The Promises We Keep (Made for Love Book 1) (68 page)

What if she doesn
’
t want to?

For a minute, she doesn
’
t speak, and I begin to regret ever opening my mouth. Then I notice her eyes have become glassy with tears and I start to panic.
Shit. Shit. Shit. I knew I
’
d be the one to mess this up
—
and now I have.
The last thing I ever wanted was to scare her away with my past; I swore to myself that I would protect her from it, even if it meant protecting her from me. I didn
’
t think I
—
I didn
’
t know that I
…

Dammit.

Grayson
’
s Filter-0. Avery
’
s Red Flags-1
.

“
Sonny,
”
she murmurs. There
’
s a tremble in her voice and as she attempts to collect herself, my heart rate picks up another notch. I have no idea what she
’
s going to say and I can feel my muscles bracing for impact as if a linemen is about to take me down.
Only I know that whatever she says has the potential to hurt so much worse than that ever could.

“
You are the sweetest man I
’
ve ever known.
”
My heart skips a beat.
“
I love you so much. I can
’
t imagine how anyone,
anyone
, could ever abandon you or hurt you
—
especially not your parents. I
’
m so sorry that happened to you; but I
’
m more than happy to share my parents with you. I know, I
know
that once they get to know you, they
’
re never going to want to let you go. Just like I never want to let you go.
”

I huff out a breath I didn
’
t know I was holding as my muscles relax in relief. For a second, I have no words. When she reaches up and rubs her thumb underneath my eye, I
’
m startled when I realize that we
’
re
both
crying. I shake my head and press the heels of my hands against my eyes, drying them roughly as embarrassment washes over me.

“
I
’
m sorry,
”
I mutter.

“
For what?
”
she asks, pulling my hands away from my face. As my eyes lock with hers, all I can manage is a shrug.
“
Never apologize for how you feel. I want all of you, always. No secrets, remember?
”

“
Yeah. I remember.
”

“
Good.
”

“
Man, I love you,
”
I say, shaking my head in awe of the woman before me.
Thank you, God. That
’
s all I can say is
—
thank you. I
’
ll never doubt Your love because of hers.

“
I love you, too, man,
”
she replies teasingly, jerking her chin up in a nod. I laugh, because she
’
s so ridiculous and so adorable; and then I kiss her, because I can
’
t help myself. As soon as she clings to me, all jokes are set aside and our kiss deepens. I don
’
t know how long we sit, consumed in the passion of the moment, before I hear someone calling us. Not someone
—
Addie.

“
Hey, guys!
”
Avery pulls away from me, looking behind her toward the sliding glass door we came out of a while ago, but no one is there.
“
Up here, AJ,
”
cries Addie in a mock whisper. We both look up and find Addie standing in her bedroom window.
“
Mom and dad just pulled up. Thought I should warn you.
”

“
Thanks,
”
replies Avery with a grin and a blush.

“
That
’
s what I
’
m here for,
”
she says before sliding her window shut.

Avery blows out a short breath before focusing her attention back on me.
“
Okay. You ready for this?
”

“
As ready as I
’
ll ever be, I guess.
”
I offer her a smile, which I
’
m pleased to say is completely genuine; our conversation has me feeling slightly better than before. I
’
m still nervous, though, which my girl can obviously tell.

“
Don
’
t be nervous,
”
she insists as she stands.
“
Just hold my hand.
”
And so I do.

I think my mom might be in love with my hot jock almost as much as I am. Whenever he speaks, she stops eating, which makes me smile. She keeps on trying to feed him, too, which he respectfully declines. I find it hilarious.
Gosh, I
’
m so proud of him
. For someone who was incredibly nervous for this moment, he
’
s handling it like a pro. He
’
s
so
polite
—
part of his adopted southern charm
—
that he
’
s got my dad practically eating out of the palm of his hand.

Even though my dad is a pretty serious looking man, standing at five eleven
—
obviously not inherited by my other half and me
—
with a receding hairline of curly graying locks, a low trimmed beard, frameless glass
—
which seem to draw attention to his generous laugh lines
—
and his collared shirt
—
always
with the collar, whether it
’
s a button up or a polo, even on Saturdays
—
he
’
s really just a big, ole teddy bear. He looks constantly wrinkle free, but that
’
s never stopped his girls from showering him in affection whenever we get the chance. Even though he always threatened to be really hard on any guy we ever brought home, he seems to be treating Sonny like he always has in the past.

“
So, Grayson, tell us a little more about yourself,
”
he prompts.

Hmm. Maybe I spoke too soon. It appears the inquisition is about to begin.

“
Sure. Okay. What would you like to know?
”

“
How about your family? Do you have any siblings?
”

I stifle a groan.
Leave it to dad to forget that Sonny
’
s family is not a good conversation topic.
I look beside me and watch as Sonny takes a deep breath and sets his fork down.
“
Um, no, sir,
”
he answers.
“
I
’
m an only child.
”

“
And your folks are in Texas, is that right?
”

I cringe as Sonny rubs his hands anxiously over his shorts. When I throw my dad my
Really?
glare, he simply shrugs obliviously and directs his attention back on Sonny.

“
My father is there. At least, the last time I checked. We don
’
t speak, much.
”
I reach over into his lap and take one of his hands, giving it a squeeze. He squeezes back but doesn
’
t look at me.

“
You know, I do remember you telling us you were estranged,
”
says my mom.

“
I
’
m sorry to hear that,
”
adds dad.

Dear Lord, please let this conversation end!

“
Do you ever make it back there? Do you plan on traveling home this summer? I know our girls are spoiled, with the Springs only being a couple hours
’
drive away,
”
mom inquires.

I close my eyes as I send silent prayers up to God,
pleading
with Him to give my parents a clue. Maybe I should have reminded them just how much he doesn
’
t like to talk about his family.
Honestly, though
…
can they not feel his discomfort? It
’
s rolling off of him in waves!
When he clears his throat before speaking, I instinctively squeeze his hand once more. I know he hates this, but I don
’
t know how to save him from this moment. If my parents don
’
t ask their questions now, I
’
m sure they
’
ll ask later.

“
No, ma
’
am. I haven
’
t been back home since I graduated high school. There isn
’
t anything there for me, anymore. I spent four years trying to find a way out and I don
’
t have any desire to go back.
”

The room fills with silence. I squeeze his hand again and look across the table at Addie. As our gazes meet, I can tell she
’
s holding her breath like I am, just waiting to see who will say what next.

“
So, Avery tells us you have plans of becoming a CPA.
”
My dad speaks and my prayers are answered. I release a quiet sigh at the subject change, my smile resurfacing. Dad catches my eye and offers me a wink just as Sonny begins to speak.

“
That
’
s right.
”

“
I assume that means you
’
ll be going on to work toward your MBA, then?
”

“
Yes, sir.
”

Master
’
s
. I forgot he needed one of those. How could I forget he needs one of those?
Oh, I don
’
t know, perhaps because it didn
’
t directly affect you until now,
I chastise myself. Suddenly, I don
’
t like this choice of conversation any more than I liked the last.
Master
’
s Degree? Where is he going to get
that
from? CSU? Or will he be moving?
I
’
m struck dumb with the reality that he and I have to start planning life after college soon. Too soon. This next semester, he
’
s going to be worried about applying to grad schools and I
’
m going to be focusing on planning for auditions and
—
are we going to be separated?
That seems to be the only question I can ask myself, because the thought of us
not
being together is one I refuse to entertain.