“Then I get dibs,” Gavin said.
“No.”
“Why not?”
I turned to Gram, hoping she’d back me up, but she just smiled.
“Will you guys shut up so I can talk?” I paused for a second. “I’m moving out, by myself. I got a good deal on it, and I figured it was time. That’s about it.”
Gram squeezed my arm. “Big day for you.”
“Yeah. It’s not that I don’t want to live here, I just—”
She put her hand up. “Bear, you’re a man. Of course you’re going to start your own life. It’s how things should be.”
“Thanks.”
She squeezed my arm again. “I’m proud of you. Now, I have to run into town and then I’m meeting Mabel Wheatley for lunch. If I don’t see you later, have a nice time with Grace tonight.”
“I will. Thanks.”
“If there’s a single dish in that sink when I get home, you’re all sleeping outside.” She headed for the stairs, but paused and glanced back at me. “You be a gentleman, Bear. And use protection.”
I gaped at her in horror while my brothers snickered. “Gram!”
She didn’t answer. Just chuckled and went upstairs.
The chairs scraped against the floor as my brothers all got up to clean their dishes. That hadn’t been an idle threat; she really would make us sleep outside.
I cleaned the frying pan and wiped the breadcrumbs off the counter—still in a great mood. Things were coming together. I’d be moving my stuff into my new place in a few days. And tonight, I had a date with Grace.
A date I’d wanted for a long time.
9
Grace
Standing in front of the full-length mirror in the bathroom, I smoothed my dress over my hips. My college-student wardrobe didn’t have much to offer in the way of date attire, so I’d gone into town and splurged on a new dress. It was black with thin straps and a straight neckline. A layer of sheer fabric on the outside added detail to the otherwise simple design. And I was showing a hell of a lot of leg. It was just long enough that I could sit down—but only just.
It was elegant and sophisticated—and different from anything I’d ever worn before.
I’d paired it with wedge-heeled sandals and painted my toenails bright red. My blond hair was down around my shoulders and I’d taken a gamble on some bold red lipstick.
I hardly recognized the woman staring back at me.
The doorbell rang, followed by Eli’s feet thundering down the stairs. My heart fluttered. I’d never been so nervous in my entire life. Which seemed so silly. I didn’t need to be worried about making a good impression, or whether we’d have anything to talk about. It was Asher.
But… it was Asher.
With a deep breath, I went downstairs to meet him for our first date.
He stood with Elijah and my mom just inside the front door, dressed in a button-down shirt with the sleeves cuffed and a pair of slacks. His gaze lifted to mine and a slow smile spread across his face. The same smile he’d given me last night—the one that shone from deep inside him, making my breath catch.
I was peripherally aware that my mom was smiling too. My brother stared at me like a stranger was walking down the stairs in his house.
“Why are your lips so red?” Eli asked.
“She’s wearing lipstick,” Mom answered.
“Why?”
Asher stepped forward, his eyes still locked on me. I let Mom field Eli’s questions. I couldn’t concentrate on anything but the man in front of me.
This wasn’t just a date, any more than last night had been just a kiss. It felt like every road we’d taken had been leading us here, even when neither of us had known it. That he and I were as inevitable as the sunrise.
Before last night, I wouldn’t have believed it. But the fact that the last twenty-four hours had changed the course of my entire life didn’t seem the least bit strange. It wasn’t rushed or shortsighted or reckless. It was right.
I was going to marry Asher Bailey someday.
Did he know it too? Was that what I could see in his eyes? We smiled at each other like we shared a secret. And maybe we did. Maybe that was our magic. We knew.
“You look beautiful.” The hint of awe in his voice made my cheeks warm.
“Thank you.”
He held his arm out for me and I tucked my hand in the crook of his elbow. “Ready?”
“Yeah.”
“Have fun, you two,” Mom said with a little wave.
We said goodbye amid Elijah’s continued stream of questions. Asher led me out to his car and opened the door for me. I was practically giddy with excitement. I didn’t know where we were going, but I didn’t care. He could have been taking me to the Zany Zebra for greasy cheeseburgers and ice cream, and I would have been happy.
He took us to the south side of town, near the college, and parked outside a restaurant called Salt and Iron.
“Have you ever eaten here?” he asked as he helped me out of his car.
“No. It looks fancy.”
“I haven’t either. But I heard it’s good.”
His hand skimmed across my bare shoulder, down to the small of my back. He held the door and followed me inside.
Soft lighting illuminated an intimate space with dark hardwood floors and black-and-white artwork on the walls. About a dozen tables were adorned with white tablecloths and flickering candles. Quiet music played in the background, and only a few of the tables were full.
He’d made a reservation, and after he quietly conferred with the host, we were led to a table in the back. We both took our seats and the host handed us menus.
Asher eyed me for a second, then got up and moved to the chair beside me.
“What are you doing?”
“I like this better.” His leg rested against mine and he slid his arm over the back of my chair.
I liked this better, too.
