29. Grace
TWENTY-NINE
Grace
Day by day, I started to feel more like myself. Which was strange when you considered that I was living in a plush apartment in Manhattan with the hottest man ever.
A man who insisted on doing sweet things for me every single day.
Piper and my brothers stuck around for a couple of days, but then they had to head home. Callum especially wasn’t thrilled that I would stay here in New York. But Dane promised to bring me back to Colorado as soon as I was well enough.
While I was here, I tried to make the most of it. I rested a ton the first few days, enough that I was dying of boredom. But once I felt ready, we took walks in Central Park and to Dane’s favorite spots to eat almost every day. We visited Dane’s mom again, and I went to see her with Margot when Dane had to go into the office. I got back to my bookkeeping work for my clients on my laptop, first with Dane and Margot’s help, then on my own.
Dane even took me shopping for new glasses, since Vincent had broken my favorite ones. I tried to pay for them myself, but Dane insisted on ordering every pair of frames that caught my eye. I ended up with seven new pairs in various styles and colors to match whatever mood I might be in.
A few days later, I surprised him with a new cream-colored sweater, ordered online with my credit card. I promised to keep this one coffee-free.
And every night, I slipped into bed with him after eating the dessert Dane had surprised me with.
It was kind of amazing.
My only complaint was that almost two weeks had now passed, and we still hadn’t had sex again. Dane kissed me and touched me all the time, and it was obvious how turned on he was. Yet he kept refusing to give either of us any relief. Me, because my ribs were still sore and I had lingering dizziness, nausea, and headaches. And him, because he said he didn’t want an orgasm unless he gave me one too.
I mean, I wouldn’t have been opposed to him putting on a sexy show for me or something. But when the man made up his mind, he was as stubborn as I was.
So I wasn’t surprised when we were making out one evening, getting hot and heavy on his living room couch, and he stopped things when I rubbed my palm against his hardening cock through his jeans.
“I’m ready,” I said.
“Are you hurting right now?”
“It’s…” I flinched. “I’m hurting a little. I’m used to it.”
“Then let’s give it a couple more days.”
“I thought you were going to spoil me. I want you to spoil me with your cock.”
He smirked. “I will. When I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I do.”
I grumbled under my breath about overprotective men. As I’d told my brothers, Dane always listened to me, which was crucial. But that didn’t mean we always agreed. Why couldn’t he just give up his sexual favors whenever I asked?
Okay, that sounded far more problematic when I spelled it out.
My getting better was a double-edged sword, though. Once I was well enough to fly comfortably, it would be time for me to head home to Silver Ridge. At my last visit with the doctor, she’d said travel was safe. Just that it could make me feel worse.
I wanted to go home. I wanted to see my family and friends and get back to all the responsibilities I’d been letting slide while I was sick. I hadn’t gone this long without seeing my niece since Maisie was a newborn, and video calls weren’t cutting it. And it wasn’t just that. The city was exciting, but I craved the mountains. Our little Main Street and my favorite hiking trails and Piper’s coffee.
I was homesick.
But it sounded like the ski resort was running smoothly enough without Dane there. And other projects had been demanding his attention here. What if he didn’t want to go back to Colorado with me?
How was this supposed to work between us?
Dane stretched out on the couch and pulled me to lay on top of him. “My private investigator called today,” he said. “Warren. He has some news about the investigation into Vincent and Nina Jamison.”
My heart rate jumped, and my fist tightened on Dane’s shirt over his chest. “He found Vincent?”
“No, but he’s got some progress to share. More than the NYPD has done.”
Even with the clear images and video of Vincent that I’d provided, the detective assigned to my case hadn’t made any progress in the last two weeks on finding my attacker. They hadn’t been able to find Lexi either, the woman Vincent had been threatening. It was infuriating. Dane had been putting whatever pressure on the police that he could, but it hadn’t made a difference so far. The detective kept telling us to be patient.
Dane was still convinced his brother knew more than he was sharing, but Kip and Bristol had left for their honeymoon only a couple of days after the wedding. I didn’t know the exact date they would be back. Things were more tense than ever between Dane and his father. It was something he didn’t like talking about, but I could tell that it weighed on him.
