The Promises We Keep (Made for Love Book 1) (75 page)

Dammit.
Even with my clothes swallowing her whole, hiding her sexy little body in ways that wet t-shirt never could, the sight of her leaves me in need of a cold shower. I take a deep breath, shake my head, and turn my back on her as she makes her way to join me in the kitchen.

“
What are you doing?
”
she asks, slipping her arms around my waist.

I close my eyes and lift my hands up to grip either side of the pantry doorframe.
“
Shorty, now
’
s probably not a good time to touch me.
”
I feel her body go rigid as she freezes behind me. I don
’
t mean to hurt her feelings but if she doesn
’
t stop touching me, I won
’
t be able to keep my hands to myself either.
Right now, that
’
s for the best.
“
I just need a minute.
”

“
Sorry,
”
she murmurs as she releases me.

I turn to face her and see the sincerity of her apology in her big brown eyes
—
eyes that could convince me to do anything.
Anything
except
break my promise to wait
…
I take her chin between my fingers and tilt her head back just enough for me to reach her lips and deliver a quick peck.
“
Don
’
t be sorry. You have no reason to be.
”

“
But I
—”

“
No buts.
”
A smirk pulls at my lips as I realize what I
’
ve just said.
“
Well, your butt is pretty nice, but I
’
m trying not to think about that right now.
”
She bites her lip in an attempt to hide a smile as her cheeks turn my favorite shade of red. I kiss her forehead and then turn back toward the pantry to continue my hunt for food.
“
To answer your question, I
’
m trying to figure out something to eat. I was going to make myself some dinner before my gorgeous girlfriend showed up at my doorstep and distracted me.
”

“
Oh, yeah? Well, do you mind if your girlfriend joins you for dinner?
”

I spot what I
’
m looking for and reach for it before turning to find Avery perched on top of the counter
—
perfect kissing height
. I push the thought aside and try to remember my hunger. My
other
hunger.
“
My
gorgeous
girlfriend is welcome to join me for dinner any time she wants.
”

“
What a lucky girl.
”

“
She seems to think so. I
’
ve learned not to argue.
”

She giggles and I just
have
to kiss her. So I do. I linger for a moment, willing myself to be content with this close-lipped exchange.

“
What are we having for dinner?
”
she asks when I pull away.

“
Oh, no more referring to you in the third person?
”
I tease.

“
What are
the two of you
having for dinner?
”
she corrects herself with a grin. I hold up a couple packets of ramen noodles, lifting my eyebrows in question. When she laughs, I feign a pout.
“
Your girlfriend
—”

“
Gorgeous
girlfriend.
”

She rolls her eyes and scoffs as if she
’
s annoyed, but I know she loves it.
“
Your
gorgeous
girlfriend says she
’
ll only eat that if you let her doctor it.
”

My eyebrows go up again, this time in surprise.
“
She can
doctor
ramen noodles?
”

“
Have you met her mother?
”
she asks, hopping from the counter and snatching the ramen from my hands.
“
Of course, she can doctor this classic college-student staple. When I
’
m
—
when
she
’
s
done, you
’
ll hardly recognize it. Watch and learn, love.
”

“
This should be good.
”
I lift myself up onto the counter that she just vacated and fold my arms across my chest, ready to
watch and learn
.

Or maybe just watch.

As she rummages through our refrigerator, pulling out ingredients that seem to satisfy her, she starts humming.
Bach
. I recognize it right away. Not because I
’
ve suddenly become educated in classical music, but because I know the piece that she
’
s humming is what she
’
s been preparing for her grad school audition tapes. Just thinking about it fills me with a sort of happiness that I
’
ve only ever known with Avery. I know she
’
ll get into any program she applies to and I can only hope and pray that I get accepted into a school that
’
s in close proximity to her top choice. She keeps telling me that any of the schools she plans on applying to will suit her just fine, but I want her to have the best. I told her I never want to stand in the way of her greatness and I mean it. What she doesn
’
t know is that her greatness is what pushes me to strive for a higher caliber of success. She inspires me, so I will always push her to venture beyond mediocre, for she is extraordinary.

I swear, every day I fall in love with her a little bit more. Just when I think that I finally understand what love is, she pulls me in deeper. I know that because of her, my life will never be the same. It
’
s not even just about
her
, which is the best part
—
what we have has helped me understand
God
’
s
love more than I did before. I didn
’
t know being in a relationship with a person could do that, but it has. I
’
m comforted by the idea of being His
beloved
because I know what that means, now. Avery is
my
beloved.

This summer has gone by way too fast. When school starts next week and people ask me how I spent my last few months, all I
’
ll have to do is whip out my phone and show them my cover photo
—
the one of Avery that I took a couple weeks ago when we were out on a hike. She had gotten ahead of me and I pulled out my phone, called her name, and snapped the perfect picture of her looking back at me over her shoulder.
She
has been how I spent my summer.

Of course, I
’
ve had football and work to juggle, too, but every spare moment I
’
ve had has been spent with my girl. We enjoyed a lot of time in the company of others
—
new friends and old
—
like we usually would; but we made sure to set aside time just for the two of us. We
’
ve been to concerts and movies and out on picnics. I
’
ve taken her out on dates, as often as possible, and she
’
s spoiled me with homemade dinners for two. We
’
ve shared lazy days and naps
—
God, I love napping with her
—
and we
’
ve even run errands together. I keep waiting for her to get sick of me, but it hasn
’
t happened yet. For that I am grateful. I can
’
t get enough of her.

“
Whatcha thinkin
’ ‘
bout?
”
she asks over her shoulder.

She
’
s standing at the stove, doing I
’
m not sure what.
So much for watching and learning; I haven
’
t learned a thing
—
except how sexy it is to watch her long hair fall out of place.
I
’
m pretty sure her hair tie is just about useless at this point.

“
Sonny?
”

“
Hmm?
”
I hum, yanking myself out of my head.

“
What are you thinking about over there? You
’
re being awfully quiet.
”

“
I was just thinking about you,
”
I admit with a shrug.

“
Me?
”
she chirps.
“
What about me?
”

“
Just that I love you.
”

When she turns to face me, her hair falls loose, tumbling down her back. She ignores it as she closes the distance between us, lightly tugging at the collar of my shirt when she
’
s within reaching distance. I don
’
t resist her as she pulls me down for a kiss. Instead, I bury my fingers in her damp hair and keep her close, stopping only when I feel her start to pull away.
“
You think you love me now? Wait until Saturday.
”
She pecks my lips before she steps out of reach and returns to the stove, picking up her fallen hair tie along the way.

Saturday.
My birthday. As her boyfriend, I am well aware that I now
do birthdays
, as she puts it. For her, I would do anything, which is the only reason I
’
m going along with her plans. I
’
m not really sure what to expect, as she has only let me in on our evening festivities. She insisted that I take the day off of work, which makes my last day at the hardware store tomorrow. I
’
m trying to keep an open mind about the whole thing, but shaking away thirteen years of horrible birthdays isn
’
t exactly the easiest thing in the world. Now, I
’
m used to treating the day like any other and ignoring its significance all together.

“
Sonny?
”
she murmurs, catching my attention once more.

“
Yeah, Shorty?
”

“
It
’
s going to be great. I promise.
”
I offer her a small smile, partly because I
’
m amused that she was able to follow my unspoken thoughts, and partly because I have no words to give.
“
And your gorgeous girlfriend loves you, too.
”

That,
right there,
is all I could ever wish for my birthday.