The Escape Clause

by Bernadette Marie

  Her mother tugged her lip between her teeth in an obvious move to keep it from quivering. “We are a family. We never needed him.”

  “Mom, I needed both sides of my family. I want this.”

  Avery’s father wrapped his arm around her mother’s shoulders. “Simone, give her your blessing.”

  Her mother shook her head. “I cannot let you go.”

  “I’m going. Mom, this is an opportunity of a lifetime.”

  The first tear fell from her mother’s eye. “He will betray you.”

  Avery shook her head. “No, Mom. I don’t think he will.”

  “I’m going to check on the roast,” she said as she pulled her hands back.

  Avery backed up so her mother could stand and walk back to the house.

  When she was gone, her father patted the seat where her mother had sat in an offering to her.

  Avery took the seat and rested her head against her father’s shoulder.

  “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” her father asked as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

  “I do. Oh, Daddy, it’s so beautiful there.”

  “It’s beautiful here.”

  She nodded. “I know.” Avery turned to look him in the eye. “I want to try.”

  Her father kissed her on the head. “You’ll do a great job.”

  This was probably the first time her mother hadn’t just agreed with her father. But she understood. She knew her mother would be hesitant.

  After a long, quiet moment, her father asked, “What about Pete?”

  Avery sank back in the seat and her father was forced to move his arm from around her shoulders and readjust in the chair next to her.

  Pete.

  She’d thought of him. Of course her father would too.

  “I’m going to ask him to go with me,” she said softly and then looked up at her father. “Daddy, I love him.”

  A small smile curled up the corner of his mouth. “I thought maybe you did.” Her father patted her hand with his. “You think he’ll want to go with you? He has a lot of family here and a good job.”

  She looked away again and studied the swirls in the cement at her feet. “I’m hoping that I mean more than his job.”

  Her father sat back in his chair and tilted his head up as if to catch the sun on his face. He didn’t have to speak. She knew what he was thinking. Pete had a lot of ties in Nashville. Why would he want to pack up and leave with her without a guarantee of return?

  Avery only hoped that maybe he did in fact love her as much as she thought he did. It was all she had to go on.

  Chapter Five

  Dinner was set on the table and Pete lit the sleek white candles in the center as he watched Avery’s car pull up.

  Oh, tonight was going to be a night she’d never forget. The day had been glorious and everything was going to be perfect right up until he scooped her off her feet and carried her to bed to make love to her.

  He watched her walk from her car, through the yard, up the back steps, and right into the kitchen where he stood.

  The candlelight and dinner had caught her off guard that was obvious by the way she looked at him.

  He reached for the two glasses of wine he’d poured and handed her one. “This one is for you, my dear.”

  Avery took the glass. “What’s all this?”

  “Dinner.”

  “You’re in a suit,” she said grinning.

  “I wanted to look nice for you.” Pete moved in toward her and kissed her gently, but there was hesitation behind the kiss. He’d thrown her off balance. She’d warm up.

  “You cooked and set the table in a suit.”

  “I plated very fancy carry out, in a suit.”

  The laugh that had mesmerized him since childhood broke from her and her shoulders eased.

  “To be fair, I stole the wine from your reserve too. So I stand before you a great big phony trying to impress you.”

  Avery moved in closer to him. She trailed her hand up his chest and around his neck. “Peter Grant, you impressed me that day you held your hand out to me on the gravel of the playground when I fell off the monkey bars.”

  “You wouldn’t have fallen off the monkey bars if I hadn’t thrown the football at you.”

  Her lips tightened and her eyes gleamed in contrast. “Are you saying you knocked me down on purpose?”

  Pete shrugged his shoulder. “Malcolm wanted to look up your skirt. I didn’t want him to do that.”

  “You risked my life to save my pride?”

  “You skinned your knee. It bled for an hour,” he reminded her. “I don’t think I helped matters much.”

  Avery moved in until they were tightly pressed together. She rested her forehead against his. “And where is Malcolm now?”

  “He owns a telecommunication company. He’s worth millions.”

  Avery laughed, but grew quickly serious again. “I must have gotten over the pain you caused me. I’m right here in your arms.”

  Pete wrapped his arms around her, careful to keep the glass in his hand upright and not spill it down her back.

  “Dinner is ready,” the words croaked from his throat as she pressed kisses to it.

  “Is it?”

  “We should eat.”

  “Mm-hmm,” she moaned against him.

  The kisses she was strategically placing on his neck had the blood quickly draining from his head. He moved so he could set his glass down on the table. Pulling back just far enough he took her glass and set it down too.

  Avery licked her lips and the very motion had him dragging her back to him to cover her soft mouth with his hungry one.

  She gripped him tighter until there was no space between them.

  He picked her up and she wound her legs around his waist.

  “Microwaves are the greatest invention ever,” he said as he carried her to the stairs. “Dinner will wait.”

  ~*~

  Avery rested her head against Pete’s chest and listened to his heartbeat quicken under her. His breath still came in pants just as hers did.

