The Promises We Keep (Made for Love Book 1) (67 page)

When Addison, Avery, and I walk into the Grant
’
s home, it
’
s silent and temporarily vacant. I breathe out a sigh of relief, thankful that I have more time before I come face to face with my girlfriend
’
s parents. Everyone thinks I
’
m ridiculous for being nervous. I
’
ve met Mr. and Mrs. Grant before and I
’
ve been a guest in their house a few times over the last three years
—
but it
’
s never been like
this.
I
’
ve never stayed the weekend. I
’
ve never been a part of any of their family gatherings. I
’
ve never been introduced as
Avery
’
s boyfriend
.

I didn
’
t grow up with parents who cared who I was dating. In fact, I can
’
t even be sure Patrick ever realized when I brought a girl home
—
although, that was certainly rare and I never brought anyone around the house when I thought he might be there
. It
’
s also been years since I was introduced to a girl
’
s parents with the title of boyfriend hovering over me. Yet, it hasn
’
t been so long that I don
’
t remember that along with the title comes the tendency for moms and dads to be a lot more interested in who I am and where I come from. I know that Avery has made her choice; I know that she
’
s chosen me, but I also know that she loves and respects her parents very much. She refuses to believe that I
’
m not good enough for her
—
but what if that
’
s what her parents believe? Then will she finally see? But it
’
s also so much more than that
…

“
Hey. Hottie!
”
I
’
m jerked out of my head at the sound of Avery
’
s voice, along with the tug of her hand.

“
What?
”

“
You are
really
freaking out.
”
She smiles before she brings my hand up to her lips, where she kisses the back before she lets me go.
“
Stop. Really! It
’
s going to be great. Besides, your hands are getting all clammy and that
’
s gross.
”
When she and Addison giggle, I can
’
t help but smile.
“
Come on. Follow me.
”

I do as I
’
m told and we head upstairs where I deposit Addie
’
s bag and then Avery
’
s into their respective rooms. Next, we head down two flights of stairs leading to the finished basement. There
’
s a spare room that
’
s straight and tidy where I discard my things. Ave holds out her hand for me to take and I teasingly wipe my palms on my shorts before I lace my fingers with hers. She leads me back upstairs and then out onto the deck that extends into the backyard from the side of the house. We walk by the outdoor dining set as she takes me to the cushioned porch swing on the far side of the deck.

“
Sit,
”
she instructs.

“
You
’
re bossy today,
”
I chuckle as I do as I
’
m told.

“
You
’
ve left me no choice,
”
she replies as she sits beside me. Her legs are curled under her, propping her up so that we
’
re eye level with each other.
“
I know I
’
ve been teasing you, but you really have nothing to worry about. Just
relax
.
”

“
Okay,
”
I reply with a nod.

“
I didn
’
t think you
’
d get this nervous. I thought it would pass once we got here and you remembered that this isn
’
t your first appearance.
”

“
But it is,
”
I sigh.
“
Now, I
’
m your
—”

“
Boyfriend. I know. And I love you, so they will, too.
”

“
I hope so.
”

She cups her hand around my cheek and turns my face so that I
’
m looking directly into her eyes. I admire the view
—
her pretty brown irises and cute button nose; her full heart shaped lips and her narrow chin. Her hair is down, the way she likes it the best, and hangs on either side of her face, hiding her ears. I want to kiss her, a desire that never seems to go away, but when I look into her eyes, I see that she
’
s busy
—
busy looking for something in mine. It makes me pause. This is something that she does. I can
’
t ever say what she
’
s looking for, but I can always tell when she finds it. Or when she doesn
’
t, like now.

“
Tell me why you
’
re so worried.
”

“
I just want to make a good impression. That
’
s all.
”

“
No, it
’
s not. You can
’
t fool me, Grayson O
’
Conner.
”
She moves so that she
’
s sitting in my lap
—
my favorite place for her to be,
and she knows it
—
and then she slides her hands around the back of my neck so that she might play with the ends of my hair.
“
They know how much you mean to me. They
also
know how wonderful you are because you
’
ve been a part of our group since freshman year. You
’
re Hammy
’
s best friend
—
whom they adore
—
so you already
have
made a good impression. Now, what is it? Tell me.
”

There she goes again, calling me out on my crap answers.
Normally, it would be easier for me to come clean. My love for her does that, encourages my honesty and my vulnerability. Today, though, the answer she
’
s looking for
—
the
question
she
’
s asking
—
it
’
s not even something I feel comfortable addressing myself. It
’
s not that I don
’
t know what I
’
m feeling or thinking, it
’
s just a lot to hope for.

“
Hey,
”
she whispers before offering me a light kiss on the lips.
“
Please? Let me in.
”
She kisses me again before resting her forehead against mine and I can
’
t deny her any longer.

“
I don
’
t want them to just
like
me, Ave,
”
I murmur, rubbing my hands up and down her sides anxiously.

“
Then, what
do
you want?
”

I breathe out a chest full of air, surprised how hard it is for me to have this conversation. It
’
s not that I
’
m afraid of what she
’
ll think of me
—
it
’
s more that I
’
m still trying to wrap my own head around my desires. Everything with Avery is different and new.
Lord, what are doing in my heart with this woman in my arms?
It
’
s like He
’
s knocking down walls and revealing needs I didn
’
t know I had
—
or didn
’
t remember I had
—
have
.
I don
’
t know if I can handle this, God
—
I can
’
t tackle these things; these concepts are foreign to me and it freaks me out to learn that they
’
re a part of me. After going without for so long
…

Avery kisses me again, only this time she doesn
’
t pull away. As she coaxes me out of my head with her lips, I hug her to me. Her affection is gentle and I let her lead, somehow knowing that she
’
s trying to tell me something. I can feel her love for me and her reassurance that she
’
s not going anywhere
—
and I breathe it all in as I return her kiss. When she finally pulls away, I know it
’
s my turn to speak.

“
You
’
re my family, Avery.
”

Oh, shit. I just said that.

I don
’
t know where those words came from
.

As soon as they pass from my lips, my heart starts to pound inside of my chest and I wonder if she can hear it
—
hear the anxiety coursing through my veins. Because even though I hadn
’
t planned on saying those words, they
’
re true; and not only are they true, but they encompass everything that I was trying to figure out how to explain. I hadn't really been able to define the feeling until just now.
Lord, what is it about her that makes me this way?
I'm a freaking open book and I can't seem to hide from her.

Do I want to?
I search Avery's face and I know that it can't be helped. As long as she wants me, she has me.
Hasn
’
t it been that way since our first kiss? Maybe even before
…

Until Beck and the rest of the Willis family, the only family I knew was Uncle Charlie. Rhonda and Patrick have only ever been parents on paper; in real life, I only knew their love when I was too young to remember. With my Uncle Charlie, I was taught what it meant to be connected to someone. I wasn
’
t an obligation or a responsibility. When I lost him, I thought that was it. That I
’
d just be alone
—
but Beck
’
s family has always welcomed me like I belong to them. Even still, it doesn
’
t match the way Avery makes me feel. Her love is everything to me. I didn
’
t think we would get here this fast
—
that
I
would feel this way, but she
’
s more than I thought she could be. Yet, the weight of the truth could be too much, too soon for her. She loves me, but what if she can
’
t bear to carry my truth?