Chapter 30

Present year, six months after Bridget’s wedding…

HAILEY AND AVERY WERE walking around the big box bookstore near their town having their own book date. Every so often, they’d walk the aisles together or separately and pick out a book or two for each other to read. They stuck to each other’s favorite genres, but otherwise it was like their own blind date with a book. Both of them ecstatic to not have to go on real blind dates. The horror.

Hailey was browsing the dystopian titles when her phone buzzed in her pocket.

AVERY:Got my picks for you, just waiting at the front. Take your time! :)

She smiled to herself, texted him back that she was almost done and then returned her attention to the two books she was deciding between. Neil Shusterman is always a safe bet so she reshelved the other, then took the long way around the store to avoid Avery being able to see what was in her hands.

One day, she hoped she’d see her book on one of these shelves. She finally finished it and it was actually selling well online as an indie novel. People were already clamoring for the sequel and she was halfway finished with it. A couple of romance authors she wasn’t too familiar with shared it with their followers and that helped a lot. Although, she wasn’t sure how she got their attention since hers was more of a fantasy with a romance element. Authors helping authors, she guessed.

As she strode up to the counter, she saw him idling by a table at the front, browsing the covers of new releases. She let out a contented sigh just watching him.

“Ready to check out?” the young teen at the checkout counter asked. She zoned out again checking out Avery. It happened a lot these days now that she didn’t have to hide sneaking peeks at him.

Her purchase safely concealed in her bag, she thanked the clerk and made her way over to Avery. He made sure to keep his eyes away from the checkout counter so he wouldn’t ruin her surprise and she did the same for him if she finished first. They really took their surprises seriously.

Sneaking up behind him, she snaked her arms around his waist and peeked around his shoulder to see what he was checking out.

“See anything worth taking home?” she asked as he turned in her arms to face her and brought his arms to her hips.

Looking intently into her gaze, he said, “Now I do.”

The smile that broke across Hailey’s face was blinding. “Well, let’s get out of here then, handsome.”

They turned to the doors, Avery keeping an arm around her waist while Hailey’s hand splayed across his back.

They made their way to Avery’s car and discussed what to grab for dinner later, deciding on Chinese because they were both craving some crab rangoon.

Hailey took another peek in her bag at the book she chose for Avery and quickly shut it again in case he glanced over.

“This book is going to blow your mind. I totally am going to win this round.”

They turned their blind dates with a book into little competitions, usually for just little favors.

Avery stole a glance her way before turning his gaze back to the road. “I don’t know, I think you’re going to like the one I picked out for you way more.”

“I guess we’ll see. If I win, you have to fold my laundry next time you’re over my house.”

Hailey’s depression wasn’t completely gone, but her moods were loads better than before. She still had trouble getting chores done most days, and laundry was still the bane of her existence.

“And If I win, you have to buy something pretty to wear for me.”

Hailey’s jaw dropped before she closed it again. It wasn’t a typical request from Avery, who was turned on by her in soccer shorts and a T-shirt most of the time. Okay, all of the time.

“Something pretty, huh? You mean like lingerie?” she said while wagging her eyebrows at him, not that he could see.

“Actually, I have something specific in mind. I’ll let you know when I win.”

Hailey’s eyes widened. “Damn, you are cocky about this one. Now, I’m really intrigued. Drive home faster!”

Avery laughed as he maintained his speed. They were only a few minutes from his home anyway.

These days they spent most nights together, rotating houses throughout the week to whatever was most convenient. Hailey usually preferred Avery’s house because he had the bigger shower and that came in handy, especially after soccer games together.

As Avery pulled into his townhouse’s driveway, Hailey shouted “Race you!” and jumped out of the car before Avery even put it in park. He may have oversold his book, but her curiosity and the anticipation was absolutely killing her.

He rushed after her as quickly as he could safely get out of his car, chuckling to himself at her excitement. She beat him to the door, but had to wait since he already had his keys out. The moment he unlocked it and turned the knob, Hailey was pushing past him through the door, rushing to his living room couch where they usually exchanged their books.

