I wipe the cream Kade smeared onto my cheek off in the washroom downstairs. My makeup has melted from the summer heat today, and a sheen of sweat coats my face, making it glisten.
When I step out into the hallway, Mom is waiting for me there, still in her wedding dress, her eyes dried but stained with mascara smudges.
"I hope you're happy," she says.
I cross my arms. "Don't blame me for what you kept from Hale."
She sighs then, almost as if she's disappointed in herself. "Hale was thinking of adopting Grayson, did you know that?" She raises her eyebrows at me, her voice weak.
"No," I say, shaking my head. As if this is any moment to bring that up.
She leans into the wall behind her. "I was so worried that he wouldn't marry me because of what was going on between you and Grayson."
My eyes widen with surprise. "That's what you were worried about? Not the lie that would eventually come out?"
A tear slides down her cheek. Normally it would hurt to see my mom cry, but right now I don't feel a thing. "It wasn't a lie."
I almost want to roll my eyes. "You kept something major from him and would have let him marry you without telling him. In my books, that's certainly a lie."
Her one tear turns into two, then three, then four. She swallows before she speaks again. "It's enough to lose the man you love once. I couldn't bear to have that happen a second time."
A twinge of sadness travels to my heart. And maybe some pity. Because I know it now. I know exactly how she feels. Liam made me love him. Sure, it was all some sick game to him. But what I felt was real.
"Have you tried talking to him?"
She shakes her head, wiping her tears. "He doesn't want that right now."
"Give him some time."
Mom sighs loudly, nodding. She doesn't seem to be crying anymore. "Layla ... I love you and Nate so much. I just didn't want to lose you."
"Is that an apology?"
She shrugs then. "I'm not going to apologize for wanting to keep you safe."
I nod. "Okay then. But I hope you know I love Grayson. There isn't anything in this world that could change that." I turn and leave my mom in the silence of the hallway, the dim light flickering as I walk off.
Today has been a roller coaster to say the least. My emotions are all over the place and it doesn't help when I get up to my room and Grayson is waiting there, dressed in that same suit, looking more delicate than ever.
His eyes are soft, his lips pursed as if in thought. He stands there in the centre of my room with his hands in his pockets.
"Hi," I say, the door clicking shut behind me.
"Hey."
The silence engulfs the room like a large blanket putting out a fire. Only the fire remains, deep beneath the surface of my skin. The memory of his soft kisses on my neck rises to the forefront of my brain, unbidden.
The feel of his warm mouth on that delicate spot between my legs makes me want to shudder, replacing itself with an ache all for him.
And, as if he can see these thoughts flashing behind my eyes, he clears his throat and says, "So, earlier. We almost..."
I quickly nod. "Yeah."
He steps toward me, his eyes changing. "Layla, I wanted you from the first day I officially met you."
I want him to go on. "Really?"
He licks his lips and nods. "You showed up with Macy and I instantly recognized you as that girl in the office. But god, Layla. You looked so different. So beautiful."
He stands before me, his sweet familiar scent making me feel warm and hungry all at the same time. I hold my breath.
"What did you think of me?" He asks, looking down at me with a similar look in his eyes, his tone vulnerable.
I reach for his hand, and he sucks in a breath at the contact. "I thought you were attractive ... I thought about your hands," I whisper, tracing his veins with my pointer finger as I lay his hand over my palm. "And what they would feel like on me."
His breath catches.
"And then I saw your lips." I look up at him through my eyelashes, he narrows his eyes back at me with lust. "And I wondered what they'd feel like on me too."
His hand travels through my hair, resting behind my neck. "What else?" His voice is hoarse, and I'm incredibly turned on by it.
"And then I felt guilty. Because I knew exactly who you were and yet ..."
His grip tightens slightly, causing my heart to flutter. "And yet what, Layla?"
"I still wanted you. I didn't care who you were or what you had done. It was like you had electrified me."
He smirks, his thumb sliding under my chin, forcing me to look at him. "I always knew you were a bad girl, Layla Harrington."
I slide my bottom lip between my teeth, wondering where this side of me is emerging from. "Only for you, Gray," I say, giving him the eyes.
"Fuck," he sighs, looking exactly like the bad boys I was warned about growing up. But Grayson Wallace is not bad. He's good, down to his core. That's why I love him.
"Tell me you love me again," he requests so softly, his cheeks an unbelievable shade of pink.
"I love you, Grayson."
His mouth meets mine with passion, warm and intoxicating. He kisses me for a long time before breaking away. In that moment his dark eyes have more light in them than I've ever seen before.
