AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I don’t really know where to go from here. I’m not ready to throw in the towel. I’ve never felt this way before. But I don’t know how to make her understand that I’m not here for casual, that I want to…be with her. Only her.” I avert my gaze, suddenly interested in the soggy paper label around the water bottle. I start peeling it, shredding it to pieces.
Mom’s hand settles on top of mine, her attempt at steeling my nerves. She gives me a gentle squeeze. Her brown eyes are tender and kind, full of love. “You just need to make sure she sees the real you. If that takes a little bit of time, so be it. Is she worth it?”
“Yes,” I say without hesitation. Claire is worth every minute, day, week, or month I have to wait.
“Then keep trying. You have to wear your heart on your sleeve, Avery, not hide it in your chest.”
And there it is, the simplest, most profound bit of advice I needed, the one only my mom can give. I need to show Claire how I feel, need to make sure she has no doubts about my intentions.
“Not in your pants, either,” Harper adds. “Your heart is different from your dick, in case you weren’t sure.”
So incredibly profound.
***
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Avery
I’m a determined man on Saturday morning.
More determined than that time I orchestrated an acquisition of one popular toilet paper and paper towel company by another, and then released their shares onto the stock market. Within a day, their stock prices had tripled, and we’d made a cool million by the end of the first week. It didn’t stop there.
Yes, today’s Avery Beck is even more determined than that man.
To be honest, I was a determined man last night, too. When I got home from my parents, I went straight to Claire’s. But just as I raised my fist to knock, I heard shrieks of laughter that could only belong to sweet Vivi, fits of giggles I immediately associated with both Claire and Charlee.
They were having a girl’s night. I couldn’t interrupt. My determination had to wait.
But this morning? There will be no stopping me this morning, Vivi or no Vivi.
I got up at the crack of dawn to take Sully for a nice, long walk, and once he’d found his way back to his bed—because he’s lazy and the walk more than did him in—I headed right back out for a run.
Here I am, finishing up my fifth mile, people starting to pour onto the busy downtown streets to enjoy the warm sunshine, and my only plan is to knock on Claire’s door and demand her time, demand that she hear me out about Thursday night, and demand that she admit her feelings for me.
I might not use the word demand.
Okay, I’m absolutely not going to use the word demand. My goal is to talk to her, not have her slam the door in my face.
The only decision left for me to make, as I approach the condo and slow to a walk, stretching my arms out over my head, is how long I’ll wait before I appear at her door. An hour? Three hours? Ten minutes? Who knows? I’m flying by the seat of my pants today. I’m gonna hop in the shower and let the cool water decide for me.
Except the world is actually in charge, and it’s deciding I’m not going to wait at all. The world is telling me it’s happening now. Right now. Keep up or get left behind.
Because the front door swings open and two beautiful redheads come tumbling out, one miniature and the other…well, the other also not very tall.
Claire and Vivi are a sight to see. Vivi looks like she could be Claire’s daughter, the similarities uncanny: the ginger tresses, wild green eyes, and dimply smile.
Claire looks…adorable. Her beauty is so effortless, so casual. She doesn’t need tight dresses and high heels to turn every head. This morning, she’s wearing a lilac tank top underneath a pair of overalls, the ripped hems cut into shorts, showing off a gorgeous pair of legs. An outfit that would be impossible for me to get into, and I don’t care in the slightest. Her auburn waves are piled on top of her head, along with a pair of oversized sunglasses stuck in there. As always seems to be the case whenever she wears her hair up, several loose curls tumble down around her neck, framing her face and tickling her shoulders.
My grin widens at Vivi’s blue princess dress, her pink cape and matching pink gloves that reach her elbows. She’s donning two braids and a tiny tiara on top of her head. I want to scoop her up and give her a big kiss on both of her chubby cheeks.
I could watch them like this forever, swinging their twined hands back and forth while the two of them giggle.
And yet, as much as I don’t want to interrupt, I plant myself in front of them, crossing my arms over my chest as I wait for Claire to look up, or for her to run into me with the stroller she’s maneuvering with just one hand while she holds Vivi’s in the other.
And when she does, she jerks to a stop. Her smile melts right off her face. It would hurt my feelings if it weren’t for the way her eyes dip down my body, the ruby red flush of her cheeks as she meets my gaze and watches my smile grow. And grow it does, because I can’t help it. My heart beats a little faster for both of these Thompson girls.
The smirk on my face has Claire rolling her eyes before either of us can open our mouths to speak. She actually has the balls to try and turn and walk the other way, but Vivi’s not about to let that happen. Her huge, sparkling greens settle on me and her face splits in two with that grin of hers.