Avery tackled her from behind into the couch, dropping their bags of books to the floor as he tried to distract her with tickles to her side.

“Avery, you cheater!” she said between fits of giggles.

“And what exactly am I cheating at?” he said with a mischievous grin while holding himself over top of her on the soft suede couch.

“I don’t know, but stop so I can beat you with my book!” He laughed and let her go, sitting up and pulling her with him so they could both reach the bags that fell to the floor.

“You first, Hailey. What’d you get me?” Avery looked at her with a big smile on his face, making her forget for a moment what was happening. He seemed to have an edge of anxiousness with his excitement this time and she couldn’t figure out why.

“Just since you’re so sure about your book, fine!” She reached into her bag and pulled out the Shusterman novel she picked for him.

“This one is insane. It’s a future where abortions are outlawed but when your kid becomes a teenager and you decide you don’t want them anymore you can donate their body to science and their parts go to people who need them!” Hailey explained in one breath. She took another deep one before adding, “How does he come up with this stuff?”

“Holy shit. I … I really don’t want to know but that sounds crazy and I want to start it tonight.”

“Right? He’s a total mastermind. I’m still thinking about his Scythe Trilogy. That shit changed my life.”

“Same. Okay, ready for yours? I think it might be pretty life-changing, too.” Avery’s confidence from before now seemed to be replaced with nerves. And his hands looked a bit shaky as they reached into his bag. “Of course! I’m sure I’ll love it.”

He let out a deep breath and widened his eyes for a brief moment, “I hope so.”

Out of his bag he pulled a romance by Roxie Noir and set it in Hailey’s hands. It was a hardcover, which was weird because they usually stuck to cheaper paperbacks.

“Always You,” Hailey read aloud. She let her fingers graze down the front of the book. There really was nothing like a new book in your hands. “What made you choose this one?”

“Well, it’s the second book in that rock band series you started and it’s about a guy who has been in love with his best friend for years but has been afraid to mess things up with her. Classic friends to lovers story.”

Hailey looked up at him with adoring eyes, blinking back the tears that were threatening to escape.

“Open it.”

Hailey furrowed her brow at Avery but then turned her attention back to the book. As she opened it she realized most of the pages were glued together and the book was divided into two hard sections. She peeked a confused glance toward Avery, but then brought her attention back to the book, opening it all the way to see the center was hollowed out and inside it sat a diamond ring.

She gasped and Avery lifted himself off the couch and knelt in front of her, taking one of her hands in his.

“It’s always been you, Hailey. Even when we were kids and had no idea what love was, you showed me what a true friend was. You made me laugh when I was down. You stood up for me when I needed your support. You light up every room you walk in and you make me a better person because all I’ve ever wanted is to make you proud, to make you happy, to make you see how absolutely wonderful you are. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life, inside and out. Everything you touch is just better. I can’t imagine going a day without you for the rest of my life and I want to be the one who makes you see how absolutely incredible you are. I’m so lucky to have you in my life as my friend, as my partner, and hopefully one day as my wife. Will you marry me?

Hailey choked back a sob as tears ran down her cheeks.

“Yes! Yes, Avery, I can’t wait to marry you.”

Avery’s eyes were filled with unshed tears as he picked the ring out of the book and slipped it onto her shaking finger. She took a moment to look at it on her hand before looking back up at her future. She lunged at Avery, tackling him to the ground with a kiss that left him trying and failing to hold back a laugh.

They spent a few minutes rolling on the ground, deepening their kiss and exploring each other’s tongues before they pulled back to take a breath.

“I love you so much, Hailey,” he said while running his fingers through her hair and tucking the strands behind her ear.

“I love you, too! But, wait, you glued that book together. That means I don’t have a book to read, which means I won this round because I can’t read it!”

“Give me some credit, Hailey. I bought a second copy that you can actually read.”

Hailey broke out in laughter, “Okay fine, I concede. You win this round. But, I’m pretty happy about it.”

