Chapter 19 #2
“Let’s just say that some overzealous fans have said things I wish I could forget.
” I grimace, thinking of the…colorful things some of the women said.
“But I’ve read some of the comments on our posts lately, and people seem to have positive things to say.
Plus, Karina would call me if there were concerns about the legitimacy of our relationship that I hadn’t heard about. ”
“I’m glad it’s working.” She places her hand on my arm.
Her fingers are cold, but warmth is the only thing coursing through me at her touch.
Her willingly touching me while in the comfort of her childhood bedroom has joy coursing through my veins.
Because here I know it’s not for an audience or to make our relationship look believable…
it’s because she wants it, too. “Hopefully, it will help you get that audition for your dream role.”
Those words put an instant stop to my joy. I spent one day with Mallory before, and spent years searching for her. Waiting for her. Now, the thought of leaving after I finally found her and we’re taking positive steps forward seems unfathomable.
I swallow down the lump in my throat. “Thanks, but I’m happy just to be here with you.”
She’s quiet long enough that I think she’s fallen asleep. I move to face the other direction because if I keep looking at her, I might not be able to keep the promise I made to stay on my side of the bed.
I feel her shiver beside me. “Griff?” Her tired voice calls to me in the darkness like the North Star guiding me home.
“Mmm?” I turn back to her.
“I’m cold, and there aren’t any extra blankets.” Mallory fidgets with the sheets. “Will you hold me?”
I rub my eyes, not positive that I’m awake because this feels like a sweet dream. “You’re sure?”
She meets my gaze, nodding. So, I scoot closer, wrapping an arm around her.
Mallory leans into my hold, resting her head on my chest and placing her hand beside it.
Surely she can hear and feel how hard my heart is pounding, how it races for her.
She snuggles against me, one of her legs intertwining with mine.
It takes only a few minutes for her breathing to even out as she falls asleep.
I don’t know when I’ll get another moment like this, so I breathe it in, taking a mental snapshot of her in my arms. The rhythmic way her chest rises and falls against my side.
The smell of her tropical shampoo under my chin.
I lean down, pressing a kiss to her mess of waves. “I’m falling for you, beautiful. I don’t think I ever stopped.” The whispered words don’t feel as scary in the night, where no one else can hear them. But it doesn’t make them any less true.
Waking up with Mallory in my arms is an indescribable feeling. No words can accurately express what it feels like to hold her. How she fits against me as if we were molded for each other.
How can I ever leave her now that I know the small sounds she makes while she sleeps? And the adorable doe-eyed look she has when she stirs awake in the morning.
Everything about her is perfect to me. I wouldn’t change a single thing.
I smile. “Good morning.”
She blushes and sheepishly dips her head against my chest. “Morning.”
“Are you ready to head downstairs? You know, before they think we’re up to no good,” I tease, repeating her words from yesterday.
She rolls her eyes, pushing up off me and scooting out of the foot of the bed. “I’m always ready for monkey bread and presents.”
“What’s monkey bread?” I hop out of bed and rifle through my bag, grabbing an emerald-green sweater and a pair of jeans, along with my deodorant.
Mallory stops rifling through her suitcase to turn and look at me. “You don’t know what monkey bread is?”
I shake my head.
“You’ve been missing out,” she tuts.
“You’re not going to tell me what it is?” I laugh.
She shakes her head. “I’ll let you experience it for yourself.”
I let Mallory get ready in the bathroom first while I call my parents and wish them a Merry Christmas. As I set my phone down to get dressed, a series of texts from Rhett comes through.
RHETT
Merry Christmas, man.
Are you going to be at the showing of your movie in LA at the beginning of January?
I’d love to finally meet Mallory.
My agent had called me two days ago, letting me know that the movie was doing so well that the director wanted me and Brittany to do a surprise appearance at a movie event with influencers in LA. She wants me to bring Mallory with me, but I haven’t worked up the courage to ask her yet.
ME
I’ll be there. TBD if Mallory’s coming.
Merry Christmas!
RHETT
Great, I’ll see both of you there.
ME
She may not come.
RHETT
I’m speaking it into existence for you.
I wasn’t optimistic before, but after last night, I definitely am. I throw my phone on the bed and get changed right before Mallory pops her head back in the room.
“You can have the bathroom now,” she says. “I’ll be downstairs.”
I finish getting ready for the day and head down.
When I walk into the kitchen, I’m hit with the sound of Mallory’s laughter as she talks to Granny.
Todd has his arms wrapped around Angie’s middle and bends down to kiss her temple.
Connor is quiet, sipping on a cup of coffee.
I step farther into the room and am hit with a chorus of merry hellos.
I hug Granny. “It looks like you’re having a good morning.”
“The best.”
“Can I get you any coffee?” Angie asks me.
“I can pour myself a cup if you point me in the direction of your mugs.”
She shoots Mallory a wide-eyed look around my shoulder before pointing at the cabinet over the coffee maker. “There’s creamer in the fridge unless you drink it black like Connor.”
“I drink my coffee like it’s dessert.” I grab the largest mug I can find from the cabinet. It’s covered in little red trucks carrying Christmas trees, which feels fitting for today.
