36. Reid
THIRTY-SIX
REID
Avery won’t stop shaking.
I drew her a bath and set her up with my iPad so she could watch a show and relax. Ten minutes later, she asked if I would join her.
I did, obviously.
I’d be an idiot to say no.
After we climbed out of the tub, I gave her an old robe I found in my closet. I bundled her up with a pair of sweatpants and thick socks. I made her pancakes and sat by her side while she ate every bite.
An hour later, and she still won’t stop shaking.
I’m so fucking scared.
Have I done enough?
Have I done too much?
What the fuck do I do now?
“What else do you need?” I tuck a wet piece of hair behind her ear. I can’t stop touching her. I can’t stop making sure she’s okay. “Do you want me to grab your computer from your place? You can work here today.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I emailed my boss and told him I’m taking a personal day.”
“Good. I’m off today too. You can stay as long as you want. Or until I annoy the shit out of you.”
“You always annoy the shit out of me,” she teases.
“Figured as much. The feeling is mutual, Sinclair,” I say, but there’s no heat behind it.
“Thank you for letting me stay. It’s nice to have some company.”
“You’re talking about the plants, aren’t you?”
Her dimpled smile reassures me she’s okay. “Did you have plans today?”
“A few errands to run. Maverick, Dallas, and I were going to get lunch, but we rescheduled. It worked out, though. June has a cold, and Dallas is staying with her while she’s home from school.”
“Oh.” Avery frowns. She pulls her legs to her chest and rests her chin on her knees. “Part of our agreement is mentioning if someone is being too suffocating. Am I taking up too much of your time?”
“No fucking way. I’d tell you if you were. You know I’m blunt, Avery, and you’ve never taken up too much of my time.”
Take up more of it , I find myself thinking. Stay all day. Tomorrow and the next day, too.
“Okay.” She nods and bites her bottom lip. “I have a question for you.”
“What is it?”
“It’s something I’ve been wanting to ask for a while now, but I’m not sure how you’ll take it.”
I pause and squint at her. “It’s anal, isn’t it? I’m open to the idea, just as long as it doesn’t hurt you or?—”
She bursts out laughing, and it’s the first time I’ve seen her relax since I found her in that coffee shop. “It’s not anal, though I’m open to the idea. I’m surprised you haven’t tried it yet.”
“Uh, because common courtesy tells me that should involve a fucking conversation before it happens?” I say. “Seems rude to just… go for it.”
“We’re coming back to this.” Avery reaches out and takes my hand. “Can I raid your comic book collection? I’ve been dying to read something from your shelves, but I wasn’t sure if that was too forward of me. I’m sure you’re protective of them and?—”
I pull her into my lap and kiss her. I cup her cheeks with both of my hands and she hums against my mouth. She drapes her arms around my neck and runs her fingers through my hair.
“You didn’t have to ask,” I say. “No one’s wanted to borrow one before, and the answer is an automatic yes.”
“Really? But you love comic books,” she says.
“I know.”
“I have to tell you something embarrassing.”
“Is this about anal?”
She shoves my shoulder. “I did some light social media stalking when I found out who you really were, and I couldn’t find any photos of your exes. I’m imagining they’re women you met at Comic Con. Big cosplayers who dress up like Harley Quinn and walk around with a baseball bat.”
It’s my turn to laugh. “Not even close. One is an accountant. The other is a kindergarten teacher, and neither are blond.”
“They weren’t interested in what you’re interested in?”
“No. My first girlfriend, the one I dated out of college in my mid-twenties, told me she was fine with the collection, but I’d see her roll her eyes when I talked about a new issue I wanted to buy.”
“What about your ex-fiancée? Am I allowed to ask about her?”
“Of course you are. I’m not going to hide anything from you. She was more open to the idea of comic books being a passion of mine, at least at the beginning of our relationship. After I proposed, we started looking at houses. She kept asking me if I planned to bring my collection with me to the new place, and I could tell she was hoping I’d leave it behind.”
“Is the kindergarten teacher the one you were going to marry?” she asks.
