Page 98 of Without Judgment

“You stalked me?”

“Not my proudest moment over the last few weeks, but yes. Then I decided to call Trevor and get myself invited tonight. I figured if you showed up, it would be a good sign. And it was, until I realized your brother hadn’t told you I was coming. I didn’t mean to ambush you. I was just hoping to test the waters.”

It meant something to know he’d intended to give me a choice about seeing him.

“I was also prepared to come to you in Dallas or wherever else you were living.”

I stood quietly, letting his words sink in.

“Are you angry about the tracking?”

In all honesty, I found it rather romantic. In fact, I had my own confession. “I left my old phone with Emma in Dallas and asked her to keep it plugged in for a while. I guess I hoped you’d think I was there instead of in Austin if you chose to track me.”

Childish, yes, but I hadn’t been ready for him to see I’d come to Austin. Plus, a fresh start required a fresh phone number which none of the old, so-called friends or the ex would know.

He grinned. “I missed you, princess.”

I had to bite my lip to keep back the flood of emotions his sentiment brought up. “You’ve said that before.”

“True, but this time I’m not afraid to say it over and over until you believe it.”

“You know, I needed this space. And I absolutely did need to do this on my own without a relationship and to make choices independent of anyone. But I’ve missed you, too.”

He caressed his thumb over my chin, making me want to melt into him.

“But how can I trust you won’t freak out again?” I asked.

“Because I’ve been working on the reason I pushed you away. I went to see my father.”

My shock was evident. “How did it go?”

“Better than I’d hoped. My stepbrothers, who are now thirteen and fourteen, did nothing but recall stories my father had told them about me. It’s like they’ve always thought of me as their big brother. We spent an entire afternoon in a video game tournament.”

“That’s great.” I meant it but didn’t know what significance Mason’s visit to his family might have for us.

“It made me realize it was past time I let go of my anger toward my father for moving on so quickly after my mother died. He seemed happy. And he didn’t disappoint in how glad he was to have me there.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t easy for you.”

“It wasn’t, but nothing worth having will ever be.” He took a breath. “That morning in the hotel, I was feeling vulnerable about having needed you the night before. Then when I found the brochure, I flipped out because I was scared. Afraid of the thought of a commitment. I lied about that night not meaning anything. It was the opposite. I lied to protect myself from the chance of rejection. I’m sorry. So sorry.”

I fought the tears forming. His words slayed me.

“I want to date you, Avery. Take you out. Spend time with you. We can go slow until you can trust me.”

“Date? What kind of dating?” I needed to clarify because I was not okay with the thought of him dating others.

His mouth traveled up my neck until he whispered in my ear. “Dating with rules.”

“I should’ve known you’d have rules. What are they?”

“Rule one. No other people. We’re exclusive.”

I pulled back to meet his gaze. “Monogamy before a first date. That’s a new one.”

His face got serious. “I meant what I said. It’s only been you ever since we met.”

I swallowed hard at what he was saying. “There’s only been you, too.”

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