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“Is she really so bad?”
Autumn is anything but bad. She’s sassy, fearless and bright. I want to see her smile on a daily basis. I think about her all the time. She makes me feel things I’ve never felt before and that scares the shit out of me.
It leaves me wide open for the hurt that accompanies these feelings.
“What do I do about this, Sav?”
She shrugs. “There’s not much advice I can give you because I’m all for you smashing those walls down and letting someone in, but I know how hard that is for you. It all depends on how you feel, Easton.”
Why does my sister have to be so… not helpful? I thought maybe she’d squeal excitedly and go on and on about how she’s been waiting for this moment for years. Maybe I hoped she would tell me that I’m not allowed to get involved with her best friend, which would make everything a million times easier to avoid, but she’s not giving me any of that.
Which means I’m nowhere closer to figuring out what to do about Autumn than I was before.
The conversation moves on to other things. She happily tells me about the wedding planning and Dawson’s work. Apparently he’s been working longer hours lately after a few police officers got booted from the station. I got that much, but I’m not paying attention like I should be. My mind keeps going back to Autumn.
I still have no clue what I’m going to do even after I say goodbye to Sav and walk out of the diner.
Chapter Twelve
Autumn
I’ve been on edge for days, tiptoeing my way around Easton anytime he’s been in the house, and I feel like I’m going to go insane if I keep it up. We still haven’t talked about things between us and I’m so confused about what to do.
This morning I decided that it could be a good idea to get away from the house, so I called Savanna and she agreed to meet for brunch. I’m in need of a mimosa or five at this rate. As soon as she agreed, I got dressed in my favorite floral sundress and white strappy sandals, then headed for the front door.
As luck would have it, at the exact moment I’m walking out, Easton is walking in and we collide with his hard chest hitting my nose. “Umph,” I yelp as pain radiates across my face, causing my eyes to water. Easton reacts faster than me and grabs hold of my biceps, stopping me from falling on my ass.
“Shit, are you okay?” he says as he looks me over.
I wriggle my nose to make sure it’s still intact and give him a nod. “I’m fine.”
He clears his throat and nods, running a hand through his hair as he takes in my sundress and sandals. “You look pretty. Where are you off to?”
“I’m meeting Sav for brunch.” He doesn’t make a move to get out of the doorway. He just stands there looking at me. “I need to go, Easton. I don’t want to be late. You know how your sister is about that.”
He opens his mouth as if he wants to say something, but closes it instead and nods. He moves to the left and just as I’m almost through the doorway he says, “Do you want to go out with me?”
Excuse me? I heard that right, didn’t I? Maybe I misheard him. There’s no way this man is asking me out. “What?”
“Things are… rocky,” he says.
“You don’t say,” I mumble.
When he narrows his eyes at me, I clamp my mouth shut and let him continue – he doesn’t need my commentary right now. “I’ve been thinking, and I’d like to take you out. On a date. Tonight, if you’re free.”
Is this some sort of joke?
“Seriously? You want to go out with me?”
He fidgets and looks uncomfortable, and for the first time I truly look at his face. This isn’t the Easton I’m used to seeing. The guarded man with walls ten feet high who doesn’t let women in. This man is making himself vulnerable to me and my heart trembles at the realization. “Yeah,” he says softly, giving me a gentle smile. “Yes,” he says more firmly. “I want to take you out.”
For the next few minutes I simply stare at him, blinking rapidly while trying to figure out what to say.
Taking a deep breath, I decide to take a risk and make myself as vulnerable as he’s being. I look deep into his eyes and say, “Yes, Easton, I’ll go out with you.”
He releases a breath I didn’t realize he was holding and then gives me a huge grin, the sight of which makes my core clench.“You won’t regret it. Thank you. Say hi to my sister for me.”
With those parting words, he leaves me standing in the doorway and I’m left to wonder what the heck just happened.
