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Grace
“This town is literally a Hallmark movie set,” Tessa says as she pops between Cash and me as we walk down the street. She’s not wrong. There are red, white, and blue stripes down the main road, which is adorably called Hope Street. I feel a kinship with this place already. Hope. It’s what I thought when I first saw Cash, and he’s certainly given it to me in spades.
Cash growls at the intrusion. He’s been overly protective ever since we left the house. And I don’t mean safety wise. I mean he hasn’t let go of my hand or stopped staring at me since I told him I love him. It’s like he doesn’t actually believe it’s true. Like he’s worried I’ll suddenly take it back.
To be fair, I have made our relationship as difficult as can be. Every step of the way. I squeeze his hand letting him know I’m still here, and he squeezes mine back three times. Before I can ask him why he always does that, Tessa interrupts me, holding up her phone and talking a million miles a minute about the town’s history. Carter interjects every few minutes when he has something to say. They are in their own world, and it’s pretty adorable. I’ve honestly never seen Tessa with a man. Well, other than her best friend Ryan. But never a boyfriend. It’s like a whole other side of her. She has a quieter smile when she looks at him. Almost shy. As if she’s taken by him.
“What are you staring at?” Cash whispers into my ear, bringing me back to the present. I look around and realize we’ve arrived at a restaurant.
“Oh, Italian?” I ask in excitement, looking up at the sign which says Roberto’s. I could really go for some comfort food.
Cash shakes his head as he laughs and kisses my forehead. “You are so good at ignoring me.”
“I’m not ignoring you; I just like food,” I tease.
He pulls me closer. “More than me?”
I laugh as I look up to my puppy dog of a man. His eyes droop and his bottom lip sticks out just a bit. I want to bite it. “So freaking needy, Mr. James.” Giving in to my desire, I go up on my tiptoes and bite down on his lip.
He growls against my lips. “I fucking need you.” His tongue swipes inside my mouth, and he pulls me closer. I hear Tessa trying to interrupt, but I ignore her. My guy needs attention. Always.
Carter finally slaps Cash on the back and we both pull apart, still staring at one another. “As fun as this is, the hostess is ready to bring us back.”
Cash ignores him. “Tell me again,” he says in his low voice.
I close my eyes and smile. “What exactly do you want to know, Mr. James?”
He grunts. “Grace.”
Lifting my hand to his cheek, I cradle it and push close to his ear, whispering, “I love you.”
I feel his cheek lift in a smile, and he sighs. “I love you too, Angel.”
In this moment, I don’t feel like a thirty-six-year-old woman. I feel like a damn teenager. Like a girl who doesn’t know better. And I do know better. But this man has made a believer out of an atheist. Only true love can do that for you. It takes away all your truths, all your street smarts, and everything you’ve learned along the way. It makes you feel like a child at Christmas, believing the magic even if you’ve seen behind the curtain, because just maybe you had it wrong. Maybe the big guy really does exist. And in a town like this, a hallmark town as Tessa called it, it’s hard to deny that just maybe a happily ever after really is possible.
The amount of wine we throw back at dinner is almost embarrassing. We walk out of the restaurant laughing, and I groan over how full I am. Of course Tessa ate the rest of each of our desserts because the girl never gets full and it never shows. She’s so tiny you’d think you could actually see the extra food on her bones, but no, all the talking she does must burn the extra calories.
“You guys want to grab a night cap?” Carter asks, pointing to a bar on the water called Thames. It looks like fun—there is music playing on the deck as the sun sets over the bay.
The last forty-eight hours replay in my mind, and exhaustion settles into my bones. “I’m honestly pretty tired,” I admit.
Tessa nods and squeezes me in a hug. “Do you want us to come back with you?”
I look to Cash and know he’s all I need right now. “You guys go have fun. We’ll see you in the morning.”
After saying goodbye, Carter and Tessa head down the street hand in hand, and I feel Cash’s arm loop around my waist. I spin my body into his and look up into his eyes.
“I’d like to bring you to meet someone if you’re up for it?” Cash looks vulnerable enough in this moment that I ignore my exhaustion and put on a happy face.
When we arrive back at the house, Cash leads me into a garden. “What are we doing here, Cash?”
The moonlight sets his face aglow, and his smile splits my heart open. With his hand held out to me, he asks, “Dance with me, Gracie?”
I look down at his extended hand and then back at him before shaking my head, smiling, and leaning into his embrace.With his head lowered into the crook of my neck, Cash hums a sweet tune in my ear, which vibrates into my soul. I immediately recognize the song, “Just The Way You Look Tonight,” as it’s a favorite of mine. This man is such a damn romantic.
“Told you we’d dance beneath the stars again, Angel.”
I rub my head against his chest and squeeze my eyes shut in utter bliss. “You’ve kept every one of your promises.”
