Chapter Thirteen
Then
Jasper
Iwasn’t surprised when Avery was confused about what she wanted to drink. She doesn’t strike me as the type of girl who parties or goes out a lot. The little she has shared about her life made me even more infatuated with her.
It’s heartbreaking to think about how Avery grew up relatively alone—isolated from her parents in a big house and never having authentic friends.
My mother passed away when I was young, but I’ve always been incredibly close with my dad.
I’ve had the comfort of living in this small town my whole life and growing up with the same group of friends I’ve had since I was a kid—which she hasn’t had the luxury of.
I will keep her forever. She’s mine now. And as long as she continues to choose me, she’ll never know a day without love.
“You want to sit over there?” I point to a more secluded spot on the sand, away from the rest of the people. Clutching her drink in one hand, she nods and follows me.
“How do you like it?” I ask, bending to sit in the sand.
Facing the dark, endless ocean, from the corner of my eye, I see Avery lower next to me.
The outsides of our legs touch, causing a spark to shoot up the inside of my thigh and straight into my dick.
I adjust myself, so standing at attention isn’t completely obvious.
“Surprisingly, I like it a lot.” She giggles. “The first couple of sips burned on the way down, but the more I drink it, the smoother it gets.”
Leaning in, I run the backs of my knuckles against her cheek. “Good. I knew you would.”
“So, you’ve known these people most of your life?” she asks, rubbing the condensation on the side of her plastic cup.
“Not all of them, but most.”
“I wish I knew what that was like,” she trails off, lost in thought.
“Avery,” I mumble her name before lowering to nibble her bottom lip. She closes her eyes and smiles. “You have it now.”
“What do you mean?” She gently bites me back. I love it.
“Whatever I have is yours.”
She pulls away, her eyes bouncing between mine.
“You don’t have to feel like an outsider. Coconut Grove is your home now.”
Her expression falls. “For the rest of the summer.”
I refuse to think about that right now. Lost in a fog, I enjoy every moment of getting to know her. My days consist of Avery and thoughts of only her. I can’t let my mind go there. I’m not prepared for the spiral of darkness that will follow.
“Let’s not think about that now,” I say, swallowing what we both are thinking.
“You’re right,” she agrees, taking a generous swig of her whiskey and polishing it off.
My eyes follow the drop of amber liquid rolling over her lip and down her chin. I take my thumb and wipe it away. “It’s going to be that sort of night, huh?”
“Nah, I’m a horrible drunk,” she says, biting the same lip my finger just grazed. “I’m just tired now.”
“Tired?”
“Maybe we can get out of here?” The corner of her mouth quirks up.
“I’d rather be cuddling in your bed anyway,” I say.
“Yes.”
“Besides being tired, I noticed you’re in a better mood,” I say, lifting to stand in front of her. I hold out my hands.
Avery slides her hands into mine, and I hoist her to her feet. “Thanks to you.”
“I did nothing,” I reply.
“Sometimes all people need is someone to just sit and listen to them.” She wraps her arms around my shoulders, her fingers moving to the nape of my neck. “Security based in a silent trust.”
The tightening in my chest deepens. “You get me more than anyone else ever has.”
God, I’d love more than anything to make love to her.
It’s fucking brutal to feel this intense connection without being able to strengthen it.
But I need Avery to come to me when she’s ready.
She’s a thinker—always in her own head—and won’t do things unless she wants to.
I love that about her. Calculated like the sea and, at times, chaotic but always knows which way to go.
That’s why I asked her multiple times about attending tonight’s party. I never want her to feel like she’s not in control. Because when it comes to us, I’m secure in what we have.
“And you get me,” she mumbles, resting her head against my chest.
I squeeze her tight. “Do you want me to take you home?”
She angles her head up, glancing around the beach, then turns her half-open eyes to mine. “I wish for infinity nights like these. Every night spent on the beach under the stars.”
Fuck, I’m obsessed with her. “Infinity nights it is.”
Avery’s focus falls to my lips, then darts back up. “We should probably head back.”
“You got it, Arizona.”
She rotates in my arms and faces the black sea before us. The endless Pacific Ocean that goes on for thousands of miles.
“Thank you.”
My front is flush with her back, and I know she can feel me grow bigger between us. Do I pull away? Or do I let her see how bad I want to be with her?
“Come with me.”
“Of course.” I thread my fingers through her silky hair. “I wouldn’t let you walk alone.”
“Should we say goodbye to the guys?”
“Nah, I’ll see them tomorrow.” I chuckle, scoffing at my friends. “Hell, I see them all the damn time.”
She laughs. “That’s true. Let’s go.”
With my arm hooked tightly around her shoulders, I keep her close while we walk back to our side of town along the shore.
In what feels like a blink of an eye, we’re already back at Helen’s beach house. I’m not ready to say goodbye for the night, but she’s tired, so I hold in my disappointment about our night ending earlier than I would like.
“Thanks for hanging out with my friends tonight,” I say, leaning against the outside of the house.
With her hands linked behind her back, Avery steps into me. “Wait, you’re coming in, right?” she confirms coyly. Hell fucking yes, I want to come in!
