After he rests my feet back on the ground, I notice how truly happy he is. “What’s the matter?” He places his thumb under my eye before a tear escapes. “Jen?” he asks, and I shake my head and place the biggest smile on my face.

“No. I’m just really happy for you,” I say. I’m not lying, I am happy for him. He’s worked hard to get here, and he has every reason to be proud of himself.

“Awe, thanks, Kailey, you’ll be here before you know it,” he tells me and kisses my lips. I wonder if I’ll ever be in his shoes, graduating and ready to start a new venture.

“Who do we have here?” A woman stands in the doorway. She’s wearing a nice blue pants suit with a matching pair of heels. Her short chic haircut and just the right amount of make-up to look natural, but it’s the shape of her eyes and the smile identical to Trey’s which already tells me who she is.

“This is Kailey, Mom. Kailey, this is my mom.” He wraps his arm around my waist, and I step forward with my hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Michaels,” I say, but she shoos it away and takes me in her arms.

“You can call me Elena.” Her rose scented perfume compliments her nicely. When she pulls back, she holds me by my upper arms. “It’s so nice to meet you, Kailey. Now, the family has taken over this house and you most likely won’t remember all their names, but I’ll do my best to give you small snippets to remember them by.” She places her arm around my shoulders and leads me into the house.

“Mom,” Trey calls out, but she ignores him. I glance over my shoulder, and he just smiles, allowing his mother to kidnap me.

In all the times I’ve been to the house, I’ve never seen it like this. There are some small kids running around chasing each other while adults talk loudly. Some baseball game streams in the family room while a group of guys sit around chomping on sandwiches and chips arguing about teams. We stand in the doorway and Elena points out each person, rambling names to me.

“That’s Trey’s older brother, Jack, he’s married to Irene. IRENE!” she yells, and the small petite blonde looks over and waves at me before wrestling the toddler in her arms. “The bald one is Trey’s Uncle Mike, he’s not married and no kids. Divorced,” she whispers as though he’s a murderer. Not sure if he heard her, but he nods my way. Crap, awkward.

So, far I mentally keep track in my head. Trey has two uncles; one married, one divorced. There’s also an older brother with a wife and at least one kid. Who are all these other people? Once we get to the kitchen, my lungs constrict, and I’m dangerously close to having a panic attack. Practically wall to wall people fill the small space, but it doesn’t stop Elena. She walks right through everyone, dragging me along with her hand in mine and stops right behind a large man, probably six-three, with dark hair. When she taps him on the shoulder, he turns around from the stove, his brown eyes match Trey’s.

“Oh Kailey, I’ve heard so many nice things about you,” he says, wrapping his arms around me and kissing me on the cheek. “I’m Pete, Trey’s dad,” he introduces himself, although I already figured it out. “Hey, everyone, this is Kailey,” he points down to me, and the room quiets, “Trey’s girlfriend.” They all begin to talk at once with happiness filling their voices.

“We’ve been waiting a long time for Trey to get serious with someone,” Elena whispers in my ear.

“Oh,” I remain quiet, unable to process everything that just happened within the last fifteen minutes. Before I can do anything else, a hand appears on my wrist and yanks me out of the family circle staring down at me with clear speculation about what makes me so special. When I’m pulled into his arms, my body calms.

“Sorry, they’re a bit—much,” he whispers, clasping my hands with his. “Go about your day. Eat, drink, and mind your own fucking business,” Trey shouts and an older lady smacks him across the back of his head. “Sorry, Aunt Rita,” he says, and she shakes her head.

“There’s damn children running around here,” she says and smiles at him. “It’s nice to meet you, Kailey.” After a quick nod toward me, she walks into the throngs of people, disappearing quickly.

“Let’s go,” he says, leading me toward the staircase. Once we get into his room, after being delayed by at least five people wanting introductions, he captures my lips with his, and our tongues immediately meet. “I missed you last night,” he murmurs against my lips as he walks me backwards toward the bed.

When the back of my legs hit the soft mattress, he pushes me gently, so I fall backward. “You’ll wrinkle my dress,” I joke.

“We could solve that problem easily,” he slyly says, starting to unbutton my dress. I let him get two down before stopping him.

“You’re whole family is downstairs,” I remind him, starting to sit up on my elbows and button up my dress.

“All the better, they’ll never hear us.” He playfully smacks my fingers off the buttons while his lips explore my collarbone. “You could be screaming my name, and they’ll never even know.” He snakes his hand up the hem of my dress and rests it on the side of my panties.

“No way, I just met them.” I start scooting up on the bed, but he only follows me, like a tiger, intent to get his prey. “I’m really starting to think you should be called Tiger Trey,” I tease.

“Why?” He continues his slow steady path toward me, and soon I run out of bed.

“You come toward me slowly and deliberately, like a tiger stalks its prey.” I smile up at him, but he quickly dives for my neck and gives a small nibble.

“Come on, baby, show me your cat side. Rip this shirt off me and have your way with me,” he says seriously, but I shake my head and chuckles begin to escape him. “God, I love you. I’ll give you a pass, but you’re sleeping here tonight, and I want a big ‘ole congratulations romp.”

“You got it, but I bet you’ll be too drunk to finish the job.” He sits back on his legs and stares down at my body.

“Never, baby—never,” he tells me, and I bite my lower lip.

“We shall see. I’m still waiting for the time you take me in some sleazy unexpected place,” I remind him of his promise, and he shakes his head. “I have to go to the bathroom.” I get up and make my way to the door.

“You’re better than that. When will you understand that?” He says softly and seriously, but somehow I worry he doesn’t have that burning desire for me like those other girls. I want that animal in him to need me so bad that he can’t wait until we find a bed. “Make sure Dex’s door is locked,” he calls out. Every time I’m over here, he double checks that I lock the door before doing anything.

I make sure everything is locked before going to the bathroom. The noise filters in from downstairs, and I imagine tonight will be crazy. After I wash my hands and check my dress and make-up, I unlock Dex’s door. Hearing soft moans, I guess a house full of guests don’t stop some people. Trey’s back is to me when I emerge. His body looks magnificent in his nice button down shirt tucked into black slacks that hug his ass perfectly.

“You ready?” I announce my presence.

His head turns my way to look over his shoulder, and then turns and drops something in the drawer before I hear it shut. “You look beautiful,” he says, and I wonder what exactly he was just doing.

“Everything okay?” I take his head in my hands and peer into his eyes. My dad told me a long time ago, the truth is in the eyes.

“Of course,” he says, but I see the hint of sadness that clings to them. I don’t know what’s weighing on his mind, but one thing is certain, he’ll tell me when he’s ready.

The commencement music begins, and I spot Grant and then Brady emerge through the doors in their cap and gowns. Brady’s sister and father, Jessa’s parents, and Sadie’s mom begin snapping pictures of them. Jessa comes out a few minutes later, waving her hand at her family. Sam eagerly stands up, nudging in front of Dex to take a picture, and when Jessa gives her a thumbs up, the light catches her ring. Grant’s peering over to her, and their eyes find each other before she takes her seat. They truly love each other, and I wonder why I was ever jealous of her and Trey.