“You and Mallory both.” Angie laughs, grabbing two bottles of creamer from the fridge and setting them next to me. The oven timer goes off, and she perks up. “That’ll be the monkey bread.”
I choose the peppermint-mocha creamer and pour it into my mug until the coffee turns a light, milky color. “I’ve been hearing about this breakfast all morning.” I turn and watch as Angie pulls a bundt cake pan out of the oven before carefully flipping it over onto a large circular tray.
It looks like some sort of cake, broken into pieces and slathered with gooey caramel. The room smells of cinnamon sugar and all things Christmas. My mouth instantly waters as I point at the food. “That smells delicious.”
“It tastes even better.” Todd claps me on the back before moving around me to grab a stack of plates.
Angie dishes us all out a serving, and we carry them over to the dining room table. I walk back into the kitchen, ready to help Granny into a seat. She’s already clutching Connor’s arm while walking over. Granny winks at me, squeezing his muscles. I take my seat beside Mallory, shaking my head.
When I take my first bite of monkey bread, I close my eyes, savoring the sweet dough. “I think this is what heaven tastes like,” I say, once I finish chewing.
“Now you see why it’s a family tradition to make every year,” Mallory says before shoveling a bite into her mouth.
I grab a piece of bacon from a plate in the middle of the table. “Everything has been delicious. Thank you again.” I smile at her parents.
“The pleasure is truly ours.” Angie places a hand over her heart.
We dive into opening presents immediately after breakfast, at Mallory’s insistence. Her parents even bought me my own flight of sauces to use when I make wings at home.
When there aren’t any more presents under the tree, I grab the bag I stowed in Granny’s room and pass out the gifts we brought.
“What’s this?” Angie attempts to lift her gift onto her lap, but struggles with how heavy it is.
“Granny and I wanted to get each of you something for hosting us.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” But she’s already ripping the wrapping paper off her present.
Angie gasps as she pulls out the wood stove cover I bought her, engraved with The Porters.
“I’ve been thinking about getting one of these.
” She grabs Todd’s shoulder and shakes him. “Wasn’t I just talking about this?”
Todd nods with a smirk. “She was.”
“I love it.” She gets up from the couch and gives Granny and me a hug before returning to her husband’s side. “Go ahead and open yours, honey.”
He pulls the tissue paper out of his gift bag until he finds the piece of paper inside. Todd reads it carefully, then looks at me, slack-jawed. “I can’t believe it.”
“What is it?” Angie looks over his shoulder, and her eyes go wide. “You bought him an outdoor pizza oven?”
“It should be here next week.” I gesture to Mallory. “She said y’all love making pizza, so I thought you might enjoy using that.”
“We’ll use it all the time.” Angie smiles.
I turn to Mallory’s brother. “I wasn’t sure what to get you since we hadn’t met yet, but I hope you like it.”
Connor opens his gift bag, pulling out the beard-care kit. Mallory laughs so hard that she snorts. He looks up at me, completely stone-faced.
I grimace. “Mallory said you had a beard before we met. I swear I bought that before she said anything yesterday.”
He sets it in his pile of gifts and turns to Mallory like he’s waiting for her to go.
“There’s something else in there.”
Connor reaches back into the bag, pulling out the concert tickets I got him. He examines them closely, his brows raising slightly. “VIP Rhett Hayes tickets?”
“Mallory said you were a big country music fan, so I took a gamble.”
I see a flicker of happiness in Connor’s expression before it returns to neutral. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” I fix my gaze on Mallory. “I know we agreed no gifts this year,” I say for the sake of her parents, who might be surprised if we didn’t exchange something. I grab the wrapped box from behind the couch. “But I couldn’t help myself.”
Her eyes are the softest I’ve ever seen them as she accepts my present. “I didn’t get you anything.”
“Being with you is the greatest gift I could ask for.” I lean forward and kiss her cheek.
“You two are the sweetest.” Angie leans forward on the couch cushion, wrapping her arms around Connor’s shoulders. “Aren’t they the sweetest?”
“The sappiest,” he mutters. I’ll win him over one day. But all my attention right now is on my girl.
I nudge Mallory’s arm. “Go ahead. Open it.”
She tears the paper I not-so-expertly wrapped myself, but she doesn’t seem to notice.
Her eyes are glued to what’s inside the box.
She presses her fingers to her slightly parted lips, letting out a small gasp.
Mallory slowly pulls out one of the light-pink ice skates.
When her gaze meets mine, tears brim, though a soft smile settles on her lips.
“My own ice skates?” Her voice is higher than normal. Hearing her this happy because of something I did for her fills me with a joy like none other.
“Ones just as beautiful as you.”
“This is too much.” Mallory sets the skate back in the box, shaking her head.
“Nothing is ever too much for you.” My words are earnest. There’s truly nothing I wouldn’t do for this girl. “I’d have bought you an entire ice rink with it if I thought you’d let me.”
“That would’ve been too much,” she says with a shaky laugh.
“I didn’t know you still enjoyed skating.” Angie moves to the floor to look at the skates.
“My love for it was recently reignited.” She looks at me with a wide grin.
I would give her anything she wanted just to see her smile like that again. And to know that I was the reason behind it.