A Ruthless Game | Grayson Hawthorne x reader

The Epilogue

The early morning sun shone through the sheer curtains in Grayson's bedroom, waking me up. I rolled over expecting Grayson to be asleep still, but instead he was looking at me.

     "Creep," I teased him.

     "Morning, gorgeous," he smiled.

     "Good morning," I yawned.

     Every night since Grayson was discharged from the hospital, I'd been sleeping in his bed. Shared trauma brings people together, I guess.

"Come on, let's go," I said getting out of bed. "I have a surprise for you today," I smiled.

"Can't we just stay here?" he groaned.

I thought for a moment then smiled. "No." I reached over and grabbed his hands, dragging him out of bed. "Stop being so boring. It's your 20th birthday; we're not staying in bed all day."

      He grabbed my waist and pulled me close, then whispered in my ear. "What if I begged?"

"Hmm...cute, but no. Go get ready," I said heading for the bathroom door. "We leave in an hour."

"Wait, where are we going?" he called after.

•  •  •

       An hour later, Grayson met me at the Hawthorne airport. He wore a tailored gray suit that matched his eyes. "You're not gonna need that where we're going," I called over to him.

He stepped closer to me. "Well, I didn't know because you have yet to tell me where you're taking me."

"Get on the plane and you'll find out," I grinned.

• • •

Two hours later, our plane landed.

"Colorado?" Grayson sounded from the seat next to me.

"Skiing," I said.

"How'd you know?"

"I have my ways," I smiled.

"Oren drove us up to cabin at the top of the mountain. Apparently, I owned the cabin, slopes, and lodge down at the bottom of the slope.

      Cabin was a very unfitting word for the house that awaited us at the top of the slope. It was two stories high and made of wood with stone accents. If I'd never been to Hawthorne House, I would have considered this cabin a mansion, but it seemed small in comparison.

       Grayson and I got out the car and stood on a plowed pathway outside the house while someone grabbed our bags.

      "We'll have this whole place to ourselves for the whole weekend," I whispered in his ear.

       "Is that so?" he grinned.

•  •  •

It was around 2 p.m. by the time we hit the slopes. I stood at the top of the trail in my heavy ski suit then felt a queasy feeling in my stomach.

      "I've never skied before," I turned to Grayson.

      "I'll teach you," Grayson said next to me.

How does this man make everything sound so attractive?

     "We'll start on an easy trail," he explained. I wobbled in my skis. Grayson gently grabbed my wrist with his left hand and placed his right hand in the small of my back. "I've got you. Just relax."

      "Bend your knees," Grayson said softly. He gave me a slight push, and I slowly descended down the trail. "Good. Now show me your stop."

      "How?" I panicked.

      "Point your skis inward," he called after me. But it was too late. I tripped over my own ski and fell in the hard snow, landing on my still healing shoulder. "Y/n!" Grayson raced to my side on his skis. "Y/n, are you alright?" He knelt down beside me.

      "Maybe we should take a break from skiing," I winced.

•  •  •

Grayson and I watched the sun set together on one of the cabin's many balconies. His arm was wrapped around me as we stood next each other by the railing. I wished that this moment could last forever. For the first time in the few weeks that I had been at Hawthorne House, everything finally felt right.

And I was happy.

I looked at Grayson, who stepped away from the railing and held out his hand to me.

"Dance with me," he ordered.

      I looked at him doubtfully. "What are you doing?" I laughed.

      "Dance with me," Grayson repeated.

I reached out and took his hand. He pulled me close. His one hand clutched mine while his other fit perfectly into the small of my back. I rested my head on his shoulder. We danced softly in the cool, crisp night.

"Thank you for doing all this for me," he said.

"Happy Birthday, Blondie," I smiled up at him.

Grayson bent his head down close to mine. Our lips brushed against each other. I could feel his warm breath against my skin. Even since I arrived at Hawthorne House, I wasn't accepted by anyone in the family, but in that moment, I never wanted anything more. And finally, I was. . .