Page 8 of Dreaming of Us

I had to admit that Colton had been right. I didn’t know him well enough to be in love with him. I realized that as I sat on the phone with Tori the second day after Colton and I shared stories about ourselves, speaking in hushed tones and laughing quietly with each other.

I also knew that, though what I had felt for him before was nothing more than infatuated yearning, my initial reaction to him wasn’t far from the mark. He really was a great guy who was genuinely kind. He loved animals, loved his mother, and though he could have gone anywhere to become a police officer, he came back to our small town to be near his parents. The more we talked, the more I knew that if I lost him, I would be devastated.

“I’m so scared, Tori. How can I hold on to a guy like him if someone like Katy couldn’t?” I was practically hyperventilating as I sat on the closed toilet seat while my best friend fixed my hair and makeup in a way that would hide the bruising from my injury.

“First of all, I need you to shut the fuck up and stop talking about my best friend that way,” Tori snapped as she smacked the top of my hand with my eyelash curler.

“Ow!” I scowled at her as she scowled right back until I let the frown drop from my face and concentrated on rubbing the sting from my skin.

“You’re beautiful, Bray. You just never let yourself see it. Honestly, I wish you would have let the fantasy of this guy go long enough to date other guys so you could see how they always looked at you. But you always had your head stuck so far up Colton’s ass you wouldn’t look around at how other guys wanted you.”

I shot her a glare, but she ignored it to shake her head. “I hope this guy is worth it.”

“He is,” I insisted stubbornly.

Tori sighed as she set down the eyelash curler. “I know, hun. I think so, too.” She looked me over before giving her nod of approval. She stepped back, gesturing for me to stand. I stepped in front of the mirror so I could take in my appearance. Tori had done a fantastic job. I could barely tell that I was even injured. But more than that, my makeup was subtle, just highlighting my natural features while making my blue eyes look brighter.

Tori’s reflection joined mine in the mirror, and she leaned her head against mine while putting her arm around my waist. “You’re really sure of this guy?”

My nose stung as moisture filled my eyes. I blinked rapidly to force it away as I gave her a wobbly smile. “He’s amazing, Tor. The more I get to know him, the more I realize he’s even betterthan I had thought he was in high school. I know I was hung up on him all those years, but I’m not sorry for it. The promise of him is a pale comparison of what he’s truly like. I don’t know yet, what caused him and Katy to break up, but as much of a bitch it might make me, I’m glad. Because now it’s my chance with him, and I’m going to do everything I can to keep him.”

Tori turned to face me, and I looked away from her reflection to see the serious look on her face in person. “I’m going to be cheering you on every step of the way. But I want you to never lose sight of who you are, okay? You areBraylin, not Colton’s girlfriend. Understand what I’m saying?”

I understood. Tori remembered how lost I had been in the fantasy of him, and she was afraid I would lose myself in the reality, too. “It’s a good thing I have a best friend who will keep me from losing myself then, right?”

She grinned at me. “Damn fucking straight. Seriously, though. I really am happy for you, Bray. If he’s as great as you say he is, then I’m going to love this for you.” Of course, her words had me fanning my eyes to keep them from tearing up. “Don’t you fucking dare ruin all my work.”

Tori’s glare made me smile as I threw my arms around her and squeezed her tight. After a long hug, we finally pulled away from each other. I gave one last sniffle and long look in the mirror before straightening my shoulders and lifting my chin. We walked back into the living room, where she picked up her purse and slung it over her shoulder. I opened the door for her as she exited. “Okay, bestie. Wish me luck!” I called out to her. Tori stopped a few feet down the hallway and gave me a once-over.

“I don’t need to hun. You’ve got this.” With those last words, she was gone, and I shut the door. I stood there staring for a long minute as my nerves began to get in the way again. Before I could spiral out of control, there was a knock on the door. For a brief moment, I considered not opening it. But, even though Iwas scared of losing Colton, the thought of not even trying was terrifying.

With one last deep breath, I turned the knob and pulled the door open, only to lose all the air I had just taken into my lungs. Colton looked amazing in his uniform, but in a button-down gray shirt with the top button undone and his sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms, I was close to swooning.

“Hey,” I breathed out as I took him in. He didn’t answer right away, and the continued silence had me looking down at myself to check for anything that might be out of place. When I lifted my head to nervously ask him if there was something wrong, I gasped. There was a fire burning in his eyes that told me he wasn’t finding a single thing wrong with my appearance. For a second, I thought he was going to pounce on me. He almost looked feral as he took me in from head to toe. Then his jaw flexed, and he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he didn’t look any less appreciative of my appearance, but he had managed to gain control enough to offer me a beautiful, dimpled smile.

“You look stunning, sweetheart. I can’t wait to spend time with you on our date tonight.”

I smoothed my hands down my thighs and gave out a nervous laugh. “Are you sure?” My question had so much more to do with his words. I hated that I needed reassurance that he was over Katy.

He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in close to his body. He rested his forehead against mine while looking into my eyes. “Sweetheart, I wish I could tell you how sure I am that I want to be with you and only you. But I’ll make sure I show you with every action until you no longer have any doubts. Okay?”

I swallowed hard at the sincerity that laced every word. “Okay, Colton.”

“Good.” He lifted his head but placed a kiss on my forehead before stepping back. “Now let’s go. I’m finding it hard to stop myself from kicking this door shut and locking us inside until morning.”

With my heart thumping out an erratic rhythm, I reached over for my purse and joined him in the hall.

Chapter Eight

BRAYLIN

We pulled into the parking lot of the nicest steakhouse in our small town, and I couldn’t help but stare at the doors where the light was spilling out onto the concrete. It was a big step to be going out in public on a date with the town’s golden boy. Well, that wasn’t really true. Not anymore. Every year, a new person stepped into the spotlight. There was always someone who shown brightest of the bunch, the one with the big future who had succeeded ahead of their peers. Colton just happened to be one of those in the past who had shone a little brighter than most. And when someone had thought of him, his girlfriend was never far behind.

Colton and Katy had been the couple that everyone just knew were going to stay together forever. They were the high school sweethearts who stole everyone’s hearts and had them cheering the couple on. I couldn’t deny that I was a nervous wreck to be showing up on his arm instead of her. I was scared to death that the town would look at me as if I were the other woman, the homewrecker, the wrong woman for him.

My door opened beside me, making me startle. “Are you coming?” Colton asked, smiling down at me with his twinkling blue eyes and his big hand outstretched for mine. I took another look at the doors, then decided that I could take whatever the town threw at me, as long as Colton was by my side. I unbuckled and slid my hand into his, that now familiar feeling in my belly.

“Are you okay?” Colton was looking down at me with concern in his eyes as we walked side by side to the entrance. His hand was still firmly holding mine as if he didn’t want to let me go. I nodded and pasted a smile on my face. He surprised me by stopping just a few feet from the door that was now being held by the hostess waiting to greet us.

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