The Promise (20 page)

“Well let me know okay? I have to work on Monday but
then I’m off until the following week. We can hang out if you want? Are you staying in Camden for awhile?” I ask as I pull into the parking lot of the bar.

“Yeah, I’m gonna stop in and see my parents while I’m there if you want to come along. I was actually going to see if you wanted to ride down together and I can drop you
back off on my way out of town,” he suggests. “You can stay at their place if you want. You can have my room and I’ll take the couch.”

I need
to talk to both Ana and Chase before I make my decision. I know that I’m going regardless, but I’m not sure how long I’ll want to stay there just yet. I need to tell Chase I’m leaving for a couple days and I’m not sure when Ana is getting off. We’d talked about riding down together but things were still up in the air as to when. “I’ll let you know when I see you if it’s okay?”

“Of course,” he
answers before his voice turns husky and he clears his throat. “Now back to more important issues, Sophie. What are you wearing?”

“A snowsuit, Matt,
” I say, which causes us both to laugh. “I love you.”

“Love you
too, Babe,” he says and we end our call.

I walk
into the bar, making a beeline for my usual spot when I see Ana standing behind the bar. When she notices me, she runs around the bar and throws her arms around my shoulders, pulling me down onto a stool beside her.

I tel
l her about mine and Matt’s conversation. Ana tells me that she has to work on Monday night so she can’t go back until Tuesday but we decide to see if Matt wants to come and hang out with us in Rockport Monday night before we all head to Camden on Tuesday as we’d originally planned.

“Oh my God girl
! I missed you!” she beams a wide smile at me.

“Yeah,
I’m sure you barely thought of me up there!” I laugh as she makes her way back behind the bar before handing me a beer and a bowl of peanuts.

“Oh, shut up! You’re one to talk
anyway,” she throws me her knowing look. “So …?”

“So
… what?” I laugh again, knowing exactly what she’s talking about.

“How was you
r weekend?” she smiles like an idiot and I roll my eyes at her as she asks.

“It was fine, Ana,”
I grin, my cheeks flushing redder and heating by the second.

“’Fine’? You’re such a shit liar, Sophie, do you know that? Nobody blushes like that over a ‘fine’ weekend. Tell me
everything
,” she insists as she leans over the bar.

“No!” I laugh,
playfully tossing a peanut shell directly at her. “You’re such a freaking pervert!” 

“Why? I won’t
say anything. I just want to bond with you, Soph. We’ve never been able to talk like this because you were doing dirty stuff to my baby brother,” she grimaces jokingly.

“
I
did stuff to
him
?” I laugh.

“It’s the
only way I could deal with it! Shut up!” She says with laughter still evident in her voice. “So?” she motions with her hands for me to spill the details. “Was it any good?” I bite down on my lip to keep from grinning like a complete girl and nod a little. “Really?” she smiles back at me.

“Oh. My. God,” I say
, bringing my forehead down to the bar as the images from mine and Chase’s weekend pop back into my mind and Ana’s laughter brings me back to the here and now.

“Go on,” she presse
s. I can hear the smile in her voice, encouraging me to elaborate. I thought talking to Ana about this would be really awkward, but I realize quickly that this girl talk is exactly what I need to calm my nerves so I tell her.

“I’m in no way a prude but I don’t
think you can call what happened in the apartment this weekend
sex
, Ana. I mean …
holy shit
! He does this thing with his tongue that I’m not kidding you is the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my entire freaking life!”

S
he explodes into hysterical laughter and when I look up to see what’s going on, I find her clutching her side and her eyes fixated on something behind me.

Oh
God no … No please no …

“Well if that wasn’t sex
then what do you think we should call it?” I hear Chase ask with amusement in his voice from behind where I’m sitting. As he moves to sit down on the stool beside me, he grins down at me cockily.

I don’t think I’
ve ever blushed this hard in my whole life. He chuckles and gives me a quick kiss, stroking my hair as I rest my head back down on the bar from the embarrassment at being overheard.

