Chapter 14

14

Rush

The house is mostly dark when I pull into the driveway.

I hope they’re not in bed already and if so, it wouldn’t make a very good first impression.

I ring the doorbell and what I plan to say to Adison runs through my mind. Almost like a rehearsed script. My heart pounds in my chest as I wait for the door to open.

A thin blonde woman cracks the door. “Yes?” Her eyebrows furrow.

“I’m John Radcliffe. I’m here to see Adison.”

Her blue eyes almost seem to sparkle in the low light of the foyer, and she touches her hand to her heart. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Betsy Miller— Adison’s mom.”

She invites me in and when I step into the foyer, Adison appears. She’s beautiful with her hair pulled into a messy bun. She’s wearing jeans and a long-sleeved navy-blue shirt that compliments her eyes.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to talk to you .”

Adison’s mom slips out of the foyer and makes her way upstairs.

Adison invites me in, and I join her on the couch.

“I still can’t believe you’re here.” She looks down and fiddles with the hem of her shirt.

“I had to come and straighten things out.”

“Straighten what out? You’re with Evie now.”

I let out a deep breath. “No, I’m not with Evie.”

Adison crosses her arms over her chest and her eyes glisten with tears. “I saw you at Will’s house.”

I hold up my hands in surrender. “It wasn’t what it looked like. She was?—”

“You were carrying her.” Adison shakes her head. “In your arms… to what I can only assume was to the bedroom. Are you still with her?

I take Adison’s hands in mine. Surprisingly, she allows it.

“I’m not with her. I promise.” I squeeze her hands. “Evie showed up at the party. Completely drunk— like off-her-ass drunk. When she came into the kitchen, she fell into my arms and basically passed out. Will said we needed to get her upstairs to his den, so I carried her upstairs. Even her friends were worried about her because apparently, she’d been doing some shots before she even got to Will’s.”

I take a deep breath— thankful Adison is still listening to me. “I’ve been a mess since I got your text.” I inch closer to her. “I’m sorry.”

Adison lowers her head. “I’m sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion.”

My mouth is dry, and I struggle to speak. “If you don’t believe me, I?—”

She hushes me and puts her finger to my lips. “I believe you,” she whispers.

“I nod. “I don’t want to lose you.”

“I don’t want to lose you either.” Her eyes glisten with tears. “I shouldn’t have jumped to the wrong conclusion, and I should’ve been upfront with you instead of just taking off without talking to you about it. I’m sorry.”

Adison and I lean back on the couch, and I put my arm around her shoulders. “Oh, and by the way — tutor — I got a B on my mid-term in math.”

She wraps her arms around me and hugs me. “Congratulations. I’m so proud of you. You worked so hard and deserve that good grade.”

I pull Adison into my arms.

“I’m sorry, John.” Her voice is barely above a whisper.

I hold her close. “Everything’s gonna be just fine, as long as you’re still my girlfriend?"

She nods.

"Then I guess I should give you what I drove three hours for."

Adison

Rush pulls a package from inside his leather coat and hands it to me. It’s a beautiful package wrapped in shiny gold paper with a big red bow.

“It's too beautiful to open,” I insist.

“Come on, open it. I didn’t come all this way for you to not open this.”

I gently remove the foil paper and lift the lid on the box.

I gasp. “Oh, my goodness. You didn’t. How?”

I pull out the hardback book and the sweet aroma of an old bookstore fills me.

“ The Velveteen Rabbit . How did you find this?”

“Luck.”

I thumb through the pages gently. “It’s beautiful. It’s the best gift I’ve ever received. I think even better than the original one.”

Rush sets the book aside and kisses me. When we both gasp for a breath, Rush holds my face in his hands and his eyes look into mine. “I love you, Adison. I want to be with you. Always. I don’t want anyone else because you make me a better man. You make me take chances, believe in fairytales, and I want to spend the rest of my life proving to you that you’re the only one for me.”

“I want that, Rush. I do.”

“Kiss me again.”

My lips meet his. On my couch. In the house that I grew up in with my mom. I kiss the man who loves me— the one who makes me feel safe. The one who I will love for the rest of my life.