His fingers traced idle circles on my shoulder while we looked at the menu. It was hard to concentrate on anything but the warmth of his body and the feel of his arm around me. When he asked if I knew what I wanted, he spoke softly near my ear, sending tingles running down my spine.
The server came to our table and we both ordered salmon, then chatted quietly while we waited for our food. With no one seated near us, it felt like we were tucked away—almost as if we were alone.
I liked that, too.
Our food arrived and Asher ate one-handed with his arm still draped behind me. I nestled in next to him, enjoying his closeness even more than my dinner. Which was saying something, because the food was amazing.
He asked me about school, and it didn’t take long before I was telling him everything. About going to parties and sneaking into bars. About the friends I’d made. The whirlwind road trip we’d taken.
And I heard the details I’d missed from the last couple of years of his life. The first time he went on an emergency call. The guys from the fire station getting him drunk on his twenty-first birthday. The tournaments he’d won. What it was like having Evan gone during the school year.
Before this summer, our conversations had become shallow, barely skimming the surface. This was different, like we were catching each other up on all the important highlights of the last few years. Although we steered clear of the details of our dating lives. None of that mattered now, anyway.
We finished our dinners, but he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to leave. I wasn’t either. I was tucked up against him with his arm around me while he spoke softly near my ear. I could have stayed all night.
The server took our plates and told us to take our time. Asher paid the bill and thanked him.
“I can’t remember if I mentioned it, but I’m competing in a jiujitsu tournament in a few days. Any chance you want to come?”
“Are you kidding? I’d love to.”
He kissed my temple. “Awesome. I’d love to have you there.”
“Of course I’ll be there. Did you decid
e about the apartment?”
“Yep. I get the keys tomorrow.”
“That’s so exciting.”
He nodded. “It’s going to be different. Honestly, it’s hard not to feel guilty.”
“Guilty for what?”
“Not being there. I know I’ll only be a few minutes away, but Gram’s starting to slow down as she gets older. And the twins and Gavin are…”
“A handful,” I said with a laugh.
“A big one.”
“You know Gram can handle it. And like you said, you’ll only be a few minutes away.”
He brushed my hair off my shoulder. “I know. I’m probably worrying over nothing. I just didn’t set the best example for my brothers when I was younger. I guess I feel responsible for them now.”
“You weren’t that bad.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Grace, I probably spent more time in detention than in class.”
“That’s because you stopped hanging out with me.” I poked him.
“You’re not wrong. You would have kept me out of trouble. Or I would have gotten you into it.”
I laughed. “Maybe.”
He took a deep breath and glanced at the table, like he was thinking. “Evan will be all right, as long as the girl he’s dating is good for him.”
“Evan has a girlfriend?”
“Yeah. He seems pretty into her.”
“That’s great.”
“But then I look at Logan and the way he is with girls. And Gavin’s complete disregard for his own mortality. And Levi still seems so angry.”
I put my hand on his thigh. “You were pretty angry when you were eighteen.”
He nodded slowly. “Yeah, I was.”
I remembered that younger, angrier Asher, although he’d never taken it out on me. In fact, when we’d been alone, I’d seen a side of him not many people got to see.
“Well, maybe whatever helped you will help Levi, too.”
“I hope something does. Maybe he just needs time to grow out of it.”
“Is that what happened to you? You grew up?”
His fingers traced slow circles on my shoulder while he considered my question. “I think that’s part of it. I also realized I had to step up and be a man, for Gram and my brothers.”
“Why are you so amazing?”
He leaned closer and brushed his nose against my temple. “I’m not. I’m just doing my best.” He paused again, taking a deep breath, like he was inhaling me. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter. “And I’m still angry sometimes.”
I caressed his thigh. “About what?”
“That they’re gone.”
The sting of tears suddenly hit my eyes and I swallowed them back before they could fall. His parents. He almost never talked about them. The few times he’d tried when we were younger, he’d clammed up and either left or changed the subject.
“You miss them.”
He rested his cheek against my temple and tightened his arm around me. “So much. It’s been a long time, but sometimes it still really fucking hurts.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
I shifted closer, wishing I could crawl into his lap. I wanted to wrap myself around him and hold him tight. It wasn’t just that I wanted to make him feel better, although I did. I’d have done just about anything to soothe the pain he carried. But he was opening up to me. As close as we’d been as kids, I’d never felt as connected to him as I did right now.
He pressed his lips to the side of my forehead and trailed his fingers through my hair.
“I know it’s not the same because my parents are alive, but I’m angry sometimes, too. At my dad.”
“No shit. I’m angry at your dad, too.”
I laughed softly, but there was a hint of a menacing growl in his voice that was a little bit scary. Not that I could ever be afraid of him, but I wondered what would happen if he ever got his hands on my dad. As much as I hated my father, I decided I didn’t want to know.
“I’m more concerned for Elijah than myself. I know what my dad’s like, and I don’t expect anything from him. But it won’t be long and Eli’s going to start wondering why he doesn’t have a dad at home. Or at least one who visits him.”
