club might not be the best topic of discussion tonight.
“Words that are no longer allowed to be repeated for the rest of the night,” I said quickly. I prayed she wouldn’t start crying again.
Avery slowly let the air out of her lungs and then put down the hair drier. As she brushed her hair into place, I had a strong urge to touch it. Then she coated her lips with a light layer of shiny pink gloss that smelled delicious, and I was the one sucking in a breath. My mouth had suddenly gone dry.
“Okay, I’m ready.”
She turned and looked up at me as if wondering what my problem was. Hell if I knew. We shared one small moment of intimacy, and suddenly the girl had my insides turning to mush. She had no idea how close I was to kissing her right then.
“Uh, Grayson?”
“Hmm?”
I pulled my head out of my butt just in time to watch Avery’s cheeks get all pink again. Man she was cute like that. “Right. Sorry. Okay. So prepare yourself. Everyone’s downstairs, and it’s going to be awkward as hell until we can get out the door. Think you can make it?”
She hesitated but then nodded. The action was quick and jerky like a little bit of the panic she felt earlier was creeping back in.
I forced her to keep her eyes focused on me. “Hey. I’m right here. If you need to, just keep your head down and let me do all the talking.”
I took her hand when it became apparent that her feet wouldn’t start walking on their own. Her fingers automatically curled around mine. She was starting to tremble, so I hurried her downstairs before she had any more time to work herself into another panic attack. I dragged her straight over to the front door, grabbed her coat off the hook, and held it out for her to slip her arms into.
“Where are you guys off to?” my dad asked, being the first one to notice us.
Heads turned our direction and the air in the room turned thick and heavy. I felt the stares every bit as much as Avery did, but I didn’t pause in my efforts to bundle her up. I zipped her coat, then reached for her hat and scarf.
“We’re just going to go walk around town for a bit, grab some hot cocoa, and maybe head over to the resort in time to catch the fireworks.”
Scarf now securely in place, I plopped Avery’s hat on her head. Our eyes met and I whispered, “We’re almost free. You’re doing great.” I was shocked when I received a small smile from her.
Avery put on her gloves, while I grabbed my own coat. As I quickly shoved my hat on my head, Aiden finally opened his big, stupid mouth. “You’re taking out Avery?”
My jaw clenched. I knew it was too much to hope to just get out of there without anyone saying anything. The fact that it was Aiden bringing it up, along with the incredulity in his voice that made it sound as if Avery wasn’t good enough to be my date for the evening, pissed me off way more than I’d expected it would.
I felt insanely protective of Avery all a sudden. Instead of just walking out the door like I probably should have, I turned around and gave my brother a defiant look. “Is that a problem?”
Aiden’s eyes narrowed on me. “It’s just out of character. He flicked his gaze to Avery. “For both of you.”
As if he could talk about acting out of character. My hands clenched into fists, matching the tension in my jaw. “You’re the one who told her she needed to start hanging out with other people, and since when is it out of character for me to want to spend the evening with a beautiful girl?”
Aiden’s face flashed with pure rage, but I stared him down. If he tried to argue that statement in any way, I was going to lay him out.
I must have been pretty obvious because the adults all chose that exact moment to intervene.
“Be back by twelve thirty.”
“You haven’t had dinner yet!”
“Take your cell phones!”
I sputtered as I tried to figure out what everyone just said. “We’ll get some dinner while we’re out, Kaitlin. And Dad, come on. It’s New Year’s Eve. One o’clock.”
My dad rolled his eyes. “One,” he agreed grudgingly. “But only because it’s Avery, and I trust her to keep you out of trouble.”
Normally I