“I would love to come in.” I smile and press a kiss on the tip of her nose. I watch as she turns around to unlock the door.
“Good, I hoped you knew I was serious.” She flashes a smile while blushing.
Following her up the steps, I take each one casually, trying not to let on how stoked I am to stay with her.
Avery leads me through the quiet, unlit house and down the hall to her bedroom. Taking care not to make a noise that would disturb Helen, we slip into her room. Avery quietly locks the door behind us.
I can barely make out the outline of her as she crosses over her bed to turn on a small lamp on her nightstand. She removes her shirt and switches it for a white tank top. Then drops her pants, replacing them with Northern Arizona University sweats. The college she’s going to.
A pit in my stomach reminds me our time is limited.
“I don’t think Helen heard us.” Avery climbs onto her bed.
I slip off my shoes, remove my shorts and get into bed with her. “Probably not.”
“I don’t think she’d care too much if she knew you were sleeping over anyway.”
I raise my arm, letting her cuddle into me. “You turn eighteen in two weeks anyway.”
“That’s true.”
“What do you want for your birthday?” I ask.
“Hmm.” She scratches her head. “I’m not sure. Nothing.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I say, kissing the top of her head. “There must be something you want.”
“I want to remember this summer forever.” Her voice is small, but heeds something so much larger.
“You will, Arizona,” I say. “If I have anything to do with it.”
Another silent beat passes before she speaks. “How many tattoos do you have?”
“Eight,” I answer. Avery traces the outline of the small pieces of art on my arm. Her delicate fingers cause my skin to break out in chills.
“I’d love to be brave enough to get one at some point.” She scoots a little lower, getting more snuggled under my arm.
I hold her close, fighting the heaviness of my eyelids. “You are braver than you think.”
“Maybe,” she mumbles.
The morning light shines through the shutters, warming the side of my face. My eyes spring open. I’m still in Avery’s bed. Shit.
I roll over to wake her, but before I do, I take a moment to admire how peaceful she looks.
I didn’t mean to fall asleep for the entire night.
My plan was to sneak out before dawn like I have every other time before.
But experiencing the feeling of waking up to her safely in my arms was worth the mistake.
“Avery,” I whisper, brushing her hair away from her face.
She stirs a little before slowly opening her eyes. “Jasper?” Then sits straight up in bed. “Oh no. We fell asleep!”
I laugh. “Good morning. And yes, I did.”
She palms her face. “Oh no. What will Helen say?”
I shrug. “At this point, it is what it is,” I tell her. “She knows we’re seeing each other.”
Avery nods. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“It’ll be okay.” I kiss her forehead. “I’ll just walk out casually. Maybe she won’t be bothered.”
Avery chuckles. She lifts off the bed and grabs an oversized shirt from her drawer.
I slide back on my shorts. When we’re both fully dressed, we meet at her door.
“Let’s do this.” Her face crinkles with nerves. “Maybe this is a good chance for us to tell her that you’ll be sleeping over more often, and then it won’t have to be a surprise.”
“I think that’s a good idea.” I grab her hand, and we walk out together.
“Good morning, Jasper.” Helen’s voice is upbeat as Avery and I round the corner into the kitchen. She has two cups in her hands. “I made you a raw juice.”
Avery and I exchange a glance. I should be more nervous about being caught by my girlfriend’s family walking out of her room, but I’ve known Helen for a while now, and we have a good relationship.
“Thanks, Helen,” I say. Unbothered, I take the cup from her hands.
“I made you one too.” She then turns to Avery.
“You don’t seem surprised to see Jasper walk out of my bedroom ?” Avery says, climbing onto the high chair at the counter.
“I might not have had my own kids, but I do know what it’s like to be eighteen and nineteen years old,” she retorts sarcastically.
I chuckle.
“Good morning, Son.” My dad’s voice booms from behind me. He brings a hand to my shoulder.
“Dad?”
“Have a nice night, you two?” he jokes.
Avery buries her face in her hands. “This is awkward on so many levels.”
My dad pours himself a cup of coffee and then slides his arm around Helen’s waist. “Shall we have this talk now?”
Leaning against the counter, I fold my arms across my chest. “What are you talking about?”
Helen speaks first. “You’re both technically adults.” She looks at Avery. “Avery, very soon, and we want you to know we’re both comfortable with what’s going on. You don’t have to feel like you need to sneak in or out.”
“Either house,” my dad chimes in.
Helen nods and continues, “Yes. But the only thing we want to make sure of is that you’re being careful.” Little do they both know, Avery and I haven’t had sex yet.
I catch Avery sucking in a breath. “Of course.”
“Obviously,” I agree. “Well, this was a great conversation to have first thing in the morning.”
My dad and Helen share a laugh, but Avery still looks uncomfortable.
“I’m going to run home and take a shower. I have an early lesson.” I kiss Avery on the top of her head. “See you at the shop later, Dad. Bye, Helen.”
I sprinted out of the house as quickly as I could. I felt a little guilty about leaving Avery alone with my dad and Helen, but the whole thing was a little weird.