G R A Y S O N

"If you hit my pregnant fiancé with that football, I will end you, Everett."

I chuckled, not even bothering to look in Bren's direction. He was definitely glaring at me over the top of the grill. I knew he was, and I didn't need to look over to see it.

And for fuck's sake, I wasn't going to hit Madie. She was standing at least ten feet away from Beau—my passing target.

Lobbing the football into the air, I rolled my eyes. "You do know that I was just signed to play for the pros, right? Like my aim is pretty good, Hadaway."

Bren's harsh laugh cut across the backyard. My backyard. Our backyard. Nessa and I had just signed a lease on this cute little rambler in LA. And the backyard was probably the best part—a patio, a grill, a home garden, and little fairy lights hanging on some bits of lattice. Yeah, it was pretty great.

"I've been to enough of your games over the years to know something, Mr. Big Shot," Bren called.

"Yeah? What's that?"

"You don't throw the balls. You catch them."

God, he was irritating. And also right.

"I can still throw a ball better than you can."

"I—"

"I'm going to jump in front of that football myself if the two of you don't stop," Madie yelled, a flash of anger whipping across her face as she glared at Bren.

Beau's eyes snapped open, and he held onto the football, sheltering it beneath his arm like he was afraid to toss it in case Madie really did jump into harm's way.

But she wouldn't. As quick as it came, her irritation vanished, and she was walking over to Bren, who had zipped his lips real fast. His eyes simmered as she approached, though. And as soon as she was within reach, he dropped the spatula he was using to flip burgers and wrapped his arms around her from behind, hands spreading over her baby bump as he murmured something in her ear. She smiled. Giggled. And just like that, everything was right in the world again.

The rattling of a gate drew my attention toward the house.

There she was.

My number one cheerleader, my best friend, my everything.

She'd cut her hair recently, and it was about shoulder length now, all spunky, like her. She currently had it sectioned off into little pigtails that I had the urge to tug on. Today was hot, and it didn't surprise me a single bit that she had on a sleeveless sundress, which was just as cute as her hair. God, I wanted to get under it.

Later.

Nessa cradled a brown paper bag in one arm, and I knew it was the booze she'd run out to get. We couldn't have a backyard barbeque without whiskey and the top-shelf tequila Beau wanted.

I was about to take a step toward her when our new neighbor popped their head over the fence between our yards. Nick? Nate? I couldn't remember his name, but he looked annoyingly eager as he called over to Nessa. I wished I was close enough to hear it.

A whirring sound alerted me to the fact that the football was coming my way again, and I barely got my arms out in time to catch it. Nessa was the only one who could distract me that much, and Beau knew it, spinning around to follow my gaze after tossing the ball.

He chuckled, walking toward me with a shake of his head.

"Dude, you're going to puncture that football if you grip it any harder."

I huffed out a sigh and dropped the football, realizing I was using it like a stress ball.

I didn't need a neighbor who hit on my girlfriend.

"Atta boy. Deep breaths."

"Shut up, Beau," I muttered through a clenched jaw.

Walking between us like a peacekeeper, Madie dropped into one of the patio chairs with a loud, long exhale, drawing my attention away from Nessa and Nick.

"Sorry about Bren," she said, resting her hand on top of her bump. "He's a little...over the top sometimes."

Beau and I stared at her.

"No..." Beau said, sarcasm dripping from the single syllable. "You don't say."

Madie rolled her eyes, ignoring him. "He's been extra protective lately, like insanely protective."

"I'm not really sure what you thought was going to happen, Madie," Beau laughed. "He's got a weird relationship with the word dad, and now he's going to become one. Dude has a lot going on in that complicated brain of his, and keeping you safe is in the middle of it."

Madie's blue eyes grew rounder as she took that in. She blinked once. And then twice.

"You're right," she whispered, looking back over her shoulder at Bren, who was lifting the collar of his shirt up to wipe his brow. "I just don't know how to make him feel better."

"Just let him take care of you. That makes him feel better."

Bren took that moment to look up. He flashed his characteristic tiny grin, that crooked one that was meant for only Madie. I wasn't sure what face she made in return, but it must have been some sort of smile or reassurance because then his grin grew, and he looked away. Almost like he was trying to hide something private.

When Madie turned back around, her cheeks were rosy.

Nessa's laughter caught my attention, and I peeked up at her, chatting away with our neighbor. It wasn't a bright laugh, not her full one. It was a polite laugh. A restrained allowance.