“Looks like you’ll have to buy something pretty to wear. I was thinking maybe a dress? I’m told white is a popular color for this kind of thing, but I’d marry you in any color. I’d marry you in a potato sack.”

“Mr. Romantic. A wedding dress, huh? So, that’s a no to the lingerie?”

“I mean, that could totally go under it. I certainly wouldn’t turn it down,” he said with a smirk.

Hailey sat up, straddling Avery on the floor, running her hands up his chest. “I’m sure I can manage something to turn your head.”

“Turning my head is something you’ve been doing for fifteen years. I don’t think you’ll have a problem.”

Hailey smiled and then leaned forward until their mouths met. The force of the kiss pushed Avery into the floor as his hands roamed down her back and settled on her ass, pulling her into his hardness and prompting her to grind against him.

Avery let out a groan as Hailey moved her lips from his and trailed them across his jaw to behind his ear, then dragged her tongue in the soft spot behind his lobe that always drew a whimper from him. Her hands were on either side of his head holding her up and giving her leverage to move her hips with his, but she lifted one and brought it to the bottom hem of his shirt, lifting it while dragging her fingers up his chiseled torso.

Hailey smiled as her fingers skimmed his abs and she felt them tense under her touch, then she started shimmying down Avery’s body, giving him a mischievous smile as she made his way to his waistband and teased her fingers there, grazing them just under the top of his jeans.

She brought her lips to his abs, trailing kisses and licks across his heated skin and leaving goosebumps in her path while her fingers pulled at the button of his jeans, then pulled down his zipper.

Avery breathed in deep before meeting her gaze. “Hailey, you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“Oh, I want to,” she said while lifting her other hand and pulling down both his jeans and briefs to his mid-thigh in one swoop.

Hailey did not have the best control of her gag reflex, so blowjobs weren’t something she usually enjoyed doing. But, the happiness that was surging through her made her want to take care of her man, as he so often did for her.

When she brought her tongue to Avery’s slit, licking at the drop of precum, Avery groaned and tensed his body to keep from thrusting into her mouth. She circled around the crown of his head and then licked up and down his shaft before grabbing around the base and bobbing her head up and down his hard cock.

“Yes, sweetheart. God, that feels so good,” Avery said on an exhale. Hailey kept the same pace as Avery threaded his fingers through her soft locks, massaging her scalp as he got closer to release.

She got another taste of bitterness from more precum before he was pulling her off of him. “Wait, wait, wait,” he said before taking another couple breaths. “I want to be inside you so bad. I want to come with you.”

“You sure? We can just go again after,” Hailey offered.

“Positive. Get up here.”

She sat up before whipping off her top and then climbed back up Avery’s body, straddling him once again. He rolled them over so he was on top and then they made quick work of the rest of their clothes.

They kissed passionately as Avery grinded against Hailey, letting his hard cock drag against her clit, driving her wild.

“How do you want it, Hailey?” he asked while his lips continued moving against hers, their tongues massaging each other.

She thought for a moment and decided she wanted to have everything with Avery, erasing all the bad times from her past and replacing them with her future. Avery was her future and she wanted to give him everything.

“I want you to take me from behind. Against the couch. I want to feel your hands all over me.”

Avery’s eyes widened at her candor. This was the side of her no one else ever got to see. Hailey rolled off his body before they both crawled the few feet back over to the couch and bent over the cushions, her knees still on the floor.

Thanks to Avery and Hailey’s desperation for each other over the months they’d been together, they had condoms strategically placed around the house so they’d never have to run into another room and pause their love-making. The ridiculous bulk pack of condoms Cole bought them for Christmas came in handy pretty often.

Avery reached across the coffee table to a decorative candle display that had a secret compartment meant for wax melts underneath it. Condoms were way more useful in that spot.

He grabbed one and sheathed himself before kneeling behind Hailey and bringing his hands up the back of her thighs before reaching the globes of her ass and spreading them so he could see all of her.