His mouth curves slightly. "I love you too, baby."
Tears well in my eyes. I didn't think I'd ever hear him say those words to me. I thought I had ruined it for good.
He sweeps me up in his arms, my own encircling his neck as nestle my face into the soft material of his suit jacket.
"So what are you doing here?" I ask, giggling as he places me down onto the bed.
"Didn't I tell you I would be pissed if you didn't let me take this dress off of you?" He asks, hovering over me, the chain slipping out from under his shirt.
I reach up and grab it, the metal shimmering under my bright white light. Then I use it to pull him down onto my lips.
And then I have one of the best nights I've ever had in my whole life. Grayson Wallace is extremely skilled in everything he does.
And now he's mine. All mine.
— — —
"Good morning, Layla."
My eyes fly open. My dad is standing there, looking down at me. Dad?!
Grayson is still next to me, sound asleep, naked. His torso is bare and uncovered. And instead of waking up and studying every curve of his body after the magical night we just had, I have to leap up out of bed.
"Did you knock?" I whisper-ask, grabbing my robe from my closet and throwing it on. Thank god I had the sense to put some clothes on before crashing last night. Thank god.
"Well, many times. Your mom told me to go on ahead. Who is that in your bed by the way?"
I give my dad a glare and gesture toward the door. Thankfully he follows me out, softly clicking the door shut behind him with an uncomfortable expression.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know you had company." He apologizes, raising his hands in surrender.
I sigh and walk toward the family room. "It's fine. That's Grayson, by the way. Hale's nephew."
My dad's eyebrows fly up in surprise, standing in front of the couch. "What is he doing in your bed?"
I clear my throat and shift on my feet, drawing the sides of my robe closer together. "He's my boyfriend."
My dad frowns. "Oh."
I roll my eyes. "Spare me the lecture, I've had enough of those. What are you even doing here, Dad?"
He tucks his hands into the pocket of his old Levi's. I'm pretty sure he's had those since I was a kid. "I flew in this morning. Layla, I really tried to be here yesterday but there was a flight delay and there was nothing that I could do but I hope you know I really tried."
I sit down on the couch. "Well ... maybe that's a good thing. The wedding was a shit show. But Nate got married to Grace instead, did you hear?"
He nods. "Yes, and I congratulated them already." He pauses then. "I'm so sorry, Layla. I should have told you about my engagement. I just didn't know how you'd take it."
If there's one thing about my dad, it's that he knows how to come up with excuses.
"It's fine, Dad. I'm happy for you."
You're moving on. So am I.
He smiles slightly, the corners of his mouth wrinkling. "Okay. Do you want to do anything while I'm here? Maybe go see a movie like old times? Maybe you could bring your boyfriend along too?"
I'm never going to have the same relationship with my dad ever again. And I'm starting to realize that that's okay. But I also don't have to shut him out completely.
I can try to create something new with him. Something with less expectations.
"Yeah ... I'd like that."
Me and my dad chat for a while, then he veers off with Nate to chat about the honeymoon. I head back to my room, happy. I open to door to find Grayson sitting at the edge of my bed, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
"Good morning, sleepy head," I smile, shutting my door.
He looks up at me and smiles back. "You left me. I felt like a whore when I woke up and you weren't there by my side."
I bark out a laugh and walk toward him. "That's because you are a whore."
He pulls me down onto his lap, tickling me.
"Okay ... okay ... I take it back," I say between uncontrollable giggles. He stops, looking at me with sleepy eyes and bed hair. He looks adorable.
I slip my hands into his soft waves. "I'm sorry, my dad woke me up. He wanted to see me and talk."
Grayson slides a warm hand over my lower back then down to my hip, pulling me closer to him. "He's here?"
I nod, placing a hand on his chest.
His other warm hand slides up my bare thigh and I almost shudder. "Are you okay?"
I narrow my eyes and smile at him. "As long as you love me, I'm more than okay."
He closes the gap between us and kisses me slow. "I'll always love you, baby. I can't imagine loving anyone or anything else."
I let my hand travel across his bare shoulder. "I'll always love you too. More than anything."
A knock on the door startles us both. "Breakfast lovebirds!" Kade yells, I can hear Iris giggling on the other end.
Grayson and I look at each other, then break out into laughter.
-
I'm so sorry for the late update, what the heck. I will probably write one or two more chapters before this book ends. Thank you guys sooo much for reading and all the love, it seriously means the world to me. Enjoy this chapter it's so cute!! Please don't forget to vote and comment if you're enjoying. Thank you!!