Chapter 21 #2
Teary eyes meet mine. “I don’t know what to say.”
“This is our promise to you. We intend to love and cherish you, support you in good times and bad, and make sure you know just how real this is to us every single day. One day, this will be a different kind of ring, and we’ll all be here promising you forever.”
Taking the ring out of the box, I hold it up to the ring finger on her right hand.
“Don’t I need to accept or something?” she asks, eyes glued to the ring as it slides down her finger.
My stomach flips as the ring pauses just past her knuckle. “Do you not?”
“Oh no, I do. Wholeheartedly. I’ve just never been given a promise ring before. I didn’t know the rules.”
“There are no rules.” Then I get an idea. “Except for one.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“You have to kiss me to fully seal the promise.”
Her lips quirk to the side, and her eyes narrow. “You made that up.”
“Did not.”
“Did too.”
I start to slip the ring off her finger, but she grips my hand to stop me.
“Okay, okay. Don’t be too hasty. I suppose it’s no hardship to kiss you.”
“No hardship, huh?”
“Mmhmm.”
“Geesh, I see where I stand.”
Her laughter rings through the small room before she slowly leans in until her lips are a mere breath away from mine. “For the record, the real hardship has been not kissing you.”
Then her lips touch mine, and I’m lost. Every time gets better and better, which shouldn’t seem possible.
Something wet touches my cheek, and for a brief moment I think she’s crying.
When another drop rolls down my nose, I pull back, ready to tell her I’m overcome with emotion too, except her eyes are dry.
What the hell?
Just then, something drips from above and hits her smack dab between the eyes. When I glance up, I hear the rain hitting the roof harder and notice a thin crack where moisture is seeping in.
“Your roof has sprung a leak.”
“It appears so.”
Our eyes meet, and for the span of two seconds, neither of us moves. Until another large drop hits me square in the eye. She laughs first, then I join in, our laughter spilling out as we continue to cling to one another.
“Kinda ruins the rest of my plans for the evening.”
“There was more?”
I give her a heated look. “Where you're concerned, there will never be enough.”
A few more drops fall, then even more, as the rain starts to come down harder.
“C’mon. Let’s get outta here.” Standing, I reach for her hand to pull her up.
“How are we getting back to the apartment?” She’s not looking at me at all, but at the ring now resting peacefully on her finger.
I think about my options. I walked here earlier since it’s only seven minutes on foot from the apartment.
Of course, that’s not in the dark or the rain.
But we both know this town like the back of our hands, and maybe, just maybe, she'll think this new crazy idea that’s popped into my head is romantic.
It’s either that, or she’ll want to chuck that ring back at my head, but I’m hoping for the former.
Opening the door and stepping out into the downpour, I look back at her, holding out my hand as rain drips from my lashes.
Without a second of hesitation, she takes it, following me out into the storm.
We’re immediately soaked, the worn stairs passing under our feet.
She’s shoeless since flip flops are not a good idea in a downpour, so I make another quick decision.
“Think you can get on my shoulders?”
“Do people in Cedar Vale thrive on gossip and shenanigans?” She backs up a couple steps and motions to the step in front of her. “This’ll be easier.”
I do as instructed, sitting until she’s seated on my shoulders and our hands are interlocked. Then I stand. She squeals a little, her laughter breaking free when I start to walk down the sidewalk toward the street.
“You ever picture yourself sitting on my shoulders in the pouring rain?” I say loudly, the pitter patter of water hitting the pavement trying to drown out my voice.
“Nope. Can’t say that I have.”
I tip my head back, finding her smile staring back at me upside down.
“I love you.”
“I love you too, Goldilocks.” Her grin turns mischievous. “I do have one question though.”
“Okay, shoot.”
“Did Carson and Roscoe know about your plan for tonight?”
“They knew, and trust me when I say that you don’t wanna know what I had to promise Carson in exchange for him not crashing our one-on-one time.”
“And Roz?”
“He said he’d get his later, so he wasn’t worried about it.”
“Psshhhh. I’m not some toy to be passed around, ya know.”
“But imagine how much fun it would be if you were. Passed around, that is.”
As soon as the words escape my lips, my dick gets rock hard.
Having her to myself is amazing, but there’s something about the thought of sharing her with my brothers that damn near has me wanting to take her right here against the wall on Main Street, in front of Petals to the Metal, our local flower shop, gossip be damned.
“I’ve never—”
My hands squeeze hers. “I know. Neither have we.”
“Really?”
“Without you, it just never seemed right.”
We settle into a comfortable quiet, and I know I’ve given her more than enough to think about for one night.
As we reach the small thruway that leads from Main Street to our apartment, I know our time alone is almost over.
Pausing at the base of the stairs, I bend down and let her slip off my shoulders.
But before she can walk up the stairs, I lift her into my arms, bridal style, because I’m not quite ready to let her go yet.
Her giggle makes these damn shorts uncomfortable. “What are you doing?”
“I like having you in my arms.”
“Is that so?”
“Mmmhmm.”
She brushes a wet chunk of hair off my forehead. “Well, I do rather like being in your arms, so I suppose it’s okay.”
The apartment door is right there, and I’m counting down the seconds on our alone time.
“What’s the matter, Goldilocks?” she asks when I make no move to open it.
I give her a sheepish grin. “I’m not really ready to share you just yet.”
She taps her bottom lip with her fingernail. “I’ve got an idea. Want to be a little naughty?”
“With you? Always.”
She points toward her old apartment door. “There’s a key hidden in the bottom of the light.”
“You’re brilliant, you know that?”
“I know. Now, c’mon. Let’s get out of this rain, dry off, and order some takeout. I’m starving.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
There are a million new ideas flooding my brain as the realization that we’ll have all night alone starts to sink in. First and foremost—the fact that there’s no way in hell we’re getting any sleep tonight. This is the first step into our future, and we’ll be taking it together.