  She hadn’t expected him in her house, but she found that she was happy he was there. She was always happier when he was there.

  “You had me fooled all this time,” he said when his breath had come back to him. “I thought you liked me in my suit.”

  Avery shifted so that she could look at him. “I do like you in your suit.”

  A grin moved over his lips. “You sure pulled me out of it fast.”

  He chuckled and she shook her head as she rested it back against him. “It’s hard to believe it took us this long to get to this point, don’t you think?”

  “The having sex part?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “You could have convinced me years ago,” he said. “I’m glad you came around.”

  She wouldn’t argue that. People had told her for years the man loved her. But even now she was afraid their friendship would never recover if this didn’t work out.

  Avery rested her chin on Pete’s chest. “Dinner looked good. I’m kinda hungry now.”

  He ran his hand over her hair. “Me too.”

  “Why did you bring dinner again?”

  “I wanted to see you. I knew you’d been to your parents’, so I wanted to be here for you. And…” He rolled her onto her back and kissed her long and hard. “I have some things I want to talk to you about.”

  ~*~

  Pete warmed dinner and poured more wine. His slacks were unbuttoned, shirt open, and his feet were bare as he worked in Avery’s kitchen.

  She sat in a chair in a robe. Her perfectly manicured feet were propped up on the chair next to her and she watched him over the rim of her wine glass.

  “I think you’re sexy in the kitchen,” she said.

  “Could do this for you every night, babe.”

  “Babe?”

  “Give me a term. I’ll call you whatever.”

  She sipped her wine and thought. “I always wanted
to be a princess.”

  “You always were mine.”

  He carried the plates back to the table and she dropped her feet to the floor as she breathed in the scent of the meal.

  “It smells as good the second time too.”

  Pete cut a piece of the chicken from his plate and lifted it on his fork to her lips. She took the bite.

  “It tastes good too,” she said before finishing the bite and washing it down with a sip of wine.

  They ate. She watched him and he’d reach his hand to her just to touch her.

  “Why are you giving me all this attention?” She caught his hand on her knee.

  “I told you. All of this wasn’t just for one night. I love you, Avery. I always have.”

  She licked her lips and then bit down on her bottom one. “Pete, something else is going on.”

  He’d wanted to wait on it, he really had. But after the day he’d had at work it just wouldn’t wait anymore. This was his moment. His grand opportunity.

  Since he was a boy he’d followed this gem of a woman around. She was engrained in his family and he in hers. They were friends above all else and now they were lovers. Oh, and they did that really well too.

  But he needed—wanted—more.

  He put his fork down and stood from his chair. Reaching for her hand he pulled her up and into his arms. “Let’s go into the living room.”

  “We’re not done eating.”

  “I don’t care,” he said smiling down at her. “It just can’t wait.”

  Pete led Avery to the living room and sat her down on the couch. He paced for a moment to gather his thoughts. When he knew what he wanted to say, he walked back out to the kitchen to retrieve the box he’d stored in the cupboard.

  Avery sat on the couch in her white robe. She pushed at her hair and combed her fingers through it as she waited for Pete to stop being so weird. What was he doing tonight? His mind was a million different places.

  She’d wanted to be alone tonight just to think things through. They had a lot to talk about.

  On the way home from her parents’ house she spoke to her grandfather and he was sending a plane for her next Wednesday. She had a lot to do before her new life in France started and now Pete was acting all strange.

  She heard him walking back through the kitchen. Straightening up, she placed her hands in her lap and waited.

  As he walked into the room he was looking down at a white box with a big red ribbon tied around it.

  He was giving her gifts? Her birthday was days ago and he’d given her a very nice Pandora charm for her bracelet. What was he doing now?

  He raised his head and those dark brown eyes bore right into her heart.

  Pete walked around the table and knelt down in front of her.

  “God you’re beautiful,” he said reaching his hand to her hair.

  “Pete, what’s going on?”

  “I’m admiring you.”

  Avery swallowed hard. “You’re starting to scare me.”

  He smiled, the gleam in his eyes only getting brighter. “Don’t ever be scared of me.”

  Moving so his body pressed to hers, he wound his hand into her hair and took her under with a kiss. They’d made love already and yet his kisses could make her head swim.

  He lingered his hand on her cheek as he pulled back.

  “I wanted to wait on this. I really did.” He looked down at the box. “But when your heart knows what it wants—it knows.”

  He handed her the box.

  “What is this?”

  Pete chuckled. “You’re supposed to open it.”

  Avery’s hands shook as she pulled the tie from the box. When she lifted the lid and saw a ring box inside her heart nearly exploded in her chest.

  Pete reached for the box and pulled the little box out. “I wanted to wait until the baby buzz wore off the family. And then Spencer could tell everyone about him and Julie.”

  “They are engaged?”

  “I’m still sure they are, aren’t you?”

  She nodded.

  “Anyway, I got to thinking that I’ve been in love with you all my life. There hasn’t been nearly but a few days when I haven’t seen your face in all these years. And I’m not sure I’ve gone a day without talking to you.”

