Just One Promise

by Baker, Tory

  25

  Heath

  Audrey and I leave as soon as I’m off of work Friday afternoon, to make the four-and-a-half-hour drive to Whiskey Creek. Stopping at the gas station, Audrey went in to stock up on snacks and drinks while I filled up on gas.

  When she came out, she had two bags filled to the brim, I didn’t even know gas stations carried plastic bags.

  “I got us snacks,” she says as she climbs into the Tahoe. She puts two drinks in the cupholder, then shows me her loot.

  I laugh as she proceeds to pull out candy, chips, beef jerky, and first things first, or so she said, “Ice cream for dinner, there is nothing better well maybe besides pizza than to have ice cream every once in a while, for our dinner.” She shrugs and unwraps my ice cream before doing the same for hers.

  We’re going to get to her apartment tonight, pack what we can, and do some more in the morning. By then, Rome and Mason will be here in Mason’s truck to load everything up, then head home.

  Audrey was only paying month to month for her apartment, so she’s not breaking the lease, not that I’d let her pay to break it. I would have taken care of it or handed the contract off to Mason to find a loophole.

  I do know one thing, when we get back, a family tradition will be happening. When I let mom know Audrey was moving in, after only knowing her for a short period of time, she just said, “Looking forward to having her here, does that mean I’ll get more grandbabies?” I chuckled and didn’t respond, not knowing what that answer is, at least not yet. But since we have this long drive, there’s no time like the present.

  “Tell me something. Children, do you want them? How many?” I question.

  “Don’t hate me, you may think I’m beyond crazy, but I want three at the least, but four would be amazing. What about you?” Audrey responds.

  “I hadn’t really thought about it, until lately. My life wasn’t easy before Mom adopted me, not sure what she was thinking bringing in three boys, but I knew I was lucky to have her in my corner. Recently though, I can imagine as many children surrounding us as possible.” I hear the sharp intake of breath she takes. I take my eyes off the road for a second to gauge her response, and if I weren’t driving, my mouth would be on hers, and I’d be so deep inside her, she wouldn’t know where she began and I ended.

  26

  Audrey

  We talk the miles away, both of us wanting similar things in life. Especially, a small wedding. With my dad being the only living relative I have. It just made sense to me, Heath wants a sunrise wedding, I had a feeling. If he could he’d say his vowels on a surfboard, I laughed, but then said, “You and your early mornings.”

  “Nothing better, babe. When we’re home, I’ll get you up and out on a set of waves,” he responded, and that was that.

  My apartment was just that, an apartment. It was a place to lay my head down, to work, and that was it, nothing more and nothing less.

  Though with Heath here, it feels ten times better. We stopped on our way to my complex to get boxes. The good thing about this place is that it came furnished from yard sale finds and curbs. I’d paint furniture to spruce it a little bit. It wasn’t that I was cheap, it was that I’m frugal. I’ve been that way since I found a steady job.

  I’d just put as much away as possible, saving for experiences. Mostly small things around town or just a couple of days here and there, nothing like the one I’m on now. It’s been the best time of my life.

  “Welcome to my humble abode,” I tell Heath as we walk-in. I turn on the lights, both of our hands full with boxes, and Heath’s bag he brought with a change of clothes.

  When I say humble, I truly mean that, it’s a one-bedroom apartment. I wanted a dog, but my landlord put the kibosh on that. Maybe I can talk Heath into a dog, and soon.

  “It’s cute, and entirely you. You’ll have to bring some life into our place.” I love him for saying that, it calms me.

  “Thank you, I guess we better get started,” I walk over to my bookshelves, pulling out everything I want to take with us. Books, nick knacks, photo albums, and a few framed pictures of my dad and me.

  Heath walks over, taking one off the shelf, it’s when I was eighteen, right before my dad decided he was going to live a free and easy life. I’m in a bikini, after spending the day out on the lake, “God damn, if we are lucky enough to have children, I am completely fucked. Look at you, Baby. Even back then, not sure how your dad could ever leave you. I know I sure as fuck couldn’t.” I stop what I’m doing, jump to my feet, and launch myself into his arms.

  Heath has so many sides to him, and the protector in him may be my favorite. Even when we were on the dance floor, he made sure no one could see what he was doing to my body.

  I wrap myself around him, he picks me up, walking us until my back lands against the wall, his mouth never leaving mine. I pull my shirt off, needing his skin against mine. Something both of us love and enjoy.

  “Where’s your bed, Baby,” he asks.

  “Hmmm,” I mumble, my mouth finds the side of his neck and I latch on, licking and sucking every inch I can of his.

  “Fuck, I’ll just take you right here on the couch,” he replies.

  He does just that, we’re both stripped bare, and he’s inside me with one hard thrust.

  “Gonna make you come, and it’s going to be fast,” Heath grunts. His hips piston in between my thighs, I push into him, wanting to get there when he does.

  “Please,” I moan, the moment I feel him come inside me, it triggers my own orgasm, and we come together.

  27

  Heath

  Audrey and I woke up early this morning, yes even my “I’m never waking up early” woman, woke up early. Though, I think it was mainly the donuts and coffee that tempted her the most.