“Yeah. Sheila. We met at a fundraiser and dated for four years. I enjoyed our time together, but hindsight tells me she was the safe choice. What worked in that moment,” I say. “If we hadn’t broken up then, it would’ve happened eventually. I’m learning I need someone who challenges me a little bit. Who balances me out. Since you and I started this bet of ours, I’ve never worked so hard. Oddly enough, I’m also more comfortable with boundaries that prevent my professional life from bleeding into my personal life. Thanks for that.”
“You’re welcome.” Avery grins. “It’s the same for me. I used to struggle with boundaries too. I felt like if I didn’t work myself to death, the job wouldn’t get done. Turns out, I can shut my phone off in the evening and finish the tasks tomorrow. Who knew?”
“It takes some learning.” I touch her chin. “What other questions do you have for me? The more you talk, the less tense you look. Might as well keep this rolling. Your well-being is my top priority.”
“Such a selfless guy,” she murmurs. “I’ll come up with a list and send it your way. It will have bullets and subcategories.”
“Now you’re speaking my language.”
She climbs off me and stands. “Take me to your lair, Duncan. I want to pick something good to read.”
I jump up and sweep her off her feet. I throw her over my shoulder and walk down the hall, her laugh echoing in my ears.
In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t a big deal. Avery and I aren’t dating. But given my past with women and their indifference to the things I like, it feels like this is important.
“They’re organized by publication date,” I tell her, kicking open my bedroom door and setting her down. “Oldest on the left to most recent on the far end. Graphic novels are mixed in there too, so pick whatever you want.”
“Are there any that are off limits?” Avery asks.
“To you? No.”
Her eyes hold mine for a brief second. She stands on her toes and kisses my cheek before stepping away.
She takes her time looking at the titles. Every time I think she’s about to pick one, she moves on. She mumbles a few things under her breath, and fuck , she’s pretty standing there like that.
“You’re watching me,” she says without glancing up from the issue she’s holding. It’s Batman: The Long Halloween , and one of my favorites. “And it’s distracting.”
“Talk about distracting. You’ve officially earned the title of First Girl to Read One of My Comic Books. I’m kind of geeking out right now.”
“Can you shorten that a bit? It’s far too long.”
“How about I call you a brat instead?” I ask. I walk up behind her and wrap my arms around her waist. My mouth drops to her neck, and I kiss her throat. “Is that better?”
“Much. Say it again.”
“I’ll call you whatever you want after you pick something.”
Avery shimmies her way out of my hold and sifts through all the editions I have. I’m not even this thorough when I’m deciding what I want to read, and I appreciate her commitment to detail. After twenty minutes, she settles on The Amazing Spiderman , and my tongue might be hanging out of my mouth.
“Done.” She settles on the right side of the bed. It’s become her side whenever she stays over, and she stretches out her legs. “Are you going to join me?”
“Do you want me to? Or do you want to be alone?”
“I don’t want to be alone.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” I lean against the wall and bite back a smile. “But give me a minute. This is one of my fantasies and I’m trying to take a mental picture so I can remember it in six months. A beautiful girl in my bed and willingly reading a comic book? I can’t make this up.”
“Take an actual photo,” she says, not bothering to look up. “It’ll last longer.”
“If you insist.” I pull out my phone and snap a shot of her, laughing when she lifts her middle finger my way. “God, you’re gorgeous.”
Avery pats the spot next to her. I join her on the bed and grab the Batman comic I’ve been reading from the bedside table. She rests her head on my chest and curls up against me.
“This is nice. We should do it more often.”
“Play hooky and read comic books?” I ask. “I’m down. Who cares about work anyway?”
“I know I already said it, but thank you, Reid. Thank you for showing up for me. Thank you for letting me stay here. I feel so safe around you, and today all I want is to feel safe.” She pauses before adding, “You take care of me, and I can’t tell you how much it means to me.”
“I was scared.” I hold her close. “I know you can take care of yourself, Ave. But fuck . I was worried something was going to happen to you. That I wouldn’t get there in time. It terrified me.”
“You did get there in time, and I’m so glad I can count on you.”
“You can always call me. I’m always going to be there for you.”
“Even in two weeks when our teams play each other again and our rivalry is in full force?” she asks.
“Yup.”
“Even if it’s two in the morning and I’m stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire?”