Like Madie, I knew that Nessa sometimes got annoyed with me when I was...overbearing. So I was trying. I really was. I'd planted my feet here, and I hadn't even moved them. I'd been clenching my jaw for the past five minutes, but I hadn't moved. And that was definitely something.

Sighing, I looked back down at Madie, who was now rubbing her stomach absentmindedly.

"How's our little girl doing today?" I asked.

They found out they were having a daughter a few weeks ago, and I swore Bren had almost fainted.

"Some guys don't even get to have one girl, and I'm lucky enough to have two? Fuck," he murmured.

All I could do was clap him on the back, congratulate his lucky ass, and bite down on my jealousy.

Madie smiled. "She's good. Really good."

Beau leaned closer to me, and I nearly gave him the side-eye to figure out what the hell he was doing. But then his low whisper brushed against my ear. "Are you trying to take my godfather spot? Because I will fight you."

I laughed and shook my head. I was still hoping that Nessa would give us a baby—or babies—of our own. Beau could take on the group role of the fun-uncle. That was no problem.

"Do you want your own someday, Beau?"

"What, kids?"

The question seemed to have rattled him.

"Yes, kids."

He shook his head. Adamantly. Like he could shoo the thought away. "Nah, I really don't think so. Not everyone is like you, Grayson.

I shrugged. "I've always liked kids. I mean, I was an education major."

"I like kids," Beau amended. "I just don't think I want kids."

I wanted them. God, I wanted them. I wanted a pregnant wife I could be over-the-top protective of like Bren, and then I wanted little Nessas. But I knew what I needed to do first. Which reminded me.

"Madie, I'm taking Nessa up to San Francisco for a date next weekend."

Suspicion leaked into Madie's gaze. "You're taking her all the way to San Francisco for a date? You do realize you live in LA now, right?"

"I know." I cleared my throat. "You know that gala we went to freshman year?"

"Like anyone could forget." Beau chuckled. "Speaking of, I need to go call Collins. I thought she was supposed to be here by now."

After watching Beau walk away, I turned back to Madie. "Well, I want her to wear the dress she wore that night. Think you could maybe suggest it to her?"

"I can do that." She raised a brow, eyes sparkling. "Should I also ask her if she wants to get a manicure sometime this week?

A manicure? What did that have to do—oh.

"Yes, that would be excellent."

Madie squealed into her hand, his gaze flicking over to Nessa. I looked at her, too, ignoring the butterflies that had somehow snuck into my stomach. It wasn't too hard because they vanished when I saw how Nick was still monopolizing her time. Like seriously, dude. Come on.

"Alright, that's it."

Forging my way across the yard, I tried to reign it in. It being my desire to toss Nessa over my shoulder and haul her away from Nick and his seedy eyes.

N E S S A

Okay, I was done with this conversation.

I knew Nick was just trying to be nice and neighborly but wasn't it obvious that we had company? This conversation about perennials and hedges and fucking house plants could wait until a different time.

Or preferably, it could just go away completely.

Frankly, Nick was pushing his luck. We hadn't lived here very long, so he probably didn't realize who my boyfriend was, but I could tell by the heat on the back of my neck that—

"Oh hey, Nate."

One strong arm wrapped around my middle, tugging me back into a firm chest.

There he was. What the hell took him so long?

"It's Nick," I hissed beneath my breath.

Nick took the mistake in stride, giving Grayson a nod over the top of the fence, his curly blonde hair rustling in the light breeze.

"Hey, man. Grayson, right?"

"Yeah, listen. I need to borrow my wife for a bit. I don't know if you noticed, but we have some guests, and we need to get these drinks poured."

Grayson's husky voice brushed against my ear and down the side of my neck as he plucked the bottles of liquor from my hand. I relaxed a little in relief; they had been getting heavy and—

Wait...wife?

"Oh, yeah," Nick said, already taking a step back from the fence as his eyes darted between the man towering over me and me. "No problem. I'll talk to you...."

I didn't even hear Nick's last words because Grayson was already pulling me toward our new house, which wasn't exactly perfect—we were recent college grads living in LA—but it was perfectly ours.

"I tried," Grayson mumbled, pushing me through the sliding glass doors that led in from the patio. "I really tried not to do that thing where I swoop in and handle a situation that I know you can probably handle by yourself. And I almost made it, but holy hell, he wouldn't shut up. And I'm impatient, Adler."

I laughed. He thought I was going to be upset, but I wasn't. Whenever he swooped in like that, it made me think of the first night we kissed. That fake, toe-curling kiss.