  It took us a few hours this morning and what we worked on last night, and now everything is completely done. My Tahoe is packed to the brim and everything else will fit in Mason’s truck.

  Audrey took a shower after everything was packed, not wanting to be sticky and sweaty on our long trip home. I take a look around her place, noticing how much she’s leaving behind, she brushed it off, saying it was just things. Everything else can be replaced, fuck that. She won’t ever feel like she has to replace anything again.

  I hear the water turn off at the same time a knock comes from the front door.

  “Right on time,” I say as I open the door and see my brothers standing on the other side.

  “Damn, she sure did live a long fucking ways away,” Rome grumbles. I know it’s because he left Summer at home with Sawyer and Parker, both of his boys are under the weather. Audrey and I told him he didn’t have to come, but Summer the angel she is, practically shoved him out the door and called mom to come over as back up.

  “That’s for sure, it was going to be hard for a commute, but I would have done it,” I reply.

  “If it were Quinn I would too, heard we have a family event to do next week,” Mason wags his eyebrows and I double over laughing. This shithead, “Yeah, not sure when I’ll ask, but I want it on me in case it pops up when I least expect it.”

  “Let’s get started, she has way less than Quinn did, that’s for sure,” Mason grumbles as he picks up a box and heads out the front door.

  “I’m gonna let Audrey know you two knuckleheads are here, then I’ll help too.”

  “Take your time, pretty sure you did most of the work for both of us a time or two,” Rome says.

  I roll my eyes, “It’s what brothers do for one another.”

  They carry on and I make my way to my woman, needing to see her like I need my next breath.

  28

  Audrey

  I get out of the shower, put on my undergarments, nothing too fancy. Last night was a long drive and I have a feeling today it will drag on even more so. Simply because I want to be home, and soon.

  I finish my outfit with a pair of grey joggers, a white shirt that says, “For the love of pizza,” graphic tee
s are one of my go to’s. Plus, you can get them online and avoid stores, shopping from the comfort of your own couch is the best.

  I throw my hair up in a messy top knot and put my dirty laundry in a plastic bag to put in a bag that hasn’t been packed yet.

  “Audrey,” Heath comes into the bathroom garnering my attention.

  “Just letting you know Rome and Mason are here, just a few more trips to his truck and we’ll be ready to go. You okay?” He asks.

  “Absolutely, I can’t wait to create more memories with you,” my hands come up and around his neck. He moves towards me, lightly nipping at my bottom lip. Heath has an obsession with not only my bottom lip, but my thighs as well. From day one, his hands have been touching my legs, in some way or the other, and if we’re kissing, my bottom lip is being nipped, licked, and sucked on as much as possible.

  “Let’s get this show on the road then, we still have a long trek back, and the unpacking,” Heath rolls his eyes, but I see the happiness in his eyes.

  “I’m ready,” we both make it to the living room and see ninety percent is already loaded into Mason’s truck. I tried to help with the remaining, but they wouldn’t let me.

  “I’m going to go turn my keys into the landlord while you finish up,” I tell Heath.

  “Already taken care of, Babe.” That man, he thinks of everything.

  “Well, okay then. I guess I’ll just wait until you allow me to do something,” I tease.

  It’s kind of annoying with how much he does, almost doing too much for me, add in the fact that I know I’ll never be able to repay him for everything he’s done for me so far. It makes me bristle at times.

  “Stand there and look pretty, you’ll be working your ass off when we get home,” he winks and I know just what he means. Last night when we were sated and lazing on the couch, Heath brought up a couple of things he’d like to do to me, and I told him about a certain fantasy I have. Let’s just say, I think once we’re home, we’ll be pulling out all the stops.

  “Sure, sure. I’ll get right on that.” They finish packing everything up and then we make our way back home.

  29

  Heath

  1 month later

  It’s taken this long, but it’s a beautiful morning, the weather isn’t too cold, but Audrey will still need a wetsuit this morning.

  Audrey woke up when she felt me leave our bed this morning, “Where are you going?” she mumbled, her fingers graze down my stomach, reaching for me in the best way. It pained me to move her hand away, but I knew if we started, I would never get her out in the water this morning.

  “Surfing, come on Babe, time to get you on a board,” I smack her bare ass and leave her in bed. I go down to the kitchen to make Audrey a cup of coffee. When it’s hot and ready, she walks down the stairs in her bikini, hair down and wild from our night in bed.

  “Thank you,” Audrey comes up beside me, kissing my neck, something she likes to do when she’s feeling in a cuddly mood.

  “Anytime, I’m going to get dressed, and we’ll head out. We won’t be out too long, just enough to learn some basics,” I tell her.

  “Whatever you want, I’m excited to “attempt” to learn,” she put the attempt in air quotation marks and laughs.

  “It’s going to be fun, just you wait,” I reply before I head upstairs, brushing my teeth, throwing a pair of board shorts on, and head back towards Audrey.

  She’s outside, attempting to put her wetsuit on, I shouldn’t laugh but the way she’s trying to wiggle inside it.