I see Drake give Chase
a congratulatory pat on the shoulder, ultimately making my mortification flare. He makes his way to my other side so he can greet Ana and I can still hear his laughter trailing behind him.

“Hey, Baby,” I hear him say as he kisse
s Ana hello. “Hello, Sophie,” he says, still chuckling.

“Hi, Drake,” I answer
in a defeated voice, still unable to raise my head from the bar.

“So,”
he starts in the most serious voice I think he can manage. “How was your weekend?” I raise my head to look at him, throwing him my deadpan glare, which causes everyone, myself included, to break out into another round of laughter.  

I look to Chase and see that his eyes are glued on me. He’s
still wearing that smug grin of self satisfaction across his face as he pops a peanut into his mouth. I shake my head at him and smile, still a little embarrassed that he caught me discussing our intimacy with Ana.

“What’s wrong, Baby?” he says
, still looking proud of himself.

“There will b
e no dealing with you now,” I answer, laughing.

“I’m
sorry I laughed at you,” he says as he leans over and kisses me on the temple. “I promise my amazing tongue and I will make it up to you later,” he whispers into my ear before running his tongue discreetly up my neck. He teases my lobe with his tongue, making me shudder when he bites me there gently. Then, I hear the deep growling laughter escaping from his chest.  

Son of a bitch.

Ana

Once I say
goodbye to Drake, I drive back to Rockport and an hour later, step into our apartment for the first time since I left Friday night. It’s weird to not see Sophie here.

I still have
n’t gotten used to her working at the restaurant, but I’m so pleased that she’s got the job. She hasn’t said as much, but it’s obvious with her being more independent these day that it’s making her feel good about herself, and this makes me happy.

I
spoke to her a little while I was away, but not as much as we usually do and not about anything really important. I can tell things are picking up with her and Chase, but since he was with her every time I called, I knew it wasn’t something she’d be willing to discuss in front of him.

I plan on asking her a
bout her weekend when she stops by the bar this afternoon after her shift at the restaurant ends.

Next week w
ill be hard on the both of us, but for the first time since Jack’s death, I feel like we both have a chance at being happy again. I decide that once Sophie and I get home from Camden, I’ll put out a few more pictures of Jack around the apartment. I still haven’t unpacked them since we moved here. I’ve thought about unpacking them a few times but between the emotions behind the act, Sophie’s secrecy and my crazy hours at the bar, there are just some things that I haven’t gotten around to yet.

I walk
out to the balcony and go to sit down, stilling when I see something sticking out from beneath the cushion. As I reach to down to dislodge the mystery fabric, I pull out a pair of boxer briefs. I assume they’re Drake’s but almost immediately remember that we’ve never had sex out here.

“Oh
my God! Sophie!” I begin to laugh before sending her a text message ordering her to report to the bar as soon as she gets off of work.

T
ossing them inside the laundry room, I walk back out and grab my coffee before sitting down. I feel my heart beginning to swell with the happiness I have for Sophie. I can’t imagine how hard a step that must have been for her to take, but I know her well enough to know that she won’t be rushed into anything she isn’t ready for.

After
a few minutes my thoughts turn to my weekend away with Drake. I smile as I think about how much fun we both had together.

We didn’t do
a lot, we just hung out at the beach and went out for dinner a couple of times but it was one of the best weekends I’ve ever had.

One night we’d gone outside to lie on the beach together and listen to the wav
es. We fell asleep under the stars and it felt amazing.

The following
morning at about six o’clock, I woke up to find him carrying me back into the house, placing me into his bed and kissing me sweetly on the forehead. The depth of our feelings for each other was scary at first but I’ve come to realize that there’s just no point in fighting what we have found in each other. I think Drake feels the same way that I do.

He’
s so different from anyone I’ve ever met. He’s blunt and completely honest with his feelings in such a way that once I’ve gotten used to it, I absolutely love it.

