Page 87 of Everlasting Promises

Which I completely understood.

Whenever he was deployed, he had to give up so much and live in a constant state of stress. His time at home was always limited, so who was I to stop him from going surfing every day or catching up with old friends? He needed that time to destress and be normal. Even if it meant spending less time with us. As much as I missed him when he was deployed and wanted to spend every moment with him while he was home, he never seemed to feel the same. He always needed his space.

The three of us—Ben, Evan, and I—work like a well-oiled machine and finish bathing the dogs in a short amount of time. And surprisingly, we all manage to stay dry.Winning!

Tori steps into the washroom, blowing out a relieved breath as we’re cleaning up the mess. “Thanks, guys. I’m so busy today. You really saved my butt.” Her gratitude drips with relief, and the tightness around her mouth softens.

Ben wraps his arm around her shoulder. “You okay? Can we help with anything else?”

“Thanks. No, I’m okay. You guys have done more than enough. I appreciate it.” She makes a shooing motion with her hands. “You guys go have fun and enjoy what’s left of your Saturday afternoon.”

We say goodbye to Tori, but I’m really not ready to say goodbye to Ben, and from the way Evan is fidgeting, I’d say he’s not ready to say goodbye either.

“So, I was thinking we could go bowling this afternoon,” I suggest, hoping Evan takes the bait and invites Ben along.

Evan snaps his head up to me. “That’ll be fun. Can Ben come too?”

My heart rejoices, but I temper my external response. “Well, Ben may be busy.” I peer at the man who has slowly, but surely broken down my walls, hoping to spend a little more time with him.

Evan snaps his head up to Ben. “Do you wanna come bowling with us?”

Ben musses up Evan’s hair with a soft laugh. “Sure. I’ll need to drop Rex home first.” He looks up at me with a sexy grin, his gray eyes twinkling. “I can meet you guys there.”

I shrug. “We can follow you home and then go in my car.” That way, we can spend more time together.

I can’t wipethe grin from my face. Bowling is more fun than I ever remember it being, but Ben always seems to make everything light and fun.

Evan and I laugh at Ben’s antics as he dances his way back to us after knocking over seven of the ten pins. Anyone would think he’d knocked over all ten with his celebration, but he decided that, each time we knock over at least four pins, we should dance our way back to our little group.

Evan’s soaked up every minute, making each of his dances more humorous than the last. It’s like they’re trying to out-dance each other at this point. Other teams around us cheer and clap each performance, encouraging their outrageous antics—not that they need any encouragement.

Clara, Wyatt, and I used to bowl regularly. They were always so competitive with each other, where I only ever wanted to have fun—primarily because I sucked at bowling, and nothing’s changed. I’m last on the leaderboard, even though this is Evan’s first time.

Ben took the time to teach Evan the proper techniques—the man seems to be gifted at everything he does—while I took the time to admire Ben’s ass every time he rolled the ball. The way the denim of his jeans highlighted his firm thighs and butt had me imagining what he looks like naked. By the end of our first frame, I swear I was ready to combust, and by the end of our game, my underwear was toast.

As much as I try to muster up a feeling of guilt for admiring another man, I can’t. I’m sure that makes me a horrible person, but for the first time in a long time, it’s nice tonotfeel guilty. It’s time to release myself from the self-imposed prison I’d trapped myself in—and it feels incredible to be free.

“I’m hungry. Can we get dinner?” Evan asks as he walks in front of Ben and me out of the bowling alley.

We follow behind, our arms brushing as we walk, sending tingles racing through my body. “Sure. What do you feel like eating?”

“Can we get burgers? Ben, you’ll come too, won’t you?” he asks as he stops at the car.

I’m unsure if Ben has figured out that Evan is trying to create the opportunity for us to spend even more time together. When I stop to think about it, maybe Evan’s been doing it all along and I just didn’t realize. He’s always been so keen to extend our time with Ben.

Ben looks at me with raised brows. “Burgers sounds great, as long as your mom is happy for me to tag along.”

I knock my shoulder into Ben’s arm. “You’re always welcome.”

We drive the short distance to our favorite burger place,Declan’s Diner. When we arrive, Evan heads straight to our usual table while Ben and I order at the counter. He leans down, sending shivers skittering across my body as his warm breath coasts across the side of my face. “I hope you know it’s been torture spending this time with you and not being able to touch you. To kiss you the way I want to.”

Heat rises up my neck, and I glance across at Evan playing on his phone while he waits for us. “Trust me, the feeling’s mutual.” I quickly press up on my toes and kiss him chastely.

He groans when I pull away quickly. “We need to have another date. Just the two of us.”

My pulse races. “I agree. Evan stays with Wyatt’s parents for the weekend in two weeks.”

“Damn, that feels like forever from now, but if that’s what I can have, I’ll take it.”

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