Chapter 30
CHAPTER THIRTY
Lexi
“A date?” Sutton asks, sitting down on the end of my bed.
“Yes.” I don’t quite understand it myself. “He said we should date. So we are dating now,” I say with a shrug and ignore the confused, complex look that takes over her features.
Digging through my closet, I am a nervous wreck.
“What does one wear on a date, when they have no idea what they are actually doing on said date?” I say this more to myself as I continue to check every single piece of attire I have.
“Is it a night in or out? Will there be strenuous activities or is it more calm and relaxed?”
“I don’t know,” I say with a humph as I turn around only to find Sutton with her phone to her ear. “Who are you—” She holds up her finger to shush me. She actually shushes me.
“Okay so no heels, but maybe a sexy boot?”
Now I’m the one confused as I watch my best friend carry on a conversation with God knows who. A conversation I thought a minute ago she was having with me.
“Mmhm,” she hums her lips curling into a smile. “Perfect.” She nods. “Oh yes, perfect.” I take a step toward her, about to take the phone out of her hand when she holds her hand out to stop me, shaking her head no.
“I won’t I promise, but let me just say you did very good. I’m a proud sister-in-law right now.”
She ends the call, tosses the phone to the mattress, and stands.
Suddenly she is in my closet pulling out my favorite skinny black jeans, my ankle boots, and a red crop sweater. Laying them on my bed, she opens my dresser pulling out a black lacy bralette and matching panties.
Then Sutton opens my jewelry cabinet in the corner, going straight for my silver hoop earrings, silver bracelet, and necklace with a teardrop diamond.
“This,” she says, laying it all out on the end of the bed. “Hair down, long wavy curls. Trust me,” she adds with a wink, once again sitting on the bed.
“And you aren’t going to tell me anything he just said, are you?”
“Besides the fact that he knows you better than I think we all thought he did, no. He is on point, got it all planned out and the last thing I’m doing is ruining this for him. He put way too much thought into tonight.”
I hold her stare and all she does is smile. I know no matter how hard I push, she isn’t giving in.
My stomach is full of tiny little nervous butterflies as I grab everything and start to get ready. Sutton hangs out with me the entire time, helping me curl my hair.
More than two hours later I stand in front of my full-length mirror and to be honest I can’t remember the last time I put this much effort into my appearance. I feel pretty, I feel excited, and it’s been far too long since the last time I felt these feelings.
The sound of the doorbell ringing brings back all the nervous energy I had earlier. But it is all driven by excitement and not fear.
I’m ready for this.
I’m ready for this step.
The night has been perfect so far. Dinner in a small gazebo, with strings of twinkling fairy lights above us. Somehow he’d managed to clear the area and I’m sure he had help. This is the exact place that I told the girls was my favorite in Hudson.
I’m a Montgomery girl, it’s where I’ve lived my entire life. But one trip to Hudson and I fell in love.
It’s a beautiful, peaceful little town, with quaint shops and kind people. The kind of place you wake up in the morning and take a walk and feel completely safe. All the neighbors waving and saying good morning to you as you pass their porches, it’s so welcoming here.
Bennett put a lot of effort into tonight, Sutton was right. A walk hand in hand, listening to a band playing as we sat outside on the patio of Morgan’s, a small place in the center of Hudson.
When he stands and reaches his hand out I look up at him in confusion.
“Up.” He motions for me to stand and I look around. A few others are sitting a safe distance away, talking and listening to the music. “Dance with me.”
“Um, no one else is dancing.”
“I didn’t ask any of them.” Bennett smiles at me and I get those crazy little flutters in my stomach that he always seems to trigger. “I’m asking you.”
I still hesitate and he kneels, placing his hands on my knees, looking at me with such a calm eased look on his face. “They can think we are crazy, or they can laugh, but honestly sweetheart I don’t care. This night is for us, and I’d love nothing more than if you’d dance with me.”
Sliding my hand forward I link my fingers with his and he stands, taking me with him.
He was right, once he pulled me in close and I was surrounded by Bennett, he was all I could see. Everything else fades away, the music, and Bennett, me, and the feeling of him holding me close, that was all there was.
“Thank you for coming out with me tonight,” he whispers, his lips so close to mine.
“Thank you for asking me,” I reply, turning my head enough that our lips now hover only inches apart. Closing the distance I think I surprise us both and wrap my arms around the back of his neck.
“Do you still want to hate me, Lexi?”
Shaking my head I smile, playing with the hair that curls at the back of his neck. “No, Bennett.” He holds my stare, my heart races. “I don’t ever want to hate you again.”
“If I could go back,” he starts and I place my finger to his lips.
“No going back,” I insist. I don’t want to revisit what took place. Those actions continue to darken what we could have and I can’t do it anymore. I need to move forward.
“I need you to know the reasons behind my actions,” Bennett pushes. “It wasn’t fair for me to only give you half of what you were looking for. You deserve more than that. You deserve everything and at the time I was too selfish to give you my all.”
I do understand, now I do. It was hard to see it before, my pride had gotten in the way of everything else. “And now?"
“Now I’m standing here before you telling you I’m all yours, everything, my all.” My chest feels tight from his words. All the things I longed to hear for months. “I just hope that I’m not too late and that you can still see me the way you did then.”
“I never stopped seeing you, Bennett. You’ve always been the one to make me feel safe. I’ve missed you.”
“I’m right here.” He pushes the hair back off my face. “And I’m not going anywhere, I promise.”