“Even then. Especially then. I swear to god, Sinclair, if you pull some independent woman shit and try to change it yourself, I’m going to be pissed.”
“Wow.” Avery tilts her head back so she can look at me. There’s a gleam in her eye that wasn’t there before, and my heart is in my throat when I stare at her. “Sounds pretty serious. Are you catching feelings for me, Duncan?”
I am.
Big, scary, terrifying fucking feelings.
Now that I have her in my arms, I don’t want to let her go.
My chest feels impossibly tight when she smiles. Tighter still when she puts her hand over my heart.
“Guess you’ll have to stick around to find out, Sinclair,” I say. “Through Christmas at least.”
Her smile is devastatingly bright. “You mentioned something about two Christmas gifts. That seems a bit excessive, and I don’t appreciate you upstaging my one gift for you.”
I laugh. “To be fair, one of the gifts I didn’t have to do anything to get. Someone else made it happen, and I can’t take all the credit.”
“Do I get any hints?” she asks.
“Nope. Do you want to exchange them before we go to Maven and Dallas’s place? It’s always chaos over there.”
“Is it rowdy?”
“It’s gotten more tame over the years. The first time the three of us got together, we roasted marshmallows, drank scotch and watched Die Hard . When June came along, we had to make a few modifications. You’ve seen Maverick, though. He’s a loose fucking canon.”
“June probably would’ve loved a glass of scotch. It pairs much better with The Night Before Christmas than cookies and milk,” Avery says.
“I’m in agreement, but I don’t think Dallas wants CPS called on him,” I say.
“Responsible parenting.” She sighs. “What a drag.”
“Tell me about the Christmases you used to have.” I trace over the freckles on her shoulders and connect them. “Before you moved up here.”
“Oh, I love Christmas time. On Christmas Eve, I’d perform in The Nutcracker with my ballet class. On Christmas morning, we’d open presents as a family. My sister and I always got my mom a nice china plate and my dad a tie. The older we got, the more stupid the ties got. Ones with ducks. Ones with tacos. One year, we did one with our faces on it. I think he wore it for a week straight.”
“He loved you,” I say, and she nods.
“And, god , did I love him.” She wipes her eyes and glances up at the ceiling. “In the afternoon, if the Orlando Blazers were good enough and got to play on Christmas, my dad and I headed to the arena for an NBA game. The night always ended with the four of us drinking hot chocolate around a fire, even if it was eighty degrees outside. We still do that, but it doesn’t feel the same.”
“Start some new traditions with us. It’s nothing extravagant and no one wears leotards, but it beats being alone. And next year maybe your sister and mom can come up and join. There’s plenty of room.”
“Next year, huh? You see me in the picture that far away?”
“Yeah.” I shrug. “I could do without the damn Thunderhawks song blaring on full volume when I pull up Instagram and the comments you leave on my posts, but you’re there.”
“The fans love my comments,” Avery says. She runs her hand up my chest and tugs on my shirt, her mouth inches away from mine. “They love to see us arguing.”
“I know. They egg us on. Someone asked why you haven’t been as snarky lately on a post last week, and it didn’t feel right to tell them your mouth is busy doing other things these days.”
“Wow.” She kisses me and laughs. “Someone is sure of themselves.”
“Only because you used your tongue to drive me wild two nights ago. My memory is too good to forget that, Sinclair.”
“Maybe I’ll tell them you haven’t been as active on social media because your hands are busy doing other things. Like getting me off.” She guides my fingers to the robe she’s wearing and tugs on the knot. The terrycloth opens, and I find her naked. “Maybe we could do that right now.”
“Are you feeling up for it?” I ask, tracing the underside of her breast. “You had a traumatic morning.”
“I’m with you.” She shrugs the robe off completely and settles back on the pillows. “I know I’m safe.”
Thirty minutes later, once the adrenaline from the morning wears off and she comes on my tongue—twice—Avery curls up next to me. She laces our fingers together and closes her eyes, her smile soft and secret.
“Is it okay if I nap for a little bit?” she asks around a yawn.
“Yeah.” I nod even though she can’t see me. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”
I’m still looking at her long after she falls asleep, and I think I’d like to find a way to keep her here for more than a year.
I want to find a way to keep her here forever.