Promised (The Promised Series)

meets my eyes as she walks around the car and slides into the passenger seat. The smile on her face is worth me acting like a love sick fool.
    “Thank you, kind sir.” She says around her widening smile.
    “My pleasure.” I wink at her and then shut the car door.
    I slip into the driver’s seat and start the car. I hesitate for a moment and then, before I can change my mind, I turn around in my seat and grab the small Tupperware container off the back seat. I hand it to Wyn. Then I shift the car into gear and head us towards our destination.
    Out of the corner of my eye, I see her look between the container and me several times before she finally removes the lid. She pulls out the perfectly decorated sprinkle cupcake. She sucks in her bottom lip in an attempt to try to hide her adorably wide smile.
    “You brought me a sprinkle cupcake.” She states as she turns to me.
    “A sprinkle cupcake with sprinkles in the icing. That should get me a couple bonus points because everyone knows that the only way to best a sprinkle cupcake is by topping it with icing with sprinkles.” I inform her.
    “A man after my own heart.” She jokes as she swipes her index finger through the icing and pops it into her mouth. She realizes what she insinuated and then she turns to me and mumbles. “Um, I didn’t mean it. Well, you know. I don’t think you’re trying to…”
    “It’s ok, Wyn. I know you’re joking.” I reassure her.
    “Thank goodness.” She lets out a sigh and then turns her attention back to her cupcake.
    “Wyn, I think we should have a full disclosure.” I tell her as I pull the car into a parking spot outside the children’s center. I put it in park, take off my seat belt, and turn sideways in my seat so I’m facing her.
    She mimics my action so we’re sitting face to face a foot apart. She puts the lid back on the Tupperware container and asks. “What are we disclosing?”
    “Well, it’s more me disclosing than you. Unless you have something to add.” I rattle on.
    “Linc, spit it out.”
    “Wyn, I’m after your heart.”
    “You don’t know me. I don’t know you. There are my brothers and my parents. Dog gone it, Linc! We can’t do this.” She turns away from me and rushes out of the car.
    I move to follow her and catch her at the back of the car.
    “We can do this, Wyn. I can go to your father and talk to him. Or if you prefer, we’ll keep this secret, but I want to spend time with you.” I plead with her.
    “Linc, there are things in my life that you can’t understand and this…” She waves her hand back and forth between the two of us. “Will never be able to work out.”
    “You can’t know that. You’re not even giving us a chance.” I cross my arms.
    She throws up her arms. “You want to know how this will go if I give in?”
    “Yeah, since apparently you’re a psychic, tell me how this will go, Wyn.”
    “Say my family doesn’t find out, which is highly unlikely. And say if they do find out and they don’t hurt you. And Linc, those are two huge obstacles to overcome right off the bat. Well, say we overcome those, then what?” She runs her hands through her hair before she continues. “We’ll spend a few weeks, a few months if we’re lucky, together. But it won’t last after that, Linc. It’ll be over and we’ll be left with what? Nothing.”
    “You’re wrong, Wyn. We’ll have the memories and I’d rather have those than nothing.” I want to reach out and grab her. I want to hold her in my arms, but I know she has boundaries that I’m not use to and I can’t cross them. I’m afraid to even hold her hand, that it might cross some unseen line.
    “I’m not sure I can handle the memories. Because if you give me everything I think you can and things turn out the way I know they will, I won’t be able to handle them. Knowing I had you and I had to let you go. I can’t do that, Linc.” There’s a quiver in her voice and I have to shove my hands in my pockets to keep from reaching out for her.
    “You won’t have to let me go.”
    “Yes, I will.”
    “The only way I’m going anywhere is if you decide you don’t want me around.” I promise her.
    “It won’t be me who pushes you away.”
    “Well, I can promise I won’t push you away. I want to be with you, Wyn.”
    “I’m promised, Linc.” As the words leave her lips, I watch the tears begin to escape her eyes.
    “Explain please.” I have a feeling I know what it means, but I need to hear