  “Pete…”

  He looked up into her eyes. “I don’t want to wait another minute. Avery, will you marry me?”

  He pulled open the little ring box. Winking up at her with a sparkle was a solitaire diamond, which must have been at least a carat.

  Pete took out the ring and set the box on the table. “I couldn’t find a ring that quite mirrored your beauty.”

  Taking her hand he held it in his. She felt it shake against his fingers.

  Shouldn’t she be crying? This was the biggest moment in her life and she was nearly frozen with fear.

  He looked up at her as he poised the ring on the tip of her finger. “I love you. I always have loved you. So what do you say?”

  What did she say? Hadn’t she spoken? No—no she hadn’t. There was only one thing to say. She loved this man more than she’d ever admitted. Perhaps, when she thought about it, it had always been him. Why else hadn’t she held on to any of those other men in her life? Now she knew the answer. It was because she was in love with Peter Grant.

  “I say yes.”

  His smile widened and she noticed the tear that shimmered in his eye as he pushed the ring onto her finger.

  “I’ll make you happy. I promise to always make you happy.”

  In one quick motion, he’d scooped her under him and laid her back on the couch. His mouth was on hers, taking her breath away.

  Mrs. Peter Grant.

  Somewhere she’d written that in a notebook. She remembered now. They were going to be married and live happily ever after in France.

  Chapter Six

  Avery woke in his arms, again. Certainly she’d never tire of that.

  She looked down at her finger where the ring he’d put there sparkled. They were getting married.

  As much as it was surreal, it felt just right. This was where that lifetime of friendship had led them—right into each other’s arms.

  Once she’d said yes to his proposal, they’d been locked on to each other. They’d made love all night and now woke to the new day—engaged.

  Pete’s alarm on his phone chimed and he groaned as he rolled to turn it off.

  She studied him, rugged from sleep and smiled. “Good morning, fiancé.”

  He hummed and smiled, his eyes nearly closed. “I sure do like the sound of that.” He lay there near her for a moment. “I suppose I should get home and get ready. I only had one suit.”

  “You came to propose and didn’t pack a bag?”

  Pete gave her a small shrug. “I was too excited to get over here after yesterday. I just didn’t think about it.”

  Avery propped herself up on her elbow. “What was so exciting?” She looked down at her finger. “Okay, the proposal, but you said you’d wanted to wait. Why did you do it last night then?”

  Pete rubbed his eyes and sat up, pulling her up with him.

  Avery turned to him, covering her body with the sheet for modesty sake.

  “Aside from not wanting to spend another moment without you,” he said raising his hand to her cheek. “I got some great news yesterday and I knew the moment was right.”

  Avery smiled. “What news?”

  Pete lifted his chest and pushed back his shoulders. “I got the promotion.”

  She opened her mouth to congratulate him before her mind spun it around.

  He got the job. The very job she was banking on him not getting.

  She let out the breath she was holding. “Congratulations.”

  Pete studied her for a moment. His own smile faded away. “You don’t sound very genuine.”

  Avery lifted her chin. “Of course I am. You deserve it.”

  Pete’s eyes narrowed. “You’re using that debutante bulls
hit on me. C’mon, tell me what you really think.”

  Avery swung her legs over the side of the bed, taking the sheet wrapped around her with her as she stood. “I forgot. I was going to go to a yoga class this morning. I should…”

  Pete swiftly moved from the bed and stood in front of her, his naked body uncovered.

  “This isn’t what I was expecting. Why aren’t you happy for me?”

  Those tears she’d expected last night were now battling to surface. “I am happy for you. You deserve this.”

  “You said that.”

  “Well, it’s true.”

  He moved closer to her and took her arms in his hands. “You’re running. Don’t run from me.”

  She pulled from his grip. “Fine. I didn’t want you to get the job.”

  Disappointment washed over his face breaking her heart into a million pieces.

  “You didn’t want me to get the job I’ve been working my ass off for? Well, that’s supportive of you.”

  “Pete, it’s not that you shouldn’t have gotten it. I just was hoping maybe you’d be up for it again—later.”

  He took a step toward her forcing her to take a step back. “Why didn’t you want me to have that job? You have something else you want to say.”

  It shouldn’t be this hard, she thought. Of course, she had something to say. Had he forgotten her plans?

  “I wanted you to move to France with me.”

  Pete deflated right in front of her. He turned and scrubbed his hands over his face. “You wanted me to pick up my life and just move away?”

  “With me,” she pleaded.

  “With you? Avery, why are you even considering going? You don’t know that man at all.”

  “He’s my grandfather,” she said trying to catch her breath.

  “Right. And you’ve only seen him a handful of times in your entire life. Now he offers you something you know nothing about and you’re willing to leave your entire family and move to a country you’ve only visited? I don’t think you know what you’re doing.”

  “I thought you supported me.”

  “I do support you. I think you can do amazing things. I don’t happen to share the same enthusiasm in you doing those things in France where you’ll have no one.”