Promised (The Promised Series)

cupcake. Ok, not any cupcake. I wish I could be Linc’s cupcake!
    “Are you full?” Linc asks, drawing my eyes from his lips.
    “What?”
    “You haven’t touched your cupcake.” He states, trying to hide his grin. He so caught me ogling his lips.
    Real smooth, Wyn, real freaking smooth!
    I grab my cupcake and take my first bite to hide my embarrassment. As the sugary sweetness hits my taste buds, I let out a soft moan. “Oh my…….that’s so good. Did you make these or did you pick them up in heaven?”
    “I’ll forward your compliments to my mom.” He says chuckling.
    “I do believe you gave away one of your secrets, Mr. Tatman.” I grin around another bite of my dessert.
    “And what secret did I give away?”
    “Your mother fixed our dinner.” I say after swallowing another bite.
    “Oh, I guess I did. I had to enlist her help or we’d be having frozen burritos and store bought cookies.” He explains as he picks up his apple cider to take a drink.
    “You can give her my thanks. This was a perfect meal.” And a perfect night, but instead of saying that, I sit my now empty cupcake wrapper back on my plate and check out my fingers to make sure I didn’t miss any stray icing.
    “I’m glad you liked it. She’ll be happy to hear it too.” He sets his glass down, picks up our dirty dessert plates, and carries them to the kitchen. On his way back in, he stops and turns on the stereo. The piano starts the song and then slowly, Adele’s voice fills the room singing the opening lines of “Make You Feel My Love”.
    Standing in front of me, Linc holds out his hand. “Will you dance with me?”
    I nod and take his hand. As soon as my feet are under me, he pulls me tight against him. My arms slide around his neck as his circle around my back. We sway together with our eyes locked, but by the second verse, my head is on his shoulder and he’s singing the words in my ear. And I know he chose this song on purpose. The words are his plea and promise to me wrapped up in one heart wrenching song. When he whispers the line “I know you haven’t made your mind up yet”, I want to tell him I have, because I know everything he’s trying to tell me with this song is the truth. He’d do anything to make me feel his love.
    It’s not that simple and we both know it. But tonight, I’m going to force myself to forget the barrier keeping us apart so I can enjoy the memory he’s creating for us. Adele sings the last two lines and the song fades out. I pull my head from his shoulder so I can look into his eyes.
    “I love you, Linc.” I quietly confess.
    He searches my face and then his voice is full of hope as he whispers. “I love you too, Wyn.”
    A loud boom breaks through the silence, causing me to jump. Linc chuckle as he guides me to the glass wall. He points at the sky above the tree line and says, “And that’s our final surprise of the night.”
    “How?” I ask, admiring the firework display lighting up the sky.
    “There’s a resort on the other side of the mountain. They always set off fireworks for the New Year.”
    I turn my attention back to him and ask shocked. “It’s after midnight?” The night has gone by way to fast, but it always does when you’re with someone you love.
    He looks down at his watch and then back at me. “It’s 12:01.”
    I circle my arms around his waist and press my lips to his. Pulling back to look into his eyes, I smile and say. “Happy New Year.”
    “Happy New Year, Wyn.” He whispers against my forehead before placing a kiss there. Circling his arms around my back, he holds me tight as we watch the rest of the fireworks light up the night sky.

January
Chapter 11 – Linc
    ~Kiss You Myself~
    “What would you really like to do after school?” Wyn and I are sitting with our backs to the arms of the couch, feet on the cushion between us, facing each other. A large afghan is thrown over our legs. We lost our shoes not long after Wyn helped me clean up the dishes from dinner. I told her she didn’t have to help, but she insisted and I, of course, gave in. I can’t deny her. She could ask for the moon and I’d work till the day I die trying to invent something to get it for her.
    “I wish I could go to nursing school.” She replies, rubbing her cold feet against mine. She does it every time I ask her a question, like she needs to warm them or she can’t think straight. But I haven’t said a word about it because I’m enjoying this tiny way