He never ho
lds anything back from me. It has always been the openness he’s shown that has helped me embrace our relationship comfortably and because of this, I’ve never looked back. He’s changed me in many ways and I’m so head over heels in love with the man. I finally understand what Jack meant that day on the couch. Drake is my forever, just as Sophie had been his.

I silently hope
that Sophie’s been given another shot at hers.

***

Chase

G
etting into my truck to leave the restaurant this morning, I’m miserable.

T
he only thing I want to do is call Drake and tell him I’m not coming in. Then I’ll steal Sophie from work and take her home with me.

Unfortunately, I kn
ow that none of these things are an option so instead I send her a message, telling her that I miss her already. It’s not a lie. I’ve never been a big sap but she’s managed to bring it out in me. She has me doing and feeling things that no girl ever has before.

E
ven though it’s a little scary, I’m not going to fight my feelings for her. I’ve been in relationships before where I’ve felt as though I couldn’t be honest about my feelings and I refuse to do that with Sophie.

We both deserve better than th
at and my feelings for Sophie are much stronger than those in previous relationships. I knew immediately that she was different than everyone else and I want to give this relationship everything I have. I promised her my complete honesty and that’s what she’s going to get.

I watch her from my truck
so that I can see her reaction to the message that I just sent to her. A sweet smile spreads across her features and it makes my heart skip a beat. God this woman is just breathtaking, and by some miracle, she wants me. As my phone chimes, I glance down to read her reply.

Miss you, too xo ~Soph

I’m sure that I look like an idiot out here. An idiot with the largest and goofiest grin imaginable spreading over my lips, but I couldn’t care less. I wave at her as I pull out of the parking lot, still wearing the same stupid smile as I drive out onto the main street. It stays planted on my face all the way to Corpus.

W
alking inside Drake’s portable, I see that he’s on the phone with a client talking about an upcoming project. He waves for me to come in and so I sit in the chair opposite him across from his desk. There’s no telling how long he’ll be but I’m in no rush to leave the office just yet.

I’m beat and work i
s the last thing on my mind.

As
I wait, I lean back and allow my eyes close, my thoughts being fully consumed with my weekend with Sophie.

So many awesome things had happ
ened between us, but there’s still something that’s bugging me and I know I’ll need to talk to her about it eventually.

After that
very first night I’d stayed over, when she’d said her exes name in her sleep, I’ve been on the lookout for anything regarding this guy. I don’t know what the hell he did to her, but whatever it was, it seems to have seriously done a number on Sophie.

This morning when I went to
take a shower, I grabbed my bag so I could set it by her bedroom door, inadvertently knocking a couple picture frames off of her dresser. Bending down to put them back, I nosily looked at each one.

There was
one of her with who I assumed was her father, a couple of her and Ana but then I saw one that has been bothering me ever since.

It was a photograph of a
younger Sophie, laughing while a guy who was wearing what looked to be her sunglasses while kissing her on the cheek.

The guy’s face wasn’t very clear
but something told me that this guy is Jack. If I’m completely honest, it has been bugging the hell out of me, knowing she still has pictures of the guy who broke her heart. She still has them framed and in her bedroom. Even if it is pushed to the back, it bugs me. I’ve noticed little things in there like a stuffed bear that says ‘I love you’ and a pocket knife that’s always sitting in the same spot on the top of her nightstand.

Th
ey could’ve been from anyone but the picture,
that picture
, is different. Sophie was obviously in love with the guy in that picture.

I’ve been thinking
about it some more and I’ve decided that I’ll wait to ask her about it.

As far as I kn
ow she’s been honest with me and I need to give her the benefit of the doubt. Just because Lauren was dishonest and unfaithful doesn’t mean Sophie will be. I’m not going to put my baggage on her like that.

I decide
to focus on the great parts of our weekend. Sophie finally felt ready to give herself to me and nothing could have prepared me for how fucking amazing she was.

