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“I’m really looking forward to taking you to his concert when I get back from my conference.”
“Yeah.” I squirted some hot glue on the silver cardstock I had already cut out.
Brooks joined me on the floor and gently, with his finger, tilted my head toward him. “Grace, please, give me some time to figure this out.”
“Will it really matter?”
“You matter to me.”
I let out a forlorn sigh, not knowing what to say. I wasn’t naive, though part of me kind of wished I was. “If you’re going to stay, you have to work.” I handed him some scissors. “Cut these out, following the lines.”
He stared down at the pictures of our old high school classmates. “I should have paid better attention to you back in high school.”
I shrugged. “Stick to the lines.”
“Maybe it’s time I lived life outside of them.”
My head snapped toward him. “That’s not your style.”
“Do we have to exactly match?”
“No, but there are things we need to be on the same page about.”
“I just barely opened the book—give me some time to catch up to you,” he pleaded his case.
“Very clever.” I nudged him.
“Please, Grace,” he begged.
“I’ll see how well you do tonight, and then I’ll decide.” I flashed him a wicked grin.
“Deal.” He pecked my lips.
I touched my lips—they felt sparkly. However, I wasn’t giving in. Too much was on the line. It was cute, though, to watch Brooks meticulously cut out our classmates’ photos. It was even endearing when he made fun of me for the little cheer buttons he kept pushing while gluing them on.
We worked for a couple of hours, until each name tag was done. Until I was very sleepy and rested my head on his shoulder. The last thing I remembered before drifting off to sleep was him kissing my head. I’d only meant to rest for a few minutes, to enjoy what could be our last moments together. My tired body had other plans. When I woke up the next morning, the summer sun was filtering in through the curtains. I was still on the floor, which explained why my butt hurt. And I was pretty sure I’d slept with my mouth open, considering how dry it felt. Suddenly, I recalled where—or on whom—I was sleeping. My head popped off Brooks’s strong shoulder. I scrambled a bit, embarrassed I’d fallen asleep on him and basically nap trapped him.
I ran my fingers through my wild hair. “I’m so sorry. You should have woken me up.”
He turned more toward me with this hungry look in his sleep-deprived eyes. Without warning, he pulled me to him, and his lips crashed into mine. My mouth was suddenly no longer dry but salivating for Brooks’s touch. Before I could think or argue, his tongue slid across my lips, and I eagerly invited it in. He groaned and pulled me closer when I didn’t hesitate to reciprocate. While his tongue tasted the inside of my mouth, the voice chanted, YES! YES! YES!
Minute upon minute, his mouth consumed mine while his hands deftly explored all my curves. In between kisses, he whispered my name. Moving lower, he kissed my neck, making my body explode in goose bumps. I crawled onto his lap, not wanting any distance between us. He held me gently, yet so firmly I knew he didn’t want to let go. And just as unexpectedly as the best kiss of my life came, it ended with the same abruptness. Brooks gave me one last kiss before easing me off him and standing, leaving me breathless on the floor. He hovered over me and stared at me with a determination I had never seen before.
“Please don’t give up on me,” he pleaded.
Before I could answer, he was at the door. “Tell your dad I’ll be by later to fix the trellis.” And without another word he was gone.
I pulled my knees up to my chest, shaking from not only the pleasure I’d just experienced but also because I knew without a shadow of a doubt who my heart belonged to. The question was, What would he do with it?Chapter Twenty-Seven“I’m going to have the best-looking dates here.” I wrapped an arm around each one of my best friends. They were both looking gorgeous in black, slinky dresses.
We took a moment to admire our handiwork. The event center’s banquet room sparkled and gleamed in silver and navy. I swore we had strung at least a million twinkle lights. It was so worth it. It looked like a fairyland, exactly how I’d envisioned it. Except I’d thought I would be there with the man of my dreams. Not that I wasn’t happy with how it had turned out, but I’d had this crazy idea to get the prom night I had always hoped for. I supposed I needed to let it go. At least this time I didn’t get stood up, and . . . I looked at my wrist where the prettiest peach corsage rested. A special delivery from Brooks earlier today. It was simply lovely, with pearls strung through the flowers and greenery. It matched my coral high-low slip gown perfectly.
