The Promises We Keep (Made for Love Book 1) (23 page)

“
Are you crying?
”

I laugh
—
because why not? It
’
s only fitting. I
’
m all over the place.
“
I
’
m crazy about you, too.
”

His smile returns and I melt in his arms at the sight of his barely-there-dimple.
“
I
’
m glad,
”
he murmurs.
“
So, will you be my girlfriend?
”

“
Sonny, we
’
ve never even been on a date,
”
I tease, suddenly feeling playful in my overwhelming state of happiness.

“
You
’
re right. Well, at least not a
proper
date. If you ask anyone else, they
’
d say we
’
ve been on a million dates. I
’
ll make it up to you, I promise
—
but I want you to be mine and I see no reason why I should beat around the bush about it.
”

“
I
—”
I love what I
’
m hearing and every fiber of my being is screaming for me to just say
yes
. But there
’
s this tug I feel on my heart. I look up as I remember Addie and her current heartbreak and I know that I can
’
t say yes. Not right now.
“
I can
’
t, Sonny.
”

A thoughtful scowl pulls at his brow as he studies me. For a few seconds we neither speak nor move, and then he scoops my legs up into the crook of his arm and carries me inside.

I hadn
’
t planned on kissing her. Or asking her to be my girlfriend. At least, not yet
—
but then her fingers were in my hair and it was practically a written invitation for my lips to become acquainted with hers. Now that I have her in my arms and we
’
ve both been honest about how we feel, I don
’
t think I
’
ll be able to let her go until I convince her to be mine. One taste. That
’
s all it took was one taste and now I don
’
t think I can stand being in the same room as her if I
’
m not allowed to kiss her.

I shut the door behind us with my foot and then carry her to the couch. I sit, settling her into my lap before circling my arms around her waist. She keeps her hands curled around the back of my neck and her touch makes me want to kiss her, but I fight the urge and ask her,
“
Why not?
”
instead.

She sighs and the sadness that fills her eyes makes my stomach knot up in worry.
“
Addie. She
’
s hurting so much right now. Yesterday Sarah had to cover her shift at Cooper
’
s; today, I think Marla is filling in for her. I
’
m hoping that she
’
ll pull herself together enough to go to work tomorrow, but I don
’
t know. When I went upstairs, she was in the shower
—
that
’
s the farthest and longest she
’
s been away from her bed since Sunday.
”

“
Hmm,
”
I murmur. After being in this apartment with Beck for the past two days, I have an idea of what Addie might be going through. I imagine she's still in a bit of shock and I feel for her, I do. I don
’
t really understand what this has to do with
us,
though
—
or the
us
that I hope to become. I mull it over for a minute in an attempt to figure it out. I shake my head when I come up short.
“
I don
’
t get it.
”

She gives me an endearing smile as she rakes her fingers through my hair. I have to take a deep breath and remind myself that we
’
re in the middle of something important so that I don
’
t kiss her.
She really shouldn
’
t do that in the middle of any conversation that is supposed to involve words.
“
I know this might sound crazy,
”
she begins to say, pulling me from out of my head,
“
but she
’
s so much a part of me that if her heart is broken, my heart is a little broken, too. Just the thought of being with you makes me so incredibly happy that I feel a little guilty that I get to indulge in such bliss while she
’
s feeling so broken.
”

Hearing how happy the idea of being together makes her has me thinking about kissing her. Again.
We need to be done talking.
“
You have to know that she would want you to be happy.
”
She nods her agreement but pulls her hands away from me and rests them in her lap, where her eyes follow. The two actions contradict themselves and I know that I haven
’
t convinced her, yet.
“
Just this morning, Beck told me to make a move.
”

Her head shoots up to look at me.
“
He did?
”

“
Yeah. He
’
s sad and hurting, too, but that didn
’
t stop him from pushing me to pursue you. I think they
’
ll be happy for us.
”
A hint of a smile pulls at each corner of her mouth and I want to kiss her so badly I can hardly think straight
—
but I
’
m so close to convincing her that we should be together that I can
’
t give up now.
“
If it will help, we don
’
t have to tell them right away. We can give ourselves a chance to get used to this
—
us
—
while they get acclimated to the shift in their relationship.
”

“
That
’
s not a bad idea,
”
she says, softening up a little more.

“
Avery Jade Grant, any excuse that stands in our way, I'm willing to fight it. I realized today that nothing means more to me than your happiness. I've been selfish, keeping my feelings from you and robbing you of the chance to choose me if that's what you want. So if you want me, I'm yours.
”
The blush my words bring to her face makes me smile and I reach my hands up to cup my palms around her warm cheeks.
“
So what do you say?
”

“
Yes. I want you,
”
she whispers.

My lips find hers almost as soon as the words escape her mouth. She giggles and the sound makes my heart swell. I don
’
t think I
’
ve ever been this happy before. I pull away from her only because I
’
m afraid I might overwhelm her with my affection and the last thing I want is to scare her away.
“
Sorry,
”
I mutter, propping my forehead against hers.
“
I
’
ve just wanted to kiss you for so long
…”

“
You have?
”
she coos as she pulls her face away from me so that she can look into my eyes. I nod in response, willing my eyes to not wander to her sweet, full lips.
“
Grayson O
’
Conner
—
you can kiss me any time you want.
”

I flash her a sly grin and cock an eyebrow teasingly. Her cheeks turn rosy again.
“
Is that a promise?
”
I murmur. She answers me with a chaste kiss and I know already I
’
m in so much trouble. I slip my hand into her hair and keep her close, turning her chaste kiss into an exploration. She hums a pleasant sigh into my mouth as she relaxes against me. She
’
s got me wrapped around her little finger and she doesn
’
t even know it.

“
Hold on a second,
”
she says, pulling away from me abruptly.
“
Was this
errand
you told me about just a ruse to get me down here? Or,
”
she gasps,
“
are you going to take me on a date now?
”

“
Oh.
”
I completely forgot. Seeing how excited she is about the possibility of a date, I feel bad that I managed to lead her on.
“
No. I mean, I can't take you on a date tonight. I
’
m sorry. I have to work. How about Thursday?"

“
Okay,
”
she agrees with a grin.

“
Perfect. As for the errand
—
I was actually serious about that. It
’
s for Addie.
”
Noting the time, I recognize that it would be best if we left now. If we don't go, I'll probably kiss her until our lips are chapped and numb from exertion. That won't do for two reasons: first, I really think we should do this for Addie; second, it won't be long until either Jack or Beck walk in and I just told her we could keep our relationship to ourselves for a bit.

“
Come on,
”
I insist, standing and placing her on her feet.
“
I
’
ll explain on the way.
”
As we head for the door, she laces her fingers with mine. The connection causes me to stop for a second. Her hand is so small in mine
—
it makes me want to protect her. In this moment, I vow to myself that I will. Always. I lift our joined hands to my lips and kiss the back of hers. She blushes, I grin, and then I grab my keys and we go.