Page 197 of Promising You
“You’re not doing anything. After the way I acted, I owe you. I’ll be making all your sandwiches from here on out.” He puts the bread down and comes over to where I’m sitting.
“What are you doing?”
He doesn’t answer, but just picks me up and sets me down on the floor. He wraps his arms around me and holds me against his body. The tightness in my chest begins to unravel and I finally feel like I can breathe. I rest my head on his chest and just listen to the beating of his heart. It calms me even more so I close my eyes and just listen.
“I missed you so damn much,” Garret says softly. I feel him gently kiss the top of my head, then feel the warmth of his breath as he remains there, his head hung just above mine.
“I missed you, too.”
“I don’t mean just this past week. I mean when I thought you were gone. I missed you like I’ve never missed anyone. I missed the future I was going to have with you. I missed the feeling of having you in my arms like this. I missed hearing your voice and seeing your face and sleeping next to you. I missed all of it because I was sure it was gone. I kept trying to tell myself that it was for the best. That I had to do it to protect you, but it ripped me apart inside, Jade. I couldn’t fucking handle it, so I drank. And I know that’s not the way to handle shit, but I just wanted the hurt to go away.” He pulls back, and when I look at him I can still see the pain in his eyes. “I knew I had to let you go, but I didn’t know how. I could barely go a week without you, so how the hell could I go a lifetime without you?”
A few stray tears run down my face. He puts his hand on my cheek and wipes them away. “I’m sorry, Jade, for how I acted earlier. Pushing you away like that. Telling you to leave. But I swear I was only doing it to protect you. I thought if I made you hate me, it’d be easier for you to go.”
I glance down. “I’d never hate you. It’s not possible.”
“I shouldn’t have given up so easily. I should’ve tried to find a solution. But at that meeting, I felt like there was no way out of this. All these rich, powerful men were sitting around a table with an entire outline of my future. And then when they threatened to hurt you, I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t—”
“Garret, stop.” I lift my head and our eyes meet. “Don’t talk about it. We’re going to fix this. We’re getting you out of this.”
He smiles, then takes my face in his hands and kisses me. And it’s like I can feel every ounce of love he has for me in that kiss. I can’t even describe it, but I know I’ll never feel a kiss like that with anyone but him.
He rests his forehead on mine. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” I pull away before I start crying again. “Now go make the sandwich so I can eat and we can get to work on this plan.”
“Okay.” He hesitates. “But I just need one more.” He kisses me again.
“You better stop kissing me because you’re making me want to do things we don’t have time to do right now.”
“We’ll make time.” His lips brush mine as he says it.
I back away. “The sandwich, Garret.” I point to the plate across from us.
He keeps his eyes on me. “Jade, if this plan of yours doesn’t work, I don’t know what will happen with us. There’s a possibility that—”
I put my hand over his mouth. “We’ll talk about that when we need to, but we’re not talking about it now. Should I just make my own sandwich?”
He laughs. “I’m making it. Just hold on.” He returns to his spot across from me. “So how was the drive back?”
“It sucked because my idiot boyfriend wouldn’t answer the phone, so I assumed he was dead which ruined the trip.”
His eyes lift slightly as he cuts my sandwich in half. “Sorry about that.” He slides the ham and cheese sandwich over to me and reaches in a cupboard for some potato chips. “Besides that, anything else happen? Did Carson behave? Did he get back with his ex-girlfriend?”
“No. He said he wanted to date someone he could see everyday.”
“Like you,” Garret mumbles as he makes a pot of coffee.
“No, not me.” I take a bite of my sandwich. It’s really good. I always think food tastes better when someone else makes it. Or it could be because I haven’t eaten anything since last night. “For most of the trip Carson didn’t talk about you, but then in the last hour or so, he started telling me all these conspiracy theories.”
I’ve never told Garret about Carson’s obsession with the Kensington family, but I think it’s time to fess up.
“So Carson’s one of those freaks who believes that shit on the Internet?”
“Yes, and ever since he met you, he’s been digging up all this stuff about your family. And your company. He thinks your dad’s doing stuff that’s illegal and covering it up. That’s why Carson doesn’t like you and why he’s so protective over me.”
“Was that the first time he mentioned anything?”
“No, he’s been saying these things since I first met him. I didn’t tell you because you already hate the guy enough. I keep telling him he’s crazy so he’ll stop talking about it, but he keeps bringing it up. In the car yesterday, he said he thinks your dad’s part of some secret group and he claims there’s proof this group rigs elections and does other bad things.”
