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“As grand gestures go—” I pull him closer, grinning— “it was kind of perfect.”
His eyes dip to my lips, and then he meets my gaze. “Yeah?”
I nod. “It’s the best gift anyone has ever given me.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Eloise
Aweek later, I’m standing in baggage claim at O’Hare, waiting for Gray and Scarlett.
Even though she insisted she could fly by herself, Gray flew to Philly to meet her, and they flew back together. He also wanted to talk to Celeste about the arrangements, which I know have been weighing on him.
The past week has been a whirlwind. I went to Beverly’s office on Monday to find Raya standing there in a black power suit with an outline of my new job description and a waiver I had to sign in order to officially “enter into a relationship” with Gray.
Guess we jumped the gun there.
Whoops.
I dotted my name with a heart, which made her roll her eyes, but secretly, I think even she’s happy to have the old Eloise back. And I’m happy to be back. I guess I knew myself all along, it just took a little time for me to accept that who I am is enough. That everyone won’t like me. That everyone won’t have good intentions.
But it turns out, loving people is one of my best traits, so I’m going to do it well.
We’re heading into St. Patrick’s Day weekend, and oddly, it’s my favorite holiday in the city. Yes, I love Christmas in the city, and Valentine’s Day in Loveland, and of course, I’m always excited to eat every bit of Thanksgiving Dinner . . . but St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago tops them all.
And thanks to my genius planning, I’ve scheduled the fabric softener photoshoot with Scarlett to coincide with the holiday weekend, which means we have a very full docket of events.
Not only is there the river dyeing and the parade, followed by corned beef and cabbage dinner at an authentic Irish Pub, but the Comets have a big celebration of their own. Irish dancers, bagpipes, and every fan gets a green plaid Comets hat to match the special edition Comets jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game.
I won’t brag, but I was the one with the connection for the bagpipes. I guess I am good at my job.
I’m not even Irish.
I love these traditions like I’m a leprechaun, and I can’t wait to share them with Scarlett and Gray.
When they appear in the baggage claim area, I jump up and race over to Scarlett, who rewards me with a giant hug.
“I knew my dad loved you!” She squeezes me so hard, I almost snap in half, and when Gray appears by her side, he doesn’t even look embarrassed by what she said.
“You told her,” I say.
“That I loved you?” He smirks. He pulls me close and kisses me.
“He totally does,” Scarlett says as Gray takes a step back. “I can tell.”
I feel my cheeks heat when Gray doesn’t deny it. Scarlett takes one of my hands and one of Gray’s, and we walk over and grab her hot pink suitcase off the carousel, and once we’re back in the car, she puts her headphones in, and Gray reaches across the seat and takes my hand.
We drive toward the city, but Gray drives right past the exit to his apartment. “Did you mean to miss your exit?”
“Yes,” he says.
When he doesn’t say anything else, I lean toward him. “Where are we going?”
His smile is so faint I almost miss it. “You’ll see.”
Scarlett leans forward between our seats. “Is it a surprise?”
“Yes,” he says.
