The Promises We Keep (Made for Love Book 1) (30 page)

Dottie, on the other hand, can keep a secret. Furthermore, she
’
s not likely to accidentally give anything away as she doesn
’
t usually hang out with our group. I decide that I
’
ll tell her and then inform Sonny later; if he needs an outlet, he should be able to pick someone, too.

“
Can you keep a secret?
”
I ask as preamble.

“
Better than anyone I know.
”

“
Grayson and I are dating.
”

She perks up in her seat and her round eyes grow wide with excitement.
“
Shut. Up
.
”

“
It just happened. Two days ago. We
’
re going on our first date tonight.
”

“
Two days ago?
And you
’
re just now telling me? Oh, my gosh. You
’
re fired.
”
We both laugh and then she stands up and reaches into the display case once more. Only this time, she pulls out two chocolate croissants
—
one of my favorites
—
and she hands me mine before returning to her stool and taking a bite out of hers.
“
You
’
re hired again only after you tell me
all
the details.
”

Since I love my job, I start from the beginning.

I thought having shorter hair would make it less maintenance. I was wrong. While I spend less time in the shower, I now spend more time in front of the mirror trying to get it to look right
—
a fact that I would deny to anyone who assumes otherwise. I tousle my auburn waves until I
’
m satisfied and then check the time. 6:50.
Crap. I need to move.
I hurry to my room to finish getting dressed. I
’
d be lying if I said I wasn
’
t a little nervous. It
’
s been a long time since I
’
ve been on a date and I
’
ve never been on a date with a girl I care this much about. Not ever.

No pressure
.

I jump into a pair of khakis and a white button-up dress shirt. While I leave the collar open, I tuck in the bottom and slap on a brown belt before sliding my feet into my matching dress shoes.
If Patrick taught me anything, it was how to look presentable when the situation called for it.
It
’
s warm out, so I roll up my cuffs as I grab my keys and my wallet. I
’
m halfway to the door when I remember that I forgot my cologne. I hurry back to my room to apply a squirt when I hear the front door open and shut.

Great
. I knew it was too good to be true that I had the apartment to myself. I thought I had gotten lucky and that I
’
d be able to slip out without having to offer any excuses as to where I was going dressed the way that I am. Keeping my relationship with Avery a secret is harder than I originally anticipated. It
’
s bad enough that just thinking about her makes me smile like a goof. I haven
’
t been called out on it yet, but I
’
m sure it hasn
’
t gone unnoticed. It
’
ll be a miracle if I can get out of here smelling the way that I do without getting the third degree.

I check the time once more
—
6:59
—
I need to go.

As I make my way out of my room, I see that it
’
s Jackson who
’
s home. He
’
s in the kitchen, rummaging through the fridge. For a fraction of a second, I think about not saying anything and silently making my exit, but Jack turns and spots me before I can make up my mind about whether or not I want to be rude and ignore him. He
’
s got a box of leftover take-out in his hand and he freezes as he studies me.

“
Hey. Where
’
re
you
going?
”
he asks with a furrowed brow.

“
Out,
”
I answer simply, backing my way to the door.

He smirks at me as he sets the carton down and folds his arms across his chest.
“
Looking like that? What, you got a date or something?
”

“
Something,
”
I mutter with a shrug as I reach the front door.
“
I
’
m going to be late. I
’
ll catch you later.
”

I
’
m outside before he can respond. For a second, I keep my hand on the door handle as I take a breath.
I can
’
t believe I actually got away with that.
Not wanting to press my luck, I hurry up the stairs so that I can get Avery and we can get out of here. I
’
m wondering how long she
’
ll want to keep this secret as I knock and wait for her to answer. When the door swings open, my mind goes completely blank at the sight of her and I forget everything that has happened in the last ten minutes.

Avery often refers to herself as a
band geek.
Looking at her now, that couldn
’
t be farther from the truth. She
’
s got on yellow heels. The dress she
’
s wearing stops just above her knees; it
’
s white with black polka-dots; it
’
s strapless and hugs her petite frame perfectly. A little teal bag dangles from a strap around one of her wrists and she
’
s got a yellow sweater draped over her opposite arm. Her hair is curled and it falls down her chest and back like a cape. Her neck is unadorned and I am struck with the desire to kiss the tiny mole just above her collarbone. That is, until my eyes travel up to her lips
—
which are parted just slightly. Finally, my eyes reach hers. A smirk tugs at the corner of my mouth as I watch her eyes finish their own journey. When our gazes align, heat creeps its way into her cheeks.

Her blush is my kryptonite. I hope that never changes.

I reach out my hands to hold her face as I lean down, bringing my mouth to greet hers. She snakes her arms around my neck instantly, igniting a desire I wasn
’
t fully aware that I had
—
but now it
’
s burning within me, this need to express to her just how much she means to me. I need her to know that she
’
s special; that I will be good to her; that I will protect her
—
even if that means I have to protect her from myself. I need her to know that she
’
s not just some girl to me, but that I see the good in her
—
I see
God
in her
—
and I recognize how precious she is. I
’
ve never known someone like Avery before.

I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her closer, lifting her from her feet so that I have easier access to her lips.
I
’
ve missed this. I
’
ve missed her.
“
I
’
ve missed you,
”
I whisper, stopping our kiss simply because I want to look into her eyes.

“
I
’
ve missed
you
.
”

“
You look gorgeous.
”

“
Thanks, Hottie,
”
she says with a grin.

I laugh as I set her back on her feet. It hits me, just then, that I
’
m no longer nervous. I have no reason to be. Avery and I will have a great time no matter what. We always do.
Isn
’
t that why I
’
m so crazy about her?
“
Are you ready to go?
”

“
Yes.
”
She turns and shuts the door behind her and then smiles up at me.

I offer her my hand and she accepts without a moment
’
s hesitation.
“
Do you want to know where I
’
m taking you?
”

“
Call me crazy, but I don
’
t care even a little bit
—
as long as you
’
re there.
”

“
Oh, Shorty,
”
I groan, pulling her into my arms.
“
You can
’
t say stuff like that.
”

“
Why?
”
she asks, her smile tilting down into a concerned frown.

“
Because we
’
ll never leave if you do,
”
I murmur before kissing her cheek.

She grins and tightens her grip around me.
“
Would it help if I told you that I was hungry?
”

“
Yes. Absolutely.
”
I step out of our embrace and reach for her hand once more.
“
Let
’
s go.
”

Knowing how much she likes Tex Mex, I take her to her favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner. We sit across from each other in a booth and the crowd that surrounds us seems to just disappear as we enjoy each other
’
s company. Conversation flows easily, like it always does, only I flirt without abandon. She reciprocates and each time she does, I become more and more confident that I did the right thing, listening to Beck.

We don
’
t linger long after dinner, since I have plans for us to move on to our next activity as soon as we
’
re done. There
’
s an art gallery only a short walk from the restaurant that has a new photography exhibit I thought might be something she would enjoy. Turns out, I was right. She appreciates the surprise almost as much as she appreciates the art. I don
’
t really pay too much attention to the photos, too captivated by the woman admiring them. She holds my hand as she tugs me from one spot to the next, squeezing my fingers when she sees something she really likes. Every minute that I
’
m with her, I wonder how I went so long without this
—
us
.

Lord, please don
’
t let me screw this up. I know I have the heart to fall in love with her
—
but make me a man worthy of her love. You
’
re the only one who can
…

It
’
s almost ten by the time we leave the gallery. I don
’
t want to, but I know that I have to get her home soon.