  “Let me help you.” We work together, my hands grabbing a feel every now and then. Once she’s in hers, I put mine on, grab my board, and her hand.

  My brothers aren’t meeting us out here this morning, but I know if they were, they’d be jealous as hell. Neither of them has been able to get Summer or Quinn on a board, though of course now with them having babies, time is even more limited.

  I show Audrey a few moves while on the sand, and then we’re ready to go out in the water.

  “Are you sure I can do this?” Audrey second guesses herself as she paddles out, and I wade beside her.

  “I’d never steer you wrong, I know you can do this,” I tell her.

  “If you say so,” she blows out an exasperated breath.

  I guide her every step of the way and when she finally catches a wave, I hold my breath watching her the whole way until she loses her balance and falls backwards.

  I swim until I reach her, “Did you see that? I can’t believe I did it!”

  “Fuck yeah, you did. Proud of you, now you can come out here every morning with me,” I tell her.

  “Not so fast, I like my sleep far too much. I mean I love you and all, but not every day, early morning surfing,” she doesn’t even realize what she blurted out.

  My only response, “I love you too, Audrey. So fucking much.” Out in the ocean with the waves crashing around us, our lips meet, tears stream down her cheeks. I may have said I’d never want what my brothers have, but I’m sure as fuck glad that I have Audrey. I sure am eating my words now, but what a way to eat them.

  30

  Audrey

  “Heath, wake-up, Heath, you need to wake-up, you’re having a nightmare,” I was jarred awake with Heath’s body shaking, tossing, and turning. Add into the fact he’s moaning, “No, don’t hurt me.” It has me on high alert.

  “What?” Heath questions when he wakes up. Heath and I talked about this before, about how his childhood before Momma Tina adopted him, the things he went through at such a young age. I cried for him, no not for him, for the boy that lost his innocent childhood.

  “Are you okay?” I ask him.

  “Yeah, I haven’t had one of those in years. I’m sorry, I woke you up,” Heath gathers me in his arms.

  “I’m here if you want to talk about it. I promise, I’m not pushing. Just know I’m here, now and always.”

  “I appreciate that, more than you’ll ever know. This may take some time, and I promise we’ll work through this, together,” Heath states.

  I trail my fingers along his torso, trying to calm him, and soothe myself. I feel Heath’s body relax, drifting off to sleep.

  Sleep isn’t going to find me tonight, once I know he’s asleep, I somehow manage to sneak out of the room, with my phone in my hand.

  When I make it downstairs, I unplug my laptop out of its charger and go out onto the back deck. I may as well work, since I can’t sleep.

  I’ve been working non-stop, all hours of the day and night. Something I absolutely hate too, it’s taken away my time from Heath, and my time away from family functions too.

  The only problem with that is, I love what I do, but not who I do it for.

  Spending the next few hours scouring the internet, trying to find something in my field, maybe it’ll be a little less time consuming. I don’t want to spend sixty plus hours working and needing to be up all hours of the night, especially now that I have Heath in my life.

  “Hey, what are you doing up?” Heath is so stealthy, I never hear him come up behind me until he’s there.

  “Jeez, you scared the crap out of me, again.” I laugh.

  “Looking for a new job, I’m feeling the need for a change. Not only that, but I don’t want to work so many hours, day and night. I could probably find something different and still make the same amount of money.”

  “Do what you need to, if you can’t find work right away, we’ll be fine.” I know he thinks it’ll be okay if I don’t work for a while, but it would kill me not to.

  “That may be an option, and I appreciate it, but I’m working. I have to feel like I’m bringing something to the table.” Heath kisses my forehead.

  “You’ll figure it out, but I’m with you through whatever, Audrey. Thick and thin, you made a promise to me in the bedroom, and this is my promise to you. I’ll stand by your side no matter what.” I close my laptop, stand up, and kiss Heath with all my strength.

  “Thank you, it goes both
ways. I love you, Heath,” I state.

  “Love you, babe. We’ll be good, quit that fucking job that has you up in the middle of the night. I know I didn’t help much, but you shouldn’t be up worrying about a job either,” Heath basically demands.

  “I’ll think about it, but that’s all I’m saying on the matter,” standing my ground. I refuse to not pull my weight, somehow.

  “Alright,” he picks up my laptop, phone, and then guides me back inside. We never did make it back to bed though, we stayed up until the sun rose and talked the morning away.

  31

  Heath

  Life has come full circle, here we are once again at the jewelry store. I wanted to do this last month, but life got hectic, so today here we are.

  Mom, Rome, and Mason met me here. Though, I’m hoping we can grab a bite to eat too. Last night having a nightmare shook me to my core. I don’t want to have them anymore, the worried lines on Audrey’s face this morning after we talked all night about everything, not just about her job. Which I hope like fuck she just quits. That guy is a miserable douchebag, that likes to make her life complete and utter hell. Keeping my mouth shut has not been easy, but I did it. We even talked about my nightmare. She held my hand and listened, her gaze never wavering.

  “My boys, I can’t believe all of my boys have found the one they love. I couldn’t be prouder. Now I just need more grandbabies to spoil,” mom says as she comes up to me.