Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Grayson chuckled. “Give us a minute. I want to hold you.”
She wanted him to hold her as well. Lying back, she nestled into the crook of his neck and slung her leg over his, grazing his slacked penis. The simple touch caused him to flinch.
“Uh-oh.”
“What’s ‘uh-oh’?”
“Seems like I’m about ready for a repeat and longer performance.”
“I guess we’ll have to wait until we get back.” To remind him of what he’d started, she took him in her hand and stroked him. “We can do a little of this when we get back, but just remember, I’m not the one who forgot about the reservation when you started taking my clothes off.”
Grayson groaned into the pillow. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
They cleaned up, re-dressed, and made it outside to where a limo idled. “That’s our ride,” Grayson said. “I’m surprised he stayed.”
“Grayson!”
He ran his hand through his hair and greeted the driver. “Thanks for waiting.”
“No problem.”
Grayson followed Reid into the back seat. He reached for a waiting bottle of champagne, popped the cork, and poured each of them a flute. “To us,” he said as he tapped his glass to hers. “I love you, Sully.”
“I love you, Grayson.”
The entire time she drank, he never took his eyes off her. When she pulled the flute away, he leaned down and kissed her. “I’m so damn happy.”
“Me too.”
She held out her hand, admiring her ring. “It’s beautiful, Grayson.”
“Does it look familiar?”
Reid’s brows furrowed as she pulled her hand closer, inspecting her ring. “Uh, I’m not sure. But I think . . . Is it?”
Grayson nodded. “Reid, I asked your father for your hand in marriage before I even went to look for a ring. I thought we’d look together—at least that’s what Pearce says people do now. However, when I was with your dad, he handed me your mom’s ring. As soon as I opened the box, I knew that was the ring for you.”
Reid cupped his cheek and pulled him toward her. “I love it so much. You have no idea.” When she pulled back, she felt wetness on her cheeks.
“Don’t cry,” he said as he wiped her tears away.
“These are happy tears.”
“Yeah? That’s good, then.”
They pulled in front of the Italian bistro where Grayson and Reid had danced on their first date. He guided her inside and toward the back where their table was, along with the small gathering he had arranged with their friends and family.
Reid went right to her father and hugged him. “Thank you, Dad.”
“Anything for you,” he said as he held her tightly. When they parted, she showed him the ring and then hugged him again when he teared up.
After she and Grayson had greeted everyone, they sat down to a nice dinner, followed by dessert and dancing. And when they got home, exhausted, Reid made good on her promise. As did Grayson.
EIGHTEEN
NADIA
Halloween was Rafe’s thing. He’d loved dressing up with the girls, taking them trick-or-treating, and being the neighborly face everyone on their block loved seeing. It never failed: he would end up with more than his own kids as they walked the sidewalks of their neighborhood, and he never cared. Nadia used to go with him and the girls when Lynnea was still in a stroller, but once she was determined to walk, climb stairs too high for her little legs, and carry her own heavy bag of candy, Nadia stayed home and handed out candy to the kids who came to their door.
Once the first of October was upon them, Rafe would decorate the house, adding orange and purple lights to the eaves and around the columns and spindles on their wide farmer’s porch, and he’d always put up fake cobwebs, even though Nadia hated them. Without fail, insects thought they had a new home, and by November 1, she was ready to use a blowtorch to get the webs down. Rafe would spend hours, if not days, making fake corpses who would sit in the two rocking chairs on their porch. The year he added the spooky-sounding doormat almost did her in.
Rafe’s favorite holiday, aside from Christmas, was a week away, and Nadia hadn’t bought the girls costumes. She hadn’t even bought candy to hand out. Nor had she put up a single decoration. As she looked around her at her neighbors’ houses, she realized how much she missed the decorations.
The girls piled into the car. Once everyone was buckled in, Nadia drove them to the strip mall where the Halloween pop-up store was. This was part of the therapy Nadia had been going to once a week. Her therapist wanted her to start living the life she and the girls were accustomed to. Something more than being at school.
Inside the store, Nadia pushed a cart and told the girls they needed to hold on to the side. In her head, she begged them not to let go. She feared one of them would run off and she wouldn’t be able to find them, which would trigger a panic attack. When she sat in therapy, she tried to convince herself her fear was irrational and that living in fear wasn’t the way to live. It was easy to say those things aloud, but to actually shut your mind off to the notion was near impossible.