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Eventually, Charles told her he wanted to sleep, though the evening was still young. Lucy took him to his room, making sure he was comfortable in bed. He squeezed her hand, eyes teary.

“Thank you for being here,” Charles said, voice soft. “You’re all I have, Lucy-Lu.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Grayson

That evening, Grayson arrived home to find that Charles wasn’t in the main area. He headed toward Charles’s room, where he saw the light was on. He approached, heart beating with excitement at the news he had.

He’d had a few texts from Lucy, but he had been too busy to respond all day.

And besides, he wanted to tell her in person; he knew she would be excited, too, and he couldn’t wait to see the look on her face. Jitters ran through him at the very thought of how they might celebrate.

Grayson had been at an interview all day. He had been interviewing for the past few weeks at colleges and universities in both Long Island and New York City because, quite simply, he wanted to stay—with Charles and Lucy both.

He couldn’t imagine a future without either of them, especially Lucy. He couldn’t imagine breathing without her, really. The original plan had been to come to Little Brook for a few months while Charles recovered, but the idea of returning to Dublin seemed impossible to contemplate now.

This place was his first home, and it had become home for him again, thanks to Lucy, though she probably didn’t realize it.

He hadn’t told her or Charles about the job search he’d been conducting for over a month now or the interviews he’d been taking for the past few weeks because he didn’t want them to get their hopes up in case nothing happened—particularly because it wasn’t as if either had even asked him to stay.

If they asked him, even just once, he would stay in a heartbeat; he would stay forever.

So many times he’d thought one of them might ask, but they hadn’t, and each time he was disappointed. It made him feel like a child again, waiting for his grandparents to visit, only for them not to come. He’d felt unwanted then, and he couldn’t help feeling the same way now. He knew it might not be warranted, but if they didn’t ask, how could he know for sure?

Didn’t Lucy want him to stay? Or Charles? Before taking such a drastic step, he needed to know that he was wanted here.

Now Grayson considered that maybe it was time for him to take the leap himself, to stay even if they didn’t ask—especially after today. The interview had gone splendidly.

He had interviewed at a few universities, and he hadn’t loved any of them, but today—he’d loved the place. The staff were excellent, friendly too, and the program was fantastic. He had done a tour of the campus, adoring it, and the team had seemed to really love him, too. They had offered him the job on the spot and would send over a formal offer soon, and when they did, he was going to accept.

Grayson reached Charles’s bedroom door. He heard Lucy saying good night to Charles, even though it was early. His heart quickened; she was here!

Even after spending so much time with her, he was still thrilled to meet her again after a period of separation, even if it had only been a few brief minutes.

He was well beyond schoolboy-crush territory now—he was almost certain he was in love with her. Perhaps it was time to tell her, with everything going so wonderfully.

One step at a time! he reminded himself.

Grayson reached for the doorknob, wanting to tell Charles to stay up so they could celebrate his pending job offer, when he heard his grandfather say, “Thank you for being here. You’re all I have, Lucy-Lu.”

He froze.

All the elation from his day came tumbling down. His heart shriveled. Grayson stepped back, tears springing to his eyes.

Suddenly, he was eighteen again. Lucy had asked him once why he didn’t come to New York to be with Charles and Sophie when he’d turned eighteen, and he didn’t tell her then because it had hurt too much. He had pushed the memory away for so long, but it came crashing back now, in vivid detail.

When he was eighteen, he’d applied to university in New York and gotten in. He planned to move and live with his grandparents, to reconnect with them, opening his heart to a new beginning, even though he thought they’d wanted nothing to do with him for the last decade. He still wanted to try.

He packed and got on a flight to visit them, intent on visiting the school and accepting the offer after, but when he came to their old house, no one was home, even though it was kind of late. He figured they might still be at that bookstore of theirs, so that was where he went.

Crawley Books was closed, but through the windows, Grayson saw his grandparents in the store with what looked like a twelve-year-old girl. She had big eyes and straight dark hair.

It was such a cozy scene: The fireplace was lit, and Sophie was bringing out mugs of hot chocolate. They were playing a board game and laughing—while he was out in the bitter cold, watching.

And he thought right then that maybe his uncle was right: His grandparents really didn’t want him. Grayson didn’t know who the girl was, but he could tell that she was loved by them, and she loved them, too.

Envy had cut through him. He had stood there, unable to move.