"You called me your wife," I said, giggling as he flipped me around and pressed me against the countertop. "Unless I missed something, I'm not your wife."

Grayson wrinkled his nose. "He doesn't need to know that. He just needs to know that you are off-limits. Indefinitely. There's no end date on this relationship."

Biting down on my lip, I tried to hide my grin. It was hard; my mouth wanted so desperately to curve into a massive smile, and that would just swell Grayson's ego way too much. "You're ridiculous."

"I know." He sighed, leaning closer to trail kisses along my jawline. "But he was talking your ear off." Grayson nipped at my earlobe. "And the only one who is allowed to do that is me. Tonight. And you better believe I won't be talking about plants."

"Oh?" I sucked in a breath. "What will you be talking about, then?"

With a low chuckle, Grayson's hand fell from my waist and snuck beneath my dress instead. His skillful fingers traced patterns on my outer thighs, making me shiver. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yes, I would like to know. I would very much like to know."

"Guess you'll have to stick around to find out."

And with that, Grayson smacked me on the lips with a full, open-mouthed kiss that sent heat hurling through my body. I instantly wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him in closer because I wanted to feel everything. Everything that I could.

Grayson responded with a growl, lifting me by the hips onto the kitchen counter and stepping between my legs. He rubbed against me, giving a taste of what was waiting for me later.

Fuck, I wanted it now, though.

"Let's kick our friends out," I whispered against his lips, and he laughed.

"Patience, Adler."

"Fine," I mumbled. "I guess we should stop."

It was either kick our friends out or stop. Because if we kept going, well...

But Grayson was already dragging his lips down the column of my neck, and I was definitely letting him, arching back to give him better access.

"Ten more seconds," he moaned.

Laughing, I grabbed him by both sides of his face and brought him back up so I could kiss him. Long and hard and breathless.

"Oh, what the hell." The sliding glass door slammed, making both Grayson and I jump. "Don't mind me. Just gonna get these drinks poured since you all are apparently too busy to bother."

Breaking apart with a start, we both turned to look at Beau, who was shielding his eyes with one hand while grabbing the bottles of liquor with the other.

"Here," Grayson said, smiling as he pulled down my dress, so it fully covered my legs again. Stepping away, he grabbed down glasses from the cupboard. "Let me help you."

****

"I can't believe Madie talked me into wearing this. Are you sure this is even appropriate—"

Stopping short at the bottom of the stairs, my lips parted at the sight of Grayson standing by the door. He had on the nicest-fitting, sleekest suit I'd ever seen, and all I wanted at that moment was to go back upstairs and recreate the first night we slept together. When I got to watch him peel off his clothes one article at a time.

"Shit, you're gorgeous."

Grayson was oblivious to my dirty thoughts, and apparently, he was having some of his own. His eyes traveled up and down my dress—the deep red one from freshman year that I'd never allowed myself to get rid of.

"I have memories of that dress," he said, his voice raspy, "and they're all infuriatingly good ones."

That was why. That was why I'd never been able to get rid of it.

"Infuriatingly?"

"Do you remember that night?" Grayson took one massive step toward me. "Do you remember how much of a tease it was? Do you remember how I unzipped this dress in my dorm room and then had to back away and watch it slip off your shoulders? Without touching you? Torture, Wednesday. That was torture."

I clucked my tongue. "You deserve some kind of medal, huh?"

He shook his head. "No, but I definitely deserve to rip that dress off of you the way it's supposed to be ripped off. Or fuck you while you're wearing it. I'll let you choose."

A fire lit up deep in my stomach. But I just shrugged.

"We'll see."

Grayson's eyes flared.

We both knew that I would let him do whatever he wanted tonight, but I always liked to make him work for it. And I was pretty sure that secretly he liked the work.

Grabbing my hand with a little growl, Grayson walked me out of the house and to his car, encasing me in the front seat. Then he went inside again and grabbed a small duffel bag, tossing it in the back seat.

"What's that for?"

"We're staying the night."

Oh? I wasn't expecting that.

"Where?"

"San Francisco."

"Grayson! That's like a six-hour drive."

I was wondering where we were going dressed like this at noon. God, I should have known.

"I know." His eyes twinkled. "But you said we could go wherever I wanted tonight."

This was true. He wanted to celebrate his signing with Los Angeles, and I told him he could pick whatever he wanted to do, and I'd plan it. But he said he wanted to plan it instead.

Rolling my eyes, I muttered, "Really taking advantage of that, huh?"

