, and it shows tremendous strength that you’ve been able to wait this long. That is, unless things have changed?” His eyes were questioning as he watched me.

Was he seriously asking me that?

“Umm, do you actually want to know the answer to that?”

His eyes widened, and he downed the rest of his drink. “How about we just move on?”

I laughed. “It’s fine, Dad. Things haven’t changed. We’re waiting until we’re both ready.”

What I didn’t tell him was that Sierra had been dropping hints that, after graduation, she might be ready. He didn’t need to know that, and I didn’t want to get too excited. Don’t get me wrong. I was more than satisfied with the way our physical relationship was, but I was just as eager to finally make Sierra mine in every sense of the word.

“Okay, good. Not that it’d be bad if you had…” he trailed off then ran a hand through his hair. “Forget I said anything. Look, I wanted to talk to you about the future. College is going to be an entirely different world out there. I know you aren’t sure what you want to do with your future—”

“Sierra’s my future,” I informed him.

He snapped his fingers. “Precisely. You want to have a future with Sierra. Eventually get married, start a family, all that?”

I nodded. “Eventually,” I said, emphasizing the word. Just because I was confident that Sierra would one day be my wife didn’t mean I was ready to put a ring on it right after high school.

“College is preparation for that life, son. How you choose to spend your time will determine how you’ll be able to take care of your family in the future. Sure, it’s fun to go to parties, spend more time drinking instead of studying. It’s easy to get sucked into the party side of college, but at the end of the day, you need to remember why you’re there. To start your future, and to make yourself into a man Sierra would be proud of.”

I frowned. What he was saying was true, and I knew that college was just a stepping stone. A bridge between high school and going out into the real world. And on the other side of that bridge would be Sierra and our future.

“But I have no idea what I want to do,” I said, my eyes racing to his. I swallowed hard. “And you should know I’m not going to Alabama. I already applied to UWF and I’m starting there in the fall.”

He smiled then slapped me on the shoulder. “I’m surprised it took you this long to figure it out. If that’s what you want to do, your mother and I support you. You know that.” Then he paused. “As for what you want to do, I’m not trying to scare you with talk about the future. Just giving you some food for thought. It’s okay that you haven’t determined a major. A lot of college kids are like that. Take some classes. Figure out where your interests lie. In the meantime, you need to study hard and get good grades so that you can get into whatever program you decide.”

“When did you decide you wanted to be an accountant?” I asked, hoping to get some insight and relieved he was pissed about Alabama. One down, one to go. I wasn’t sure how Sierra was going to react, but I hoped she’d be happy.

“Honestly?” he asked.

I nodded.

“I was just like you, Jeremy. When I started my first semester in college, I had no clue what I wanted to do. It wasn’t until I took an accounting class that I realized I was actually really good at it. So then I took another course and excelled even more. It just kind of stuck.”

“So, you think that will happen for me?”

“I know it’ll happen for you. You just have to work hard for what you want. Remember that, okay?”

“I will. Thanks, Dad.”

“Anytime. I meant it when I said I was proud of you.”

After our talk, I was more confident than ever with my decision. I just hoped Sierra felt the same.

Many people in school had their misconceptions about my relationship with Jeremy. After all, we both had been threatened with detention multiple times if we didn’t stop making out in between periods. And he might have been late a time or two to practice because he’d had me shoved up against the wall outside the field house with his tongue expertly massaging my own.

Hey, they say communication in a relationship is key. We just happened to enjoy communicating with our lips. I didn’t see anything wrong with that, but apparently, the Navarre High School faculty did.

So people assumed that Banks had been banging Sullivan. And, even though I’d tried to protest in the beginning, it had fallen on deaf ears. So I’d given up. They could think what they wanted. I knew the truth.

Our physical relationship was a slow progression. In the beginning, we had been young and inexperienced, fumbling around each other’s bodies, tentatively touching and caressing until we’d grown more comfortable. Every time Jeremy attempted to reach the next base, he always paused, looking for me to give him the go-ahead. If I even so much as hesitated, he’d pull back and return to kissing me without a single word or ounce of pressure to do more. I loved him all the more for it. So it took time, and even though it was slow going, it was still a whole lot of fun experiencing everything for the first time with him.

Tentative lips and hesitant hands turned into passionate kisses and expert caressing. With just his fingers, Jeremy made me feel more alive than I ever had. And I can proudly admit that I finished what Mandy Simpson hadn’t been able to—over and over again.

Yes, he’d told me about her. I’d laughed the nervous look off his face when he’d had to admit that I wasn’t the only girl who’d touched the family jewels. Except, instead of jealousy, I felt pity. Poor guy.