J
ust thinking about her panting, naked body beneath mine has me hard again. I can’t wait to feel her against me again. It’s all I can do to not bolt out of Drake’s office and drive the hour back to Rockport. If all of this wasn’t enough, she agreed to a relationship with me.

Our weekend together was so much better than I could have hoped for and I ha
ve a feeling it’s just the beginning of what we have the potential for. I’m falling for her so fast that my head is spinning. There’s nothing that I can do to stop it. I don’t even think I want to. 

“Chase!
” I hear Drake yelling at me. I look up to see him watching me, looking at me as though I’ve lost my mind.

“Oh, hey man. Sorry. What’s up?” I a
sk him.

“What the hell is
with you this morning? I’ve been talking to you for the past five minutes while you’ve just been sitting there with that stupid look on your face,” he looks irritated at first, but eventually, he smirks. “Oh, I know what you were thinking about. Never mind …” he begins to laugh and I can’t help but smile. “Anyway, get your head out of the gutter and come on. We’re already running late.” I gather my things and follow him out, but my mind stays on Sophie all day.

At five o’clock
it’s finally time to leave the site and I’m already inside my truck. Drake had driven in himself this morning since he’d stayed back at his place last night with Ana. I waste no time heading back to Rockport. I cuss the whole way as I try to make it through the chaotic traffic. Even though I manage to arrive in record time, Drake somehow manages to pull into the lot while I’m still in my truck, changing my shirt.

“How the fuck did you do that?” I ask
as I close the door to my truck behind me.

“What’s that?” he ask
s as his eyebrows furrow in confusion, completely clueless.

“Leave
after me, not have to change, have further to go but still get here at the same time?”

“Maybe it’s because I don’t drive like an old woman,” he laugh
s through his words and I flip him off.

We walk
into the bar and I can see that Sophie is telling Ana something. Whatever it is has her blushing like crazy. I wonder briefly what they’re talking about, but when Sophie starts biting her lip, I have an idea that it might have something to do with our weekend together.

“Oh. My. God,
” she says dramatically, bringing her forehead down to the bar as I walk behind her. I throw Ana a questioning look and I notice her placing her finger over her mouth, signaling for me to keep quiet.

“Go on,” she urges Sophie.
This tells me my hunch must have been accurate. I know I should stop her, but I can’t bring myself to miss an opportunity to hear what Sophie really thinks about our time together.

“
I’m in no way a prude, but I don’t think you can call what happened in the apartment this weekend
sex
, Ana. I mean
holy shit
! He does this thing with his tongue that I’m not kidding you is the best thing that’s ever happened to me in my entire freaking life!” She says while letting out a satisfied groan. I feel the biggest grin forming over my lips and spreading across my face.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Mental fist pump! I am
the
man! Hold your applause please while I air guitar! Fuck yes!

When Sophie hear
s Ana’s reaction, I know that she knows I’m probably behind her and I simply can’t resist my next move.

“Well if that wasn’t sex
then what should we call it?” I ask as I take a seat beside her, watching her as she slowly raises her head.

I
didn’t think it was possible for anyone to reach that shade of crimson. Seeing her reaction makes me laugh.

Poor thing,
she looks completely humiliated. I kiss her as she rests head back down in embarrassment as Drake walks over to Ana. He asks her how her weekend was and I choke as I watch the look that’s now crossing over her features.

I glance
down at Sophie’s still reddened face as I pop a peanut into my mouth. She begins to shake her head at me, but a smile warms her features.

“What’s wrong
, Baby?” I ask, still chuckling.

“There will be no d
ealing with you now,” she laughs back at me.

“I
’m sorry I laughed at you,” I tell her quietly, leaning over to kiss her on the temple. “I promise my amazing tongue and I will make it up to you later,” I whisper huskily into her ear, low enough so nobody else can hear.

I beg
in to run my tongue up the side of her neck and against her lobe. Biting down gently, it causes her to shutter. I can’t help the growl that escapes me then. I’ve never wanted anyone like I want Sophie right now.

Son of a bitch.

***

Sophie