"Car rides with you are my favorite, Adler."

I settled into the seat, blinking up at him. Shit, he was handsome. He'd grown out his hair just a bit, and it was long enough for me to run my hands through now. It was combed perfectly tonight, and I couldn't wait to mess it up later.

He was right, though. Car rides with him were my favorite.

"Where's my coffee then?" I asked, teasing.

His eyes lowered, and I followed them. And sure enough, a coffee cup sat in the cupholder.

Grayson winked. "Just don't spill."

****

"Is the blindfold really necessary?"

"Absolutely."

Grayson breathed the word onto my shoulder before brushing a kiss there. I sighed, settled in darkness. He was being so...Grayson-y tonight. So over the top. We'd had dinner at this ridiculously nice place, and now I was standing outside our hotel for the night, unable to see a goddamn thing.

His fingers slipped into mine. Sensually. Like he was doing everything he could to bring attention to how his hands made me feel. And his lips, because now he was kissing up the back of my neck. Goosebumps spread over my arms, and I had to swallow a moan.

"Grayson."

"Right." He pressed one final kiss to my bare skin. "Time to focus. Come on."

Hand in hand, we walked inside. I heard the swoosh of revolving doors and pressed close to Grayson so I wouldn't get taken out by them. He laughed lightly and kissed the top of my head.

So many kisses tonight.

My heels clicked as we walked through a space that felt airy. Echoey. Soft murmuring told me there were other people around but not many. It made me feel exposed. Like we were being watched. What must they think with Grayson toting me around blindfolded like this?

Signing, I nearly ripped off the damn thing, but then Grayson halted, and I almost took a nosedive. He caught me, though, and before I could predict it, his arms tucked under me, hoisting me into the air.

"What are you doing?" I gasped.

He began walking again. And it felt like we were going...up.

"Carrying you," he said, his breath fanning over my cheek.

"Well, no shit. But why?"

"I don't want you to fall on the stairs, Adler."

"You could just take off my blindfold."

"Mmm," he said, thinking about it. Or rather, pretending to think about it. "That would ruin the fun."

"For who? You or me?"

"Both. Just trust me."

I snuggled into him.

I did trust him.

Grayson didn't put me down again for what seemed like a very long time. Or maybe it was just that I'd gotten too cozy in his arms, and it felt a bit like I was floating, timeless and weightless. But eventually, we came to a stop, and my feet slowly met the floor.

He took a long moment to run his hands over me. Over my hips, along the line of my back, the curve of my neck, and finally, to the back of my head. I felt the blindfold slip away, but Grayson muttered, "Don't open your eyes just yet."

It was nearly impossible, but I waited.

When he spoke again, he sounded further away. I couldn't feel his breath on my neck or his presence against my back.

"Okay, baby. Open up."

I did, and somehow, I wasn't surprised. I'd felt it in my bones and in the silk of this dress the moment I put it on. But why?

The curved ballroom ceilings, the echoing chamber, the golden designs on the wall. Glistening chandelier after glistening chandelier. It was just like I remembered. Except now, it was empty. Utterly and completely empty.

That night at the Cardairel Hotel changed everything. Everything for him and for me. And now we were back, and I couldn't imagine why except that maybe—

"Turn around, Nessa."

Oh my god.

I knew what I would see before I turned around, but that didn't keep the air from leaving my body when I saw him there on one knee. My hands flew up to cover my mouth, choking on a sob.

"Grayson?"

His eyes glittered as he beamed up at me. "Hello, darling."

"What—what are you doing?"

The corners of his eyes crinkled. "You know what I'm doing."

I did. I really did. And my stomach was flipping over and over and over again. "Oh my god," I breathed. "Oh my god, no. This—this can't be happening."

That came out wrong; I knew it did. I really wanted this to be happening. But I just couldn't believe it was happening. I wasn't prepared for this to happen tonight, and yet, I was so, so ready.

"No?" Grayson raised his brow. "Shush now. I know you want to be my wife."

Without further ceremony, he popped open the top of the little velvet box, and oh good lord, it was huge, and it was sparkling. Grayson smiled when a little giggle ripped from my throat. And that's when I noticed that even though it was slight, his hands were shaking.

I fell to my knees in front of him, wrapping my fingers around his.

"Never thought I'd see the day when Grayson Everett gets nervous in front of a girl," I whispered.

"You're not just any girl." His eyes closed slowly like he was savoring the moment. When they opened again, they were shining. A little wet. "You're my girl. And I love you so, so much."

