The Promises We Keep (Made for Love Book 1) (6 page)

Beckham offers to buy me lunch after church, the both of us wishing to avoid our textbooks for just another hour or so. He takes me to Old Town Fort Collins, just a few blocks away from our apartment and campus. He finds parking where he can and we casually stroll past boutiques, specialty stores, and restaurants, letting our stomachs guide us. We end up at a salad place, because it sounds good to me and he isn
’
t opposed, and we take our time eating and talking.

Being with Beck is easy. I never have to worry about impressing him or trying to put my best foot forward
—
after five years of friendship coupled with romance, I feel free to be myself all the time. I know he feels the same way. While my Beckham isn
’
t perfect, his commitment to me and our relationship is pretty outstanding. He
’
s always willing to listen. I think that
’
s what makes him such a good guy. He
’
ll listen and absorb what I have to say and then respond accordingly; and if he doesn
’
t agree or he thinks what I have to say should be challenged, he
’
ll call me on it. He
’
s not an argumentative person, though
…
and he loves me, so he
’
s usually really gentle. We tell each other just about everything and I
’
m quite proud of our ability to communicate with one another
—
I think it
’
s one of our best qualities.

I won
’
t say that our relationship hasn
’
t been work. Learning to be with another person, figuring out how to understand them and how best to treat them, in spite of your own feelings
—
that
’
s always work; but the reward far outweighs the demand. I love him so much. He
’
s my partner. In fact, he
’
s so much a part of me that I don
’
t even remember what life was like before him.

“
What are you thinking?
”
he asks, bringing my hand up to his lips.

The weather is beautiful, in that way only a Colorado spring can be, so after we finish eating, we decide to walk around a bit more before heading back to the car. Being beside him, our fingers laced together, I know without a shadow of doubt that no matter where I am, he is and will always be my home.

I inhale deeply and sigh happily before I answer.
“
Just thinking about how much I love you.
”

“
Oh, that
’
s nice,
”
he says, smiling down at me.
“
You
’
re not so bad, yourself.
”

I can
’
t help but laugh.
“
Glad you think so.
”

He pulls me under his arm and kisses the top of my head before telling me he loves me too.
“
Speaking of people who love you, I talked to Kenzie last night.
”

“
Oh, yeah?
”
I ask with a grin. Kenzie is his little sister. She
’
s sixteen and adores her older brother like no one else. Lucky for me, I get a share of some of that love. I try and keep in touch with her, via video chat or text messages, but we haven
’
t had a chance to connect in a while.
“
What
’
s going on in her world?
”

“
She was just calling to make sure we were still planning on coming home for the weekend. I think she
’
s got every moment of Saturday planned out already.
”
He shakes his head as if he is annoyed but the smirk that tugs at the corner of his mouth says otherwise.
“
I had to remind her that you have family you have to spend time with, too, and that mom and dad might want to see me at some point.
”

“
Not to mention we
’
ve got finals to study for, still.
”

“
Exactly. Yeah
—
we
’
ll see how things go. Let me know when you think you might be free to swing by on Saturday to hang out with us for a bit.
”

“
I will. Is Grayson going to come?
”

“
No, he decided to stick around here.
”

I nod in response and then let my thoughts wander a bit. I
’
m looking forward to a weekend with my parents. Beck, Ave, and I decided to head down this weekend as opposed to next weekend in light of the fact that we
’
re all planning to pick up summer hours at our jobs as soon as finals week is over.

Avery doesn
’
t work during the school year, her schedule too demanding to warrant the time; but for the past two summers, since we stopped spending our breaks at home, she
’
s been the summer help at Dottie
’
s Bakery. It
’
s a small shop in Old Town that specializes in artisan and sweet breads. I love that she works there because of the delicious things she
’
s always bringing home. She also has a playing gig at the local Dinner Theater; she can be found in the pit orchestra every other weekend
—
as long as the score calls for a cello
—
for their various musicals.