“Goddamn, I love you so much,” Avery said as he caressed her backside.

Hailey’s pulse was racing as she waited for him to enter her, feeling completely love-drunk on his touch.

“Take me, Avery. I want you so bad,” she begged, giving her ass a little wiggle as she waited impatiently.

He eased forward and made his way slowly inside her, filling her until his hips put pressure against her ass.

He then leaned forward and trailed kisses up her back wrapping his arms around her and completely surrounding her with his warmth as she surrounded his cock with her tight, wet heat.

As he pushed in and out of her, slowly gaining speed, his left hand reached across to her right breast, massaging it in his strong hands and then tickling and pinching her nipple. His right hand reached down to where his dick pushed in and out of her, gathering some of her wetness and then bringing it to her clit. He found a steady rhythm, rubbing her, pinching her, moaning along with her until she moved with him.

He was everywhere on her body and she was overcome with lust as his tongue laved over her ear, adding a soft bite to her earlobe.

“Fuck, Avery,” she shouted. “Fuck me hard, baby. You feel amazing. I’m gonna come so hard. Fuck, fuck fuck.”

“God, yes, come for me. Let me hear you scream. Hailey.

“Baby, smack my ass. I want to feel you everywhere.

Avery’s pace stuttered at hearing Hailey’s words.

“Are … are you sure?”

“Yes, fuck,” she breathed. “Not crazy hard, I just want to feel you take me.”

Avery pushed back from the couch, keeping one hand on her clit and bringing his other arm around until it rested on her backside. She felt his touch leave before it smacked back against her left cheek. It was a soft pat. Way too soft.

“Harder, Avery,” she begged.

His hand left her again and came back down harder, this time she felt a slight sting that was just the right amount of pain.

She cried out and then moaned, moving against Avery’s hand faster.

“Fuck, I’m gonna come. Do it again.”

He brought his hand against her again and then rubbed and squeezed the spot he struck as Hailey groaned in response. He pulled her up so her back was tucked tightly against his chest and turned her head so he could ravish her mouth with his own tongue. One hand reached down to rub her clit in time with his thrusts, while his other pinched one of her nipples.

She shouted out in ecstasy as her climax tore through her entire body.

Avery groaned behind her and then pulled Hailey tighter against him, filling the condom with his own release. He held her through the rest of the pulses of lust that wracked both of their bodies and then they toppled forward onto the couch.

As the final waves of their pleasure eased, Avery held her tightly as they breathed together against the couch.

“Holy fuck, Hailey. That felt so good,” he panted against her back. “Was that good? Are you okay?”

She was trying to catch her own breath as thoughts raced through her mind. She took a minute to compose herself before responding. Avery was everything to her and she was pissed that it took her so long to see it. She wasn’t kidding when she said she wanted everything with him, especially since everything they did together eclipsed every past experience she had.

Hailey used to love her sex a little bit rough, but Gage had taken it too far and ruined it for her for so long, hijacking her orgasms, hitting her with too much force so the pain was too much to bear. The things she liked in bed weren’t enjoyable if the person wasn’t enjoyable. For her, anyway. She wanted to take that part of her life back and share it with Avery.

And it was perfect.

“I don’t think I’ve ever come so hard in my entire life,” she said on an exhale as her breathing started to regulate.

Avery responded by hugging her from behind and pressing a kiss against her damp temple.

She tensed just a bit as he eased out of her to dispose of the condom, but she couldn’t find the energy to move more than that.

Hailey felt Avery moving around behind her before he dropped down on the floor next to her and laid his upper body on the couch until they were eye to eye. Then he leaned forward and left a chaste kiss on her lips, pulling away only a fraction so all she could see were his gray-blue eyes. She let herself drown in them and forget the rest of the world. This was everything she ever wanted.

A small smile grew on her face as she looked at her fiance.

“Shower?” she whispered.

“Absolutely.”

She finally found her forever. The Chinese food went forgotten that night, but Hailey would always remember it as the night her dreams came true.