Page 25 of Defend Her Heart

“I won’t let go. I promise. You go first and you squeeze this hand as hard as you need to. I’ll follow right behind you and make sure you don’t fall. I won’t let anything happen to you, Aves.”

She takes a deep breath in through her nose before releasing it slowly.

“Promise you won’t let go?”

“I promise.”

Avery releases her left hand from mine and makes her way to the staircase. Her other hand is gripping mine so tight, I won’t be surprised if they’re bruised in the morning. I ignore the twinge of pain there and follow her as she slowly ascends the stairs, grabbing my phone on the way.

We stop twice on our way up to the top of the clock tower, but after a few minutes, we finally reach the platform at the top.

As soon as I take my first step, I’m grabbing Avery and spinning around with her in my arms.

“You did it! I’m so proud of you.”

Setting her back down on her feet, her hands slide down my arms and she grips my biceps.

“Oh my god, Ididdo it, didn’t I? I couldn’t have done it without you!”

Before I can brace myself, Avery is reaching up onto her tiptoes and kissing my cheek. Warmth blooms in my chest and I have the urge to crush her mouth to mine. But before I can do anything like that, Avery gasps.

“Wow. It’s absolutely gorgeous up here.”

She’s peering around me at the little windows that surround the top of the tower. There’s not much room here, my head nearly skimming the ceiling.

“Just wait. You haven’t seen anything yet.”

Avery’s eyes move back up to mine, that cute little dimple of hers permanently in place now as she smiles wide up at me. I grab her hand and lead her to the opposite side of the platform. She watches me as I reach up and unlatch a small trapdoor from the ceiling of the tower.

“Up you go, Aves.” I clasp my hands in front of me and drop to one knee ready to give her a boost.

“You’re serious?”

I pat my knee twice before putting my hands back together. “As serious as a heart attack.”

With the light of the moon shining through the small windows, I’m able to see her roll her eyes at me. She reaches out and places one hand on my shoulder. But before she steps up, she looks down at me. “That was totally a joke my dad would make.”

I ignore the pang in my heart at the mention of her dad. Not wanting to give her any hints of my daddy issues, I chuckle and plaster on a fake smile. “Your dad sounds cool.”

Avery shakes her head then puts one foot on my knee, the other in my clasped hands, and I give her a boost up. She pushes herself up through the door. Not wanting to miss a second of her reaction, I grip the sides of the opening with both my hands and push myself up after her.

My hand finds hers on instinct, and the moment we touch, her eyes shoot to mine.

“This is incredible,” she says in awe.

The view from up here is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Being three stories up, above most of the buildings on campus, you can see for miles. The lake surrounding our school reflects the moon and stars that glow above us. Since school isn’t in session yet, there’s not much light pollution, and being so far north in Minnesota, there’s one more thing I want to show her.

I look up to ensure my next surprise is there. Fighting a smile, I pull Avery to me. Her hands grip my upper arms and I rest mine gently, just above her hips.

“Are you ready for the best part?”

She nods enthusiastically, the battle I was fighting to hide my smile lost.

“Look up.”

At the same time, we both tilt our heads back, staring at the green sky above us. It was pure luck when I got the newsalert that the Northern Lights would be on display tonight. And boy, am I feeling like the luckiest guy alive right now.

Avery’s hold on my arms tightens, causing my attention to move back down to her. I watch her take in the incredible view, the green of the sky mirroring the beautiful eyes I could so easily get lost in.