Page 129 of Reaching Avery
Port Haven usually had moderately cold winters, but not ever anything too crazy. That night was the exception. The temperature was a degree under freezing. It had rained all day and was still drizzling a little.
As I drove, my tires slid a bit on the pavement, and I slowed down. I followed the main road for a bit before turning on Boulder Street. When my tires slid again, my knuckles whitened on the steering wheel due to me holding it so tight. I was going the speed limit, but I let off the gas a bit more and started going five under.
If anything could help keep my speed demon ways in check, it was the threat of black ice.
I made it to Avery’s place without crashing my car—yay—and I got out and jogged to the front door. One knock. Two. Then, it opened to reveal Avery with some creamy white stuff on the side of his mouth.
I was… dumbstruck. It reminded me of a certain moment from the last time he’d stayed the night with me.
What the heck had he been doing before I showed up?
“Well, don’t just stand out there like a psycho,” Avery said, grabbing my arm and tugging me inside. “Get in here. It’s cold.” He shut the door before wrapping his arms around me. “What’s up, big guy? Not that I’m complaining you’re here, but we hadn’t planned anything.”
All I could see was the white stuff on his face. With a furrowed brow, I studied it before lifting a hand and poking at it.
He jerked with surprise. “Why did you poke me?”
And being the curious guy I was—I mean, for science, right?—I licked my finger. “Is that alfredo sauce?”
“How embarrassing.” Avery slapped a hand to his face and wiped it off. “I’m cooking dinner. You hungry?”
“I could eat,” I said before leaning in and licking away some of the sauce he’d missed.
“I’m not on the menu right now,” he said, trying to look tough but failing. “But alfredo spaghetti is.”
“What’s for dessert?” I asked, wiggling my eyebrows.
“Who’s here, bug?” Monica asked before she rounded the corner. “Oh, hi, Mav. I didn’t know you were stopping by.”
She looked drained. The bruise on her face from the jerk from the club had mostly faded, but the dark circles under her eyes and her lack of energy aged her a few years.
“I actually came to see you,” I said, which caused Avery to cock his head. I brushed my lips across his cheek before approaching Monica. “My mom got you a job, and you can start tomorrow.” The surprise on her face brought some life back into her. “It’s atSurf’s Up. Not sure you know the place, but it’s a seafood restaurant. They need a hostess and think you’ll be perfect.”
“I…” She shut her mouth as her bottom lip trembled. “I don’t know what to say.”
Avery ran up and hugged her. “I think the word isyes, Mom.”
“What’s going on?” Declan asked, raising up from the couch and rubbing at his eyes.
“Sorry to wake you, Princess Naps-A-Lot,” Avery said in a taunting tone, “But Mom just got a new job.”
“Really?” He flew off the couch and came over, his brown hair a tousled mess. The back of it kind of looked like a chicken’s butt.
As they had their family moment, I rocked on my heels, feeling a bit awkward.
“Thank you,” Monica said, still hugging her sons. “Karen is a godsend. Please tell her thank you when you see her.”
“I will,” I said.
Monica said she was going to take a quick shower, and Declan went back into the living room.
“Wanna help me finish dinner?” Avery asked before running his teeth over his bottom lip in that sexy way he knew I loved. “There might be a delectable dessert waiting for you if you do.”
I slapped a hand to my chest. “What kind of guy do you think I am?”
“Only the best,” he said with a smile in his voice.
He stood on his toes to kiss me, and I wrapped him in my arms, feeling like the luckiest guy in the world.
I stayed for dinner and helped Avery clean up afterward. And yeah, there might’ve been a lot of making out before I eventually drove back home later that night. He’d tried taking me up on thedessertthing, but I didn’t want him thinking that was all I wanted. So we’d kissed, and then I’d left.
When I got back home, I played a bit more onSims 4before opening up a search engine and looking up the local college. I clicked on the science program and read about it, and my excitement for graduation grew even more. I then went to the engineering section and looked up programs Avery could take—which then led me to researching scholarships.
If I was going to college, so was he.
