The Promises We Keep (Made for Love Book 1) (81 page)

“
Wait, no, Sonny!
”
She blocks my path to the door, pressing her small hands against my chest.
“
You
’
re right. I don
’
t understand. I
can
’
t
understand. But you
’
re hurting and I
hate
it. I hate it! I can
’
t stand what she
’
s done to you. It makes me sick! And I
’
m sorry. But don
’
t go.
”
She wraps her arms around me and holds me tight.
“
Let me in.
”

I draw in a couple deep breaths as I try and calm down. I concentrate on the feeling of my girl wrapped around me.
My girl. Avery.
I look down at her and what I see helps to press down my flared temper.
What I see is a woman
—
a woman who is barely five-foot-one
—
ready to fight the world for me; ready to fight
me
if I stand in the way of her path to my heart. She
’
s exactly the opposite of Rhonda.

While I don
’
t think that I deserved to be abandoned by my own mother, I know I don
’
t deserve the woman who is now holding me
—
but I want her. More than that, I
love
her. And she loves me. As I lean down to kiss the top of her head, I inhale the smell of her shampoo. I wrap my arms around her and she squeezes me tighter. Suddenly, the world feels right again.

“
I
’
m sorry,
”
I mumble into her hair.

“
What? No,
”
she insists, shifting so that she
’
s looking up at me.
“
You have nothing to apologize for.
”
She groans pathetically as she presses her chin against my chest.
“
This is
not
how I wanted your birthday to go,
”
she says with a pout.

“
It started off pretty good.
”

“
Will you let me try and salvage it? I have presents
…
I was going to give you one now and one later
—
but maybe now
’
s a good time for both of them.
”

“
Sure. Why not?
”
I reply with a shrug.

“
Yeah?
”

The hope that shines in her eyes beckons me to shove aside all thoughts of Rhonda and kiss the woman that I love. When I press my lips against hers, she kisses me back tenderly.
“
Yeah,
”
I answer before delivering one more kiss.

“
Okay. Come here.
”
She takes my hands and leads me to the bed where we both sit. I watch her as she folds her legs underneath her and situates the items she has brought, just so. Now that I
’
m calm, I can take her all in. She
’
s wearing the same outfit she wore when I took her on her birthday date. The leopard print leggings fit like another layer of skin and her black top clings to her chest while the sweater she wears drapes around her. Even though it was months ago, I
’
ll never forget that night
—
and her outfit assures me that she won
’
t, either.

I reach for her, sliding my hand underneath her sweater and around her waist as I close the distance between us and bring my mouth to hers. She giggles, surprised by my abrupt act, and then follows my lead as she wraps her arms around my neck. I shove aside my presents and pull her into my lap, never parting my lips from hers. I relish in her willingness and deepen our kiss. I pull away as soon as I feel my self-control slipping out of reach.

“
What was that for?
”
she asks softly as she searches my eyes.

“
I love you.
”

She sighs happily and leans against me.
“
You know what I love?
”

“
Tell me,
”
I murmur, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“
I love that you tell me you love me just because.
”
She kisses my cheek and then reaches for one of my gifts.
“
Open.
”

I
’
m not surprised to find a green card sticking out from the top of the gift bag.
“
Why green?
”
I ask as I open the envelope.

“
Someone I love has
incredible
green eyes. Now, it
’
s my favorite color.
”

I chuckle softly and then open my card.

When I look at her, she
’
s grinning in anticipation. I can
’
t help but smile back as I pull the tissue paper out of the bag to reveal what
’
s inside. I laugh
—
really laugh
—
as I pull out the white fuzzy dice. I
’
m laughing so hard that I have to hold onto her waist to keep my balance
—
and it feels good.

“
You are awesome,
”
I say when I catch my breath.

“
You like them? I thought your vintage car could use some vintage flare; and now you
’
ll have something that reminds you of me wherever you go.
”

“
I love them,
”
I tell her as I kiss her cheek. I don
’
t tell her that I definitely don
’
t need help remembering her wherever I go. She
’
s my heart; I carry her with me, always. But it is true
—
I do love them.
“
Thank you.
”

“
Yay!
”
she cheers with an excited clap.
“
Okay, now your other gift.
”
She hands me another card and a small rectangle box. I open the card first.

I furrow my brow at her suspiciously as I set aside her note and remove the lid from the box. My jaw drops when I see two tickets to watch the Broncos play the Chargers in just a few weeks. As crazy as it might sound, considering how much football means to me, I
’
ve never been to a professional game before and she knows it. Even still
—“
This is too much, Ave. You shouldn
’
t have.
”

“
Did I pick a bad match up? I wasn
’
t really sure what game you
’
d like to watch. I
—”

I shake my head at her, signaling that she
’
s misunderstood me.
“
No, this is incredible. But it
’
s too much, sweetheart. I got you
flowers
and you got me Bronco tickets? I mean, that
’
s not even fair.
”

“
Hey,
”
she protests, cupping her hands under my chin.
“
First of all, I
loved
my birthday date
—
and you gave me
a lot more
than just flowers. Second, I
’
m sure these seats are so high up you
’
ll wish you were at home watching the game on your big TV. Third, it
’
s not too much. It
’
s not
enough
. I have a lot of birthdays I
’
m trying to make up for, here. I told you I planned on spoiling you and I
’
m not done. Not even close.
”

“
Avery
—”

She shuts me up with a kiss.
“
Happy birthday, Sonny,
”
she says as she pulls away.

“
You
’
re unbelievable,
”
I whisper as I stare into her eyes. I replay the last half hour and I
’
m in awe of the way she
’
s managed to pull me out of a state of emotional turmoil to
this
place, where the only thing I feel is
her
. In the back of my mind, the image of that yellow envelope is nudging me and encouraging me to open up doors that I closed a long time ago; but I refuse. I don
’
t know what it means
—
the fact that I got a birthday card with a return address today
—
but I don
’
t
want
to know. I don
’
t want to go backwards. My future is sitting in my lap and showering me with more love than I
’
ve ever known. I want to take her hand and never look back.

I won
’
t deny the fact that that card has conjured up a lot of questions. But how can I regret ignoring them when I know nothing but pain will come along with the answers? I don't need that. I don
’
t need Rhonda. I don
’
t need Patrick. I just need Avery.

“
Thank you, Shorty. You have made this day
the best birthday
of my life.
”

“
Really?
”
she murmurs.
“
I
’
m not driving you crazy?
”

“
No. Not at all. Now, how do you feel about staying in here the rest of the day and just making out with me?
”
I ask as I recline back onto the bed, pulling her with me so that her chest is pressed against mine. She giggles as I nibble at her neck.
“
I
’
m not kidding.
”