Page 8 of Just One Promise (The Carter Brothers 3)
With only a towel wrapped around my body, I went up to Heath and hugged him. This man, he’s more than what meets the eye. I’ve seen how he laughs a few things off, but his eyes, they hold so much depth and emotion. He tries to hide it, but I see small glimpses every now and then, as if he’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“Thank you,” telling him that, it put him at ease. I have no idea how two little words can relax his shoulders, but it did.
We held each other, it wasn’t sexual in any way shape or form, it was two people who were leaning on one another in a moment of time needed.
Heath pulls apart first, asking, “I’m going to switch your laundry over, anything that can’t be tossed in the dryer?”
“Uh, yeah. I can get them though,” I respond, not really thinking he’ll want to pick apart my laundry.
“Babe, my mom raised me. Us boys did laundry when she was at work. It’s not a big deal,” he replied.
My heart melts a little more, this man, he’s indescribable, “There’s a few bras in there, if you can hang them or lay them flat to dry, that would be great.”
“You got it,” he kisses me, turning to head out of the bedroom, and I go to my suitcase he brought up to the room.
“Hey Heath,” I say as he’s walking down the hall.
He backtracks, “Yeah, Audrey?”
“I can’t wait to see what this week brings,” I tell him. He visibly swallows, I see every single emotion play out in his eyes alone.
“Fuck, me too. Me, fucking too,” he grunts, then heads back out.
Grabbing what I have in the way of clean clothes isn’t much. A bra, panties, some linen shorts that are wrinkled beyond reason, and a graphic tee that says “Beach Please.” A friend of mine sent it to me when I called her screaming and jumping that I was taking a two week vacation for the first time in five years. I’m twenty-five and a damn hard worker, but I will never go five years without a vacation again.
I get dressed, walk out to help Heath when I hear him say, “This woman, I knew she was going to be stubborn, but if I have it my way she won’t leave.” I don’t see him on his phone or talking to anyone in particular. As much as I want to question him I don’t. I silently go back to his room and straighten things up before I head back towards Heath.
13
Heath
“Babe,” I say to get Audrey’s attention. She’s sitting on the back deck, in a piece of furniture that I have no idea the name, but it’s badass. It’s a circle like bed, with a canopy that shades the top half. In her hands is a book, she’s so engrossed she didn’t even hear me.
Sliding in beside her, I move the hair that’s fallen into her face. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t see you there,” she says.
“No worries, I was coming out here to see if ordering pizza was okay for dinner tonight.”
“God, yes,” she all but moans.
“What do you like on your pizza?” I know I’ll be ordering two of them no matter what.
“You’re going to make me choose, first off let me warn you. I love pizza, like pizza is probably my first love, ever. Also, I’ll eat it until it’s gone. Leftovers are life,” she drops her book to her lap, her hands are in the air, you can tell she’s passionate about her pizza. Could this woman be any more amazing?
“So, yeah. Whatever pizza you like I’ll eat, but my favorite of all time? Pineapple and pepperoni, it’s my favorite, but whatever you order I’ll eat. Well, minus anchovies, that’s just a no go,” not being able to stop myself, I kiss her with everything I have.
When we pull apart, her forehead finds my chest and she plants herself there.
I hold her, if she feels the way I do, this much and this fast, she’ll need a moment to breathe. I just hope she doesn’t walk away if the emotion gets too big and too fast for her.
“Thank you, Heath. You’ve um…really shown me what I’ve been missing for so long,” her voice muffled from my chest.
“I’ll always be here, Audrey,” and that’s the god’s honest truth. I will be there for her, as long as she lets me.
When she moves off of me, going back to her book, I pull my phone out and bring up the pizza delivery app and order our pizza. It notifies me it’ll be about forty-five minutes to an hour. I take this time to lay beside Audrey, as she turns and moves into my body, but not letting her book go. It’s a welcome feeling, one I bask in beside her.
