Protecting You: A Small Town Romance Origin Story (The Bailey Brothers Book 1) by Claire Kingsley

Author:Claire Kingsley [Kingsley, Claire]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Always Have, LLC
Published: 2020-05-20T23:00:00+00:00

9

Grace

Standing in front of the full-length mirror in the bathroom, I smoothed my dress over my hips. My college-student wardrobe didn’t have much to offer in the way of date attire, so I’d gone into town and splurged on a new dress. It was black with thin straps and a straight neckline. A layer of sheer fabric on the outside added detail to the otherwise simple design. And I was showing a hell of a lot of leg. It was just long enough that I could sit down—but only just.

It was elegant and sophisticated—and different from anything I’d ever worn before.

I’d paired it with wedge-heeled sandals and painted my toenails bright red. My blond hair was down around my shoulders and I’d taken a gamble on some bold red lipstick.

I hardly recognized the woman staring back at me.

The doorbell rang, followed by Eli’s feet thundering down the stairs. My heart fluttered. I’d never been so nervous in my entire life. Which seemed so silly. I didn’t need to be worried about making a good impression, or whether we’d have anything to talk about. It was Asher.

But… it was Asher.

With a deep breath, I went downstairs to meet him for our first date.

He stood with Elijah and my mom just inside the front door, dressed in a button-down shirt with the sleeves cuffed and a pair of slacks. His gaze lifted to mine and a slow smile spread across his face. The same smile he’d given me last night—the one that shone from deep inside him, making my breath catch.

I was peripherally aware that my mom was smiling too. My brother stared at me like a stranger was walking down the stairs in his house.

“Why are your lips so red?” Eli asked.

“She’s wearing lipstick,” Mom answered.

“Why?”

Asher stepped forward, his eyes still locked on me. I let Mom field Eli’s questions. I couldn’t concentrate on anything but the man in front of me.

This wasn’t just a date, any more than last night had been just a kiss. It felt like every road we’d taken had been leading us here, even when neither of us had known it. That he and I were as inevitable as the sunrise.

Before last night, I wouldn’t have believed it. But the fact that the last twenty-four hours had changed the course of my entire life didn’t seem the least bit strange. It wasn’t rushed or shortsighted or reckless. It was right.

I was going to marry Asher Bailey someday.

Did he know it too? Was that what I could see in his eyes? We smiled at each other like we shared a secret. And maybe we did. Maybe that was our magic. We knew.

“You look beautiful.” The hint of awe in his voice made my cheeks warm.

“Thank you.”

He held his arm out for me and I tucked my hand in the crook of his elbow. “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

“Have fun, you two,” Mom said with a little wave.

We said goodbye amid Elijah’s continued stream of questions. Asher led me out to his car and opened the door for me.

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