Beckham has been working at the same bookstore chain since he graduated from high school; when he moved up to Fort Collins, he was able to transfer his employment. It
’
s a great benefit to me that he works there as he is constantly feeding my book addiction. During the school year, he only works a few hours when he
’
s needed on the weekend
—
but his hours will pick up considerably when he doesn
’
t have classes. He also spends a good chunk of time volunteering at the local hospital. It
’
s good exposure and preparation for his future.

Sarah and I work together at our favorite pub, Cooper
’
s. It
’
s one of the most popular restaurants in Old Town
—
attracting mostly college students. It
’
s a fun place to hang out whether you
’
re of age to drink or not. There are pool tables, foosball tables, and dart boards
—
not to mention the best pizza in town and a great selection of beers, half of which are locally brewed and the reason why most of the patrons dine in. To say that Fort Collins folks are snobby about their beer is an understatement, but I kind of like it. They
’
re just as picky about their food options, wishing to have the option to go healthier or meatless if they desire.

Anyway, Cooper
’
s has got a special charm that makes it a great place to work and hang out, without me getting sick of it. It
’
s also nice because sometimes the guys will come in to eat during Sarah
’
s and my shift and that always helps the time fly by. Like Beck, our hours are few during the school year, but we
’
ll be put in the regular rotation as soon as our finals are done.

Thinking of finals makes me think about the end of another year. I have one more semester of classes before I start student teaching
—
then I
’
m done. Done! Where life will take me from there depends on Beckham
…

Just as that thought crosses my mind, I spot a jewelry store on the corner. I choke out a laugh, both amused and anxious about the coincidence.

“
Are you okay? What was that?
”
asks Beck with a laugh.

I look up at him, back at the jewelry store and then back up at him. It
’
s not my intention to give him a hint, which is good, considering his smiling eyes don
’
t leave my face. At the same time, I
’
m not sure if I
’
m feeling brave enough to ask the question that has now successfully invaded my mind. It might be true that talking to this man is easy and that I feel comfortable with him and that I know he
’
ll listen no matter what I want to talk about
—
but I
’
m still human. Furthermore, I
’
m a
girl
.

Then again, my curiosity will nag at me if I don
’
t take this moment to ask the question that might just lead me to a few answers I
’
ve been waiting for. I push aside my nerves and clear my throat before asking,
“
Are you going to take me ring shopping or were you going to try and go it alone?
”

Heat claws its way up my spine and latches onto my neck. Instinctively, I move my free hand to massage the anxiety away. That is definitely not a question I was expecting to hear just now; but when I look down at her, I see that she is patiently waiting for an answer and I know that I have to give her one.

“
I guess, when the time comes, I
’
ll go it alone. I might ask Avery for her help.
”

She pauses a beat before responding.
“
When the time comes? Does that mean you haven
’
t thought about it?
”

I stifle a groan. I have this bad feeling that I
’
m about to get in trouble. The truth is, I haven
’
t thought about it. I mean, of course I realize that I
’
ll have to get her a ring
eventually
. I
’
m not ready to pick one out right now, so what is there to think about?

Obviously, I can
’
t say that. The last thing I want to do is hurt Addison
’
s feelings. I know that she
’
s probably thought so much about rings it would make my head spin. And why shouldn
’
t she? She
’
s the one who gets to wear the engagement ring
…
eventually
.

“
I
’
ve thought about us getting
married
. You know that.
”

She flinches, clearly not satisfied with my answer, and I wait for the other shoe to drop. Suddenly, her pace is slower and I have to adjust my stride to match hers. I
’
m no longer apprehensive about getting into trouble
—
I
’
m there. Her mind is so busy, her feet can barely keep up.

“
Beckham
…
are you planning on marrying me before you go to medical school?
”
she finally asks.

An all too familiar knot of fear tangles in my stomach.
“
Babe, that
’
s more than a year away.
”

She flinches again, pulling my arm from around her. She doesn
’
t drop my hand, though, which is a good sign
—
but the look on her face
…

“
Beckham,
”
I wish she would stop calling me by my full name
,
“
do you plan on eloping? Because if not, that means we have a wedding to plan. Do you know how long it takes to plan a wedding?
”
I don
’
t know what to say so I lift my shoulders in a feeble shrug.
“
Beckham
—”