The Promises We Keep (Made for Love Book 1) (54 page)

Grayson:
If you want to go, I want to go. Wherever you are, I
’
m happy to be there. ;)

Sarah:
You love birds are too cute for your own good.

Avery:
Aww. Isn
’
t my bf the best?!? xoxo

Me:
Gross.

Jack:
I think someone might be whipped.

My Girl:
Ha! Look who
’
s talking, Mr. Groom.

My Girl:
I
’
m working tonight :( No brewery for me. But I agree with Sarah. Repeat visit soon, please!!

Me:
Absolutely.

Me:
Jack, Ave, Gray
—
out at 6:30.

Grayson:
I have to work until 8. I
’
ll meet you guys there.

My Girl:
If it sucks, come visit me!

Avery:
Yes, ma
’
am.

Me:
Deal.

Grayson:
Hey man. Let
’
s end up at Cooper
’
s anyway.

Me:
You read my mind.

Unknown:
Hey, Mysterious. Looking for a headcount. You flying solo or in a flock?

Unknown:
Btw, this is Logan. Swiped your number from Daph.

Me:
Mysterious?
…
Flock. 3 for dinner.

Logan:
Mmhm. There
’
s something in those blue eyes trapped behind those cute glasses
…
See you at seven!

When I open my door and see Avery, my breath catches in my throat. Her hair is pulled back in a ponytail, hiding its length, and she
’
s wearing a sleeveless, dark blue, floral dress that
’
s belted around the waist and stops mid-thigh
—
Addie
’
s dress.
They wear each other
’
s clothing all the time,
this is nothing new,
but this is one of my favorite dresses on Addie and seeing it on Avery
…

“
Do I look okay?
”
she asks, taking in my expression before looking down at herself.
“
Did I spill something?
”

I shake my head, shoving aside all thoughts of Addie
—
especially the memory of the two of us, last fall, at the park, in the grass, her in that dress, my hands exploring her body, as if they had a mind of their own and they were daring us to push the limits of PDA.

I groan, suddenly irritated, and shake my head again, willing my brain to recognize Avery is the one who fills the dress, now. Gray would have my head if he knew what thoughts that dress on his girl has filled my mind with; it wouldn
’
t matter that it
’
s not this twin I
’
m longing for.

I
’
m disappointed that Addie won
’
t be going out with us tonight, but that doesn
’
t mean that I have to bring along a bad mood instead. So I paste on a smile and address Avery
’
s question.
“
No. You look great. You just
—”
I cut myself off before I can finish my sentence. There
’
s no point in voicing my feelings.

“
You recognize this.
”
I can
’
t help the soft chuckle that forces its way out of me.
Our brother/sister relationship goes both ways. Of course, she can guess what
’
s in my head by looking at my face.
“
Ugh. I
’
m sorry,
”
she apologizes, sympathy pulling at her eyebrows as her shoulders slump in defeat.
“
I hated everything in my closet and I just thought
—
I didn
’
t
think. I can go change.
”

“
No! No
—
don
’
t be silly,
”
I insist.
“
It
’
s time another guy got to appreciate that dress.
”

“
We rollin?
”
asks Jack, saving me from this slightly awkward moment.

“
Yeah. Let
’
s get out of here.
”

The three of us head to the parking lot and hop into Jackson
’
s car, as he
’
s volunteered to drive tonight. When we get to the brewery, I know right away that there will be plenty to distract me from the dull ache in my chest that is my longing for Addie. The place is packed. The summer evening is cool and inviting and the excitement of a new brewery charges the atmosphere with that local charm Fort Collins residents can
’
t seem to get enough of.

As we head into the restaurant, which has a rustic feel that reminds me of a big open barn, I see that Avery was right
—
there is a huge patio that extends beyond the walls of the building; in fact, along the right side of the building, the walls themselves are actually big doors that open up, inviting the outside in. I
’
m sure this place will be a hot spot all summer long, on days when the weather is nice; and in the winter, when the doors close, they still have a decent space to accommodate plenty of guests.

I spot Daphne and Logan already seated at a high top patio table meant for six. I signal for Ave and Jack to follow me as we make our way over. Daphne sees us first and waves. She
’
s already got a beer in her hands; and with the way she
’
s dressed
—
in cutoff denim shorts, a red and white star spangled tank, and a blue bandana folded up into a headband that sits behind that hair bump thing girls do
—
she looks like the picture of an All-American summer. Logan turns and looks over her bare shoulder at Daphne
’
s greeting and we
’
re welcomed with a smile. Her blonde hair is pulled up into a lose bun and she
’
s wearing what Addie would term a strapless
maxi dress
—
definitely looking more like she did at Cooper
’
s than she did at Little Bird.

There
’
s a third person at the table, too. From what I can tell, he looks like he might be about the same height as Jack
—
with a lot less muscle, and more tattoos.
A lot more tattoos.
The closer I get, I can see that his toned arms might not be ripped, but they are eye catching. He
’
s got a full sleeve of art on his left arm and a half sleeve on his right, both prominently displayed with his sleeveless basketball jersey. He
’
s wearing a baseball cap backwards, but I can tell the hair underneath is a dark blonde and long enough to be swept across his forehead. Now only a couple feet away from him, I also notice his eyebrow piercing and I can
’
t help but wonder,
who is this guy? And
how
does he fit in with Logan and Daphne?

“
Hey. You made it!
”
says Daphne with a grin. Her eyes are coated in makeup
—
black liner and shades of blue shadow
—
and I
’
m actually impressed with how well she pulls it off. It makes her brown eyes look
huge
.
“
Have a seat,
”
she insists. Jack ends up taking the empty spot next to her and she turns to greet him.
“
You were at the pub the other night, right? I don
’
t think we met. I
’
m Daphne.
”

“
Jack. Nice to
—”

“
Jackson Davis?
”
Logan interrupts, leaning against the table so that she can see him from around Daphne.
“
Number twenty-eight in the flesh.
”

“
You like football?
”
he asks with a confident smile.

“
Love
football. I
’
m Logan.
”
She reaches across Daphne to shake his hand before she looks over at me.
“
Geez, Beckham
—
why didn
’
t you tell us you were so well connected with CSU football royalty?
”

I shrug, amused and surprised by her legitimate dedication and enthusiasm in regards to our Rams.
“
He
’
s modest,
”
Jack answers for me. He teasingly winks in my direction and I laugh before Daphne cuts in.

“
She
’
s obsessed. Don
’
t mind her.
”
She shifts her focus to Avery, who is sitting between me and the yet-to-be-introduced tattooed guy.
“
I
’
m not even going to pretend I know which one you are. You
’
ll have to tell me.
”

“
I
’
m Avery,
”
she complies with a kind smile. She pulls the length of her ponytail around to rest on her shoulder.
“
This will generally be your clue. My hair is longer.
”

“
Avery
—
Grayson
’
s girl?
”

“
Yup,
”
she says with a shy nod.
“
That
’
s me.
”