“It won’t be easy. But he’s going to turn out okay.”
“Yeah, he’s a good kid. My mom does her best, and he has Gram, and all of you.”
“Hopefully our influence on him is more good than bad, although I can’t promise anything.”
I laughed again.
He brushed his fingers down my neck and across my shoulder. “I’m not overwhelming you, am I?”
“No, not at all.”
“Are you sure? I can’t stop touching you. I’m trying not to be inappropriate, but I have to be honest, it isn’t easy. You look incredible. And don’t even get me started on how good you smell.” He put his face in my hair and inhaled.
I turned, lifting my chin so my face was in his neck, and breathed him in. His warm, woodsy scent sent a cascade of sensations through my entire body. “You smell good, too.”
A low groan rumbled in his throat. “We should probably go. I need to kiss you like I need to breathe, but I don’t want to get us kicked out.”
We stood and he took my hand in his, then led me out to his car. But instead of opening the door for me, he pushed me up against it and captured my lips with his. My hands slid up his broad chest and I draped my arms around his shoulders, melting into his kiss.
I wasn’t sure how long we stood there. Probably only a few minutes, but time ceased to have meaning when Asher was kissing me. Eventually, we got in his car and drove home.
He parked outside my mom’s house and turned off the engine. Leaning over, he kissed me again.
“Thank you,” I said. “Tonight was perfect.”
His mouth hooked in a grin. “Really?”
“It was the best date I’ve ever had.”
“Does that mean I get another one?”
Another one… a lifetime of them. “Definitely. And Asher?”
“Yeah?”
I reached over to clasp his hand. “Remember what you said last night?”
“I said a lot of things.”
“I know. But one of them stands out. You said you were in love with me.”
His voice was quiet. “Yeah. I did.”
“I’m in love with you, too.”
He let out a breath and there was both relief and happiness in his smile. “Oh my god, I can’t even tell you how good it feels to hear you say that.”
“I’ve always been in love with you. I just didn’t think you could love me back, so I—”
He cut me off with a kiss.
We probably had an audience, but I didn’t care. I kissed him in the moonlight, lost in the feel of his mouth tangled with mine.
Amazed that this was really happening.
10
Grace
The huge gym buzzed with energy, and the scent of buttery popcorn drifted in from the hallway. Sets of tall bleachers surrounded the mats, and teams of jiujitsu competitors in matching gis clustered in groups along the sidelines.
Asher had told me what to expect. Eight mats in two rows of four. There would be matches held on each, simultaneously. The far left were for the female divisions. His matches would probably be on the right, so I picked my way through the crowd and found a seat.
I’d seen Asher compete in sports in high school—been to football games and wrestling matches. But I’d never been to one of his jiujitsu tournaments. I was surprisingly nervous.
The bleachers were hard and many of the spectators had brought cushions to sit on. I’d probably be wishing I had one of those before too long.
Asher and his team gathered around their coach. They each wore a white gi, belted at the waist, with the gym logo on the back. Levi and Logan were there too, looking more alike than usual with their matching serious expressions. Gavin was with them but dressed in street clothes; he had a minor injury and wouldn
’t be able to compete today.
According to Asher, he’d fought the coach so hard on that point, he’d almost been temporarily suspended from the team. Fortunately, Asher had talked some sense into him before he got himself into too much trouble.
I watched while Asher led his teammates in a warm-up. He looked calm, totally in his element. His eyes swept the crowd a few times while he stretched, finally finding mine. He gave me a quick wink, sending a tingle of excitement fluttering through my tummy.
Our transition from friends to lovers had been fast, but seamless. Like it had been inevitable all along. And now that we were dating, I didn’t have to hide the way I looked at him. I could watch him with undisguised desire, knowing that man out there was mine.
It was a heady thought. I chewed my bottom lip while little sparks of arousal warmed me from the inside.
Asher had warned me there was a lot of waiting at tournaments, and he wasn’t wrong. But eventually the mats cleared, and a man in a button-down shirt welcomed the crowd and announced the start of the tournament. The matches began with the lightest weight classes; Asher would be a while.
Even though I didn’t know who most of the competitors were, the initial matches were fascinating. Jiujitsu didn’t involve striking moves, like punching or kicking. Asher trained in that kind of fighting too, but today was all grappling. Competitors won either by scoring points for executing moves or by putting their opponent in a submission hold.
I was glad this was just grappling, not MMA fighting. I’d seen Asher after sparring at his gym, and he’d come away with cuts and bruises more than once. He’d always shrugged off the injuries as minor, but I didn’t particularly want to watch someone trying to punch him.
Still, the submissions looked painful.
I could have sworn one guy was about to dislocate his opponent’s shoulder. Another got caught in a choke hold that had his entire face turning purple before he tapped out. I found myself caught up in the excitement of the competition, cheering for Asher’s teammates when it was their turn. Shouting encouragement and clapping at the end, regardless of the winner.
Protecting You: A Small Town Romance Origin Story (The Bailey Brothers Book 1) Page 8