Page 88 of Ink & Desire

The next few days are some of the best I’ve had in a long time. Maybe ever. I fall asleep with Avery in my arms every night and wake up to her beside me each morning. If anyone had told me that this is what I needed to make me happy, I would have called them crazy. But it’s true. I’m happy. We still haven’t defined our relationship, and we’re still keeping it to ourselves at work. I don’t care what the others think. I’m just not ready to discuss it with them. And I know Jessie. She’ll have a lot to say about it.

Part of me worries this is moving too fast. Avery has spent more time at my place than her own over the last week. Not that I’m complaining. I like having her in my apartment. I like knowing she’s nearby. We’ve talked more in the last few days than we have in the 2 months since we met. I know her favorite animal and her favorite dessert. Sloths and cheesecake, respectively. I also know that she hates tomatoes but not ketchup, which is just weird if you ask me.

We haven’t just stuck to the superficial stuff either. She told me about her parents. I know she was raised by her mom after her dad died when she was a kid. She doesn’t talk much about him. I get the feeling that it’s a difficult subject. Not that I can relate. I mean, I don’t talk about my dad either, but for very different reasons. I haven’t volunteered any information about my family, and Avery doesn’t ask. I think she still feels a little nervous about it after that day at the café. Notthat I can blame her. Eventually I’d like to be able to tell her, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to talk about the way I grew up. It’s not something I like to think about, let alone talk about.

My gaze strays to the balcony where she’s pacing the small space as she talks to her mother on the phone. She called after dinner, and I heard Avery mention something about a gown fitting before she stepped outside for some privacy. I know she’s planning a trip home soon for a family thing. I’m guessing it’s something formal if she needs a fancy gown for it. If I needed a reminder that Avery and I come from two completely different worlds, this is it. I try not to dwell on it. I knew she came from money when we met. I’ve known she’s out of my league since before we started hooking up. So, why should I let it bother me now? I push it out of my mind as I put away the leftovers and start to wash the dinner dishes. It’s not long before Avery comes inside and picks up a towel to dry the dishes.

“How’s your mom?” I ask.

“She’s good. Worrying too much, as usual. Obsessing over the party next weekend.”

I nod as if the concept of a worrying parent isn’t totally foreign to me.

“It’s not like we don’t do the same thing every year,” Avery says. “But she’s got to worry it to death every time.”

“Typical mom,” I say, because it sounds like the right thing to say.

“There isn’t much typical about her,” she says, smiling.

We finish the dishes and Avery turns to me, wrapping her arms around my waist. I rest my hands on her shoulders and gaze down at her.

“I have a question,” she says cautiously.

“Should I be nervous?” I joke.

“No,” she says. “At least, I don’t think you should.”

“Ask away,” I say.

She takes a deep breath and pulls her lower lip between her teeth nervously before speaking.

“What would you say if I asked you to come to New York with me next weekend?”

Surprise and something like panic hit me at the same time. She wants me to come to New York with her? She wants me to come to some fancy party and meet her mom?

“You can say no,” she says quickly. “I know this thing is still new. It’s okay if you think it’s too soon. Really. I just thought maybe—”

“Yes,” I hear myself saying. “I’ll go with you.”

The smile that lights up Avery’s face is bright enough to illuminate even the darkest corners of my soul.

“Really?”

I lean down and kiss her, unable to help myself. If I can make her smile like that again, I’ll agree to anything. Even if it means doing something I’m not sure I’m ready to do.

“Really,” I say. “I don’t have much booked that weekend. I can probably rearrange some things. Get some clients in early. I’d need to be back on Monday, though.”

She bounces a few times before throwing her arms around my neck. “You have no idea how happy this makes me.”

I hold her to me, feeling myself fall just a little more.

Chapter 35

Avery

Corbin is coming with me to meet my family. Part of me still can’t believe he said yes. An even bigger part of me can’t believe he said yes without me needing to talk him into it. He’d agreed so easily. And he’s been totally on board with everything. When I told him it was a black-tie party, he hadn’t balked. He just made an appointment for a tux fitting. He also rearrangedhis schedule and coordinated with Noah and Jessie to close the shop for the weekend. They both looked shocked by his announcement. Jessie winked at me when no one was looking, making me blush. Noah seemed excited to have some extra time with his wife and kids.

I told my mother I was bringing a friend with me to the gala. I managed to skirt around defining my relationship with Corbin when she’d asked who he was. I’ll tell her when I get there. I don’t want her to have preconceived opinions before she meets him. Once she gets to know him and sees how happy he makes me, she’ll love him as much as I do.