"I love you, too. And of course I want to—"

He shook his head, stopping me.

"No," he rasped. "Let me finish."

I nodded, brushing away a stray tear that had fallen onto my cheek.

"Nessa," he said before pausing to swallow. "For a long time, I was okay with just having a piece of you. Whatever I could get. Two hours on the way home for Thanksgiving break. A single dance at a gala. Forty-five minutes in a Western Civ lecture. But only getting those little bits made me realize one thing. It was never enough. No amount of time with you would be enough, not until I had you forever."

"You have all of me, Grayson," I breathed. "You've had all of me now for years. There is no end date to this relationship."

He smiled at how I'd repeated his words from last week. Giving a slight nod, he agreed. "I know. But I want to make it official."

"Okay."

Okay seemed like such the wrong word, and I hated myself for using it. Okay meant that it was just alright. Just mediocre. Just on par. Just fine.

This was so much more than all of that.

"I never asked if you'd be my girlfriend," he murmured, that wolfish smile appearing—the one I loved so much.

I laughed. "No, you kinda just told me that I was."

"Yeah..." He bit down his lip, shaking his head for a moment. I couldn't tell if he regretted it or was amused by it or what. But I smiled anyway as he continued. "I was terrified that you were going to overthink everything in that big, beautiful brain of yours and run away from me again." His grin grew. "I'm not terrified of that anymore, though."

My heart leaped into my throat. Good. Because I wasn't terrified either. I was excited. I was ecstatic. Overjoyed. Beyond happy. I was every good and wonderful emotion all rolled into one.

"Wednesday, baby?"

Grayson reached out, cupping my face tenderly. He swiped his thumb over another one of my stray tears as I struggled to reply.

"I'm here, Grayson."

His eyes softened, and I could see the words in them before he said them. "Would you be my wife?" His thumb swept lower, over the corner of my mouth, and he added, "Because I desperately want to marry you and be your husband."

He'd said the words marry, husband, and wife all in the same breath, and I could barely contain myself.

All I'd wanted for such a long time was this. This love that I didn't think existed beyond my parents and lucky people like Madie and Bren, but now I knew that it was out there, and it was mine. Ours.

Meeting Grayson's blue-gray gaze, I gave the only answer there was to give.

"Yes."

"Yes?" He repeated with a smile so broad it nearly stretched off his face.

I nodded eagerly. "Yes."

"Yeah?"

Oh my god. "Yes, Grayson!"

I went to slap his arm playfully, but then he caught it, and the next minute I had a sparkling ring sitting on my finger. I didn't get long to look at it, though, because Grayson whisked me to my feet, pulling me into a twirling dance that was dizzying and full of kisses and murmurs of I love you.

Grayson spun me all the way to the open doors of the ballroom, right out on the patio—the same one that we stood on that night when I confessed everything to him. When we made a deal that I knew we'd never abide, and he'd made promises that I knew for sure he'd keep.

And he did.

Pulling a flask out of his suit jacket, Grayson held it out to me.

"I think this calls for a celebratory drink."

I wasn't about to say no to that. Flicking off the cap, I took a sip, staring up at the stars for a moment while letting that fire burn in my throat. Meanwhile, Grayson's hand wrapped around my waist from behind, tugging me back.

"We could get married here," he murmured. "If you wanted."

I looked around the carefully manicured garden. "I don't think we could afford it, do you? I don't even know how you pulled it off for a proposal."

"Baby," he said, and I knew whatever he was going to add next would be annoyingly cocky. "I play for the pros."

There it was.

"Oh, right." I giggled. "Still getting used to that."

Several quiet, peaceful moments passed as we traded the flask back and forth a couple times. Eventually, Grayson pressed a kiss to the back of my head and then dropped down to nuzzle the back of my ear.

"So, what will it be?"

"Hm?"

His voice dropped. "Am I ripping this dress off my fiancé, or am I fucking her with it on?"

My breath hitched. Fiancé. God. Fingers trailed over the top of the satin gown, caressing my hips but not feeling them, and I knew it wouldn't be enough unless he was touching me without the barrier of fabric.

"Off. Your fiancé wants you to take it off."

Grayson swore beneath his breath, and I felt his chest heave against my back. His hips rocked a little into mine, and I felt his growing arousal.

"When?" he choked out.

"Whenever." Looking over my shoulder, I smiled at him. "I'm yours now and forever."

"Now it is, then." His eyes lit up, wild and bright. "And then we'll take on forever."

💗