“You’re welcome to come with me tomorrow when I meet with Warren,” Dane said.
I had made him promise to share everything he learned, and he’d been doing that. But I already had plans for tomorrow.
“Ayla’s going to be in town. Ashford’s sister-in-law. I’m supposed to have lunch with her.”
“Right, I forgot about that. I could reschedule with Warren if you want.”
Part of me wanted to be there for the update, just so I could get every scrap of information that could lead us to the man who hurt me. But it was also a relief, knowing I had Dane on my side. I wasn’t in this by myself. As much as I wanted to be independent, I could also lean on him. I could trust him to handle certain things. Which was a big deal for me.
And he would share it all with me later, anyway.
“No. Go ahead and meet with him. I appreciate it. Everything you’ve been doing… I don’t think I tell you enough how grateful I am.”
He cupped my cheek, angling his head to meet my gaze. “You don’t have to. I’m grateful for you .
“Then we can call it even.”
“I’d rather not keep score at all.” Tension flitted across his features before it vanished. And then he was kissing me again, helping me forget about anything except the two of us, right at that moment.
* * *
I met Ayla at a tiny Italian place. She was already there when I arrived, tucked into a table at the back so she would be less noticeable. She’d offered to have her driver pick me up from Dane’s apartment earlier, but I’d wanted to take the subway and walk. It felt good to know I could find my way around this metropolis all by myself.
She jumped up when she saw me, opening her arms for a hug. “It is so good to see you! When I heard from Ashford that you were in the city, and I realized I was going to be here at the same time, it felt like Christmas came early.”
Ayla’s older sister, Lori, had been married to Ashford years ago. After Lori’s death, Ayla and Ashford had been estranged for a long time. But they’d reconnected last summer, around the same time that Ashford got together with Emma.
Ayla and my brother had worked through a lot of things related to Lori’s death. Now she was an important part of Maisie’s life. My fellow aunt.
But Ayla was also one of the most famous pop stars in the world, which made it difficult for her to visit us in Silver Ridge as freely as she liked. Still, we had grown close in the last year and a half, and I was glad to call Ayla a friend. She was a world-famous celebrity, but she was also down-to-earth with a great sense of humor.
We both sat down and ordered some sparkling waters and appetizers. “I’m thrilled to see you too.”
“Even if the reason for you being in town for so long absolutely sucks.” She studied my face. Most of the bruises had faded, but I still had the bandage over the bridge of my nose to cover where it was healing. “It’s up to you if we talk about that, or?—”
“Second option, please.” I was already anxious about Dane’s meeting with the investigator and what he would learn. I wanted to focus on the good things in my life, and of course hear everything about how Ayla had been doing.
“Got it. So, what do you think of New York?” Ayla leaned forward with her elbows on the table. “Isn’t it amazing ?”
We talked about the city while we nibbled on antipasti. She said she appreciated that the paparazzi wasn’t as bad in New York, but Los Angeles was her home base, and she didn’t see that changing any time soon.
“And Mr. Dane Knightly?” she asked. “Is he as charming as his reputation claims?”
“More.” Though it was bizarre that Ayla had heard of Dane’s reputation on her own. Sometimes I forgot about the billionaire thing. “But he’s also sweet and wonderful and pretty much my dream guy.” No, that wasn’t even true. Before, I didn’t even dare to dream that I’d find a guy like Dane.
“Then why’d you frown when you said that?”
“Did I?” I hadn’t even realized it.
Ayla tucked a lock of platinum-blond hair behind her ear. “You know, when you walked in, I thought there was something different about you. Like you take up more space than you used to.”
I snorted, nearly choking on the burrata I’d just stuffed in my mouth. “Dane feeds me a lot of cheesecake.”
She barked a laugh, making a few heads turn toward us and do double-takes. “Oh God, that is not what I meant. Though your curves are rocking, make no mistake.” We both kept giggling. When we’d calmed down, she said, “I mean, your energy is bigger. You’re more confident.”
I set down my fork, considering. “I feel more confident. I like who I am with Dane. Someone who takes risks. Tries things that are exciting and different.”
