Only You

Chapter 18 Will I See You Again

Ian and Avery kept their relationship quiet. It really blossomed over the next few weeks. Ian knew things had taken an even more positive turn when Avery invited him to her home to spend time with Chloe. She'd given Chloe the gifts weeks ago and told her that Ian sent them to her, but she didn't allow them to make contact. It pleased Ian that Avery trusted their relationship enough to see how he and Chloe would click. The two of them got along really well.

Ian fulfilled his promise to Avery. Once Avery opened the door for him to spend time with Chloe he made her the priority. He found ways to take Avery out on dates and bring Chloe with them. That made Avery very happy. It made her think about Michael before he was killed in the motorcycle accident. He would always take Avery and Chloe somewhere to have fun. He was a good man and Avery hated that his life had been cut short. She often wondered if she could find a man willing to love Chloe like he did. She never thought it would be Ian.

On those dates where it was just the two of them, Avery found herself becoming very content to be with him. He made her laugh. He enjoyed doing things for her. One day he was buying her something special and the next day he was doing whatever she needed, like – fix a sink in her home or take her car to the shop or help Chloe with her homework while she cooked dinner. Avery didn't realize how much weight she carried being a mother and a father until Ian came around and lifted the load.

Up until this point he hadn't kissed her. Avery waited patiently. She knew why he hadn't done it. They were too familiar. The chemistry was there but in his eyes she was still little Avery and he was still Rena's big brother. Ian had Avery so emotionally wrapped that she couldn't stop thinking about him. Every time she saw him glancing at her at work she'd get butterflies and watching how he interacted with Chloe melted her heart. In her mind she'd set a deadline that if Ian hadn't kissed her by a certain time, and today was that time, she'd put him out of his misery. She knew that unless she could get them past acting like brothers and sisters their relationship couldn't advance. Ian made her long for romance.

Chloe had retired for the night. Ian was in the kitchen cleaning up from dinner. They'd made an agreement that if she cooked he'd clean and vice versa. That worked out well for Ian because he really didn't like to cook, and she didn't like to clean up. Avery pretty much made up in her mind that she'd do the cooking. When Ian finished, he found Avery in her living room and he sat next to her on the sofa. She'd been watching TV until he came in. She picked up the remote and turned the TV off. The room was suddenly dark and the only light that filtered in drifted from the stove light that Ian left on in the kitchen. Ian chuckled. "It's not like I didn't want to."

"I know." She climbed on his lap and put her arms around his neck. "Tonight, don't treat me like I'm your sister."

He lowered his head, slid his mouth over hers and took her thoroughly.

***

Rena squealed as she jumped back from the tiny crab nipping at her shoe. She and Blake had been at the shore all evening and had caught a bucket of crabs. Blake was amazed that after all these years, she was just as skilled at catching crabs as she'd been all those long years ago. You could take the girl out the country, but you couldn't take the country out of the girl. He clamped the lid on the bucket and then carried her into the water and twirled around until they both went crashing in it, sending water skyward over their heads.

He'd kept his word. That gave her the freedom to come over any day or any night and feel that they were honoring the plan. They were already best friends but this unpressured time made their friendship knit even deeper. Blake took Rena by the waist and floated her out in the water. She rested the back of her head on his chest and relaxed stretching her legs out.