“New York is an ideal place for that.”
“I do want to go home soon, though. I miss Silver Ridge so much.”
“What about Dane?”
“That is a good question. A year ago, I would’ve said I could never trust a man enough to get this close to him. But I really , really like him.”
Ayla smiled. “As someone who has trouble finding people she can trust, I know how significant it is for you to say that. I bet you two will work it all out. If there’s trust, if there’s love , then the rest of the details fall into place. At least, that’s how it went for Ashford and Emma. Means the rest of us have some hope, right?”
I was nodding along before that four-letter word hit me. Love . The biggest risk of all.
A thread of fear snaked its way into my heart.
Thankfully, Ayla kept talking about Ashford and Emma, so I didn’t have to dwell on my uncertainty.
My brother and his fiancée had finally set a date in February for their wedding. Ayla lamented that her schedule had been so difficult to work with, but she was excited to be going. “It’s on my calendar,” she said. “ Nothing is going to keep me from being there.”
“Except maybe a snowstorm. February in the mountains isn’t the ideal time to hold a big event.”
“Are you kidding? I love a winter wedding. So romantic. Also, don’t talk about storms. Don’t you dare jinx this. I already bought my dress and everything.”
I laughed. “No, you’re right. Positive thoughts. Maisie is going to be the cutest flower girl in history, and there’s no way I would want you to miss that.”
“Is Dane going to be there too?”
I took a sip of my water, trying to act nonchalant even though nerves swirled in my stomach. “I’m sure he’s invited. Guess we’ll have to see. What about you? Bringing a plus one?”
“Not planning on it. I’ll be too busy with Aunt Ayla duties.” She scowled. “Besides, I already expect your chief of police to complain about me being there, since he claims I’m a security risk. I don’t want to subject anyone else to that.”
I opened my mouth to say that Teller Landry wasn’t so intolerable once you got to know him, but someone tapped my shoulder. It was the restaurant’s hostess. She was holding a manila envelope. “Miss? Someone just dropped this off for you.”
“For me ?” I asked.
She nodded. “It was a bicycle messenger. He pointed you out. Said it was urgent.” The hostess set the envelope on the table and shrugged, backing away.
“Don’t open it,” Ayla said sharply. “Are you sure that’s for you?”
I turned the envelope over. It had Grace O’Neal scrawled on the front.
Ayla exhaled. “Okay. I thought it was…something else.”
“You thought it was for you?”
She looked uncomfortable. “Some creep has been sending me things lately. An overzealous fan. It’s just an annoyance. Never mind.”
It sounded like more than an annoyance, but the envelope on the table demanded my attention. “Maybe this is from Dane. He’s the only person who would know I’m at this restaurant.” Except it was more Dane’s style to show up himself. Or at the very least, text or call.
Unless something was wrong.
My hands trembled as I ripped open the envelope and pulled out the contents. Two sheets of glossy photo paper. A note was stuck to the front of the first photo.
He’s not who you think he is.
I was in a daze as I removed the note and took a look at the photo beneath. It was a snapshot of Dane and a familiar redhead standing in front of an open doorway.
It didn’t make sense.
“That’s Dane, right?” Ayla asked. She tilted her head, trying to get a better look. “Who’s he with?”
“Um…her name is Nina Jamison. But he told me he had never met her.”
Ayla seemed confused, and I didn’t blame her. She didn’t know the entire saga around Nina and Vincent and the masquerade ball.
Why would Dane have lied to me about knowing Nina Jamison?
My hand reached out to flip the photo away and see the second image. And bile rose up in my throat, my lunch threatening to come up.
In the second photo, Dane and Nina were kissing .
“I don’t understand this,” I stammered.
Ayla took the photos from my hands. Glanced at one, then the other. And then the note. “Okay, let’s just take a moment. Because this whole thing is beyond shady. Maybe you should start from the beginning. Then we can figure out what this is about.”
I nodded, trying to stay calm. But a voice I’d thought I had banished was whispering ugly things in my head.
You see what a fool you’ve been? You never should have trusted him .