Chapter 29
twenty-nine
. . .
Cutler
I woke up with a sick feeling in my stomach. It was Gracie’s last day here. I hated the thought of not waking up with her after tomorrow.
I glanced over to the side of the bed, where loud snoring had woken me up multiple times during the night, to see Meatball in his crate, sound asleep on his back.
This dog was a character, no doubt about it.
Maybe she was right, and having him here would be a good distraction.
I’d offered to fly with her to New York, but she’d shipped her personal items there already, and she was only bringing clothing, as the apartment was fully furnished. She’d come back and get the rest of her stuff once she found something permanent, in a couple of months.
She’d told me it would be more difficult for her if I came with her.
I wasn’t sure why, but I’d nodded and agreed.
A loud snort came from the crate, and Gracie chuckled from where she slept beside me. Her eyes were still closed, and she’d rolled on her side to face me, but she was obviously awake now.
“He’s quite the vocal guy,” she said, her voice sounding sleepy.
“He sure is. I think he was wiped out from his two-second swim where he literally exerted no energy and just threw in the towel,” I said, and she laughed some more as her eyes slowly opened.
“Hey.”
“Hey,” I said. “How’d you sleep?”
“I slept great. Your bed is so cozy.” She intertwined her fingers with mine.
And we both just lay there quietly.
Everything had already been said.
We stayed there, listening to the sound of Meatball snoring, and she scooted closer so I could wrap my arms around her as I breathed in the smell of strawberry and coconut.
A loud howl came from the crate, and we both laughed as we moved to our feet. I pulled on some pants and took him out back while Gracie got dressed.
We decided to walk Meatball downtown, as Gracie wanted to stop by Blue Sky Bay-kery for some croissants and walk along the water.
“The reason I didn’t want you to come with me to New York for the move isn’t because I don’t want you there with me,” she said, peeking up at me as the breeze moved around us.
“I know you want to go do this on your own. I get it.” It had been a bit of a punch to the gut when she’d initially told me—but I understood her need to do this at the same time.
“That’s not it.” She blew out a breath. “It’s hard for me to leave you, Bear. And if you come with me, I won’t want you to leave. So I just think we need to rip the Band-Aid off all at once.”
“I understand. I don’t disagree.” I ran a hand through my hair, Meatball staying right beside me on his leash, walking at a snail’s pace.
“I hate goodbyes.”
“Then we won’t say goodbye because it’s not goodbye,” I said, exhaling before continuing. “Come on. I wanted to show you this piece of land that just came on the market. I’d love to get your opinion on it.”
Meatball decided to just sit down when we moved off the path along the water to take a detour through the trees. I tried to get him to move, but he was just dead weight, and Gracie’s head fell back in hysterical laughter when I picked his lazy ass up and carried him the rest of the way.
I set him down on the plot of land that had one of the best views in Blue Sky Bay.
“Wow. This is spectacular. And it’s a large piece of land.”
“I thought you’d like it.” I dropped Meatball’s leash because he was not going anywhere, and he appeared to be a happy camper to just stay right there under a tree. Gracie turned in a circle, taking it all in.
“It’s the perfect mix of mountain and water views. It’s so peaceful out here too, yet it’s just a short walk to downtown.”
“Yeah, I’ve had my eye on it for a while, and it just came on the market this week.”
A few months ago, I wouldn’t have hesitated. I would have put an offer on the land the minute it hit the market. It was the perfect place to build a custom home.
But I was hesitant because I didn’t know what the future held anymore.
If I’d have a reason to leave.
The only reason I’d consider leaving was standing in front of me.
She bit her bottom lip. “It’s pretty dreamy. I can see why you had your eye on it. Would you build a home for yourself? Or a home to sell?”
A home for us.
“I don’t know. Both are options.”
“Well, I think this has to be the best location in Blue Sky Bay. You can walk to downtown, you’ve got the most incredible view of the lake, and look at those mountains. Can you imagine those in the winter when they’re covered in snow? It’s really magical. I love it.”
I nodded. “Yeah. It’s a special piece of land.”
She spent the next thirty minutes walking the property and telling me everything she would do if she designed this home.
The entire back of the house would be windows.
The view would be the focal point. She’d have courtyards in other areas of the home, because the surrounding forest would offer gorgeous views if you had sitting areas off the home. I loved her creativity. Her vision.
We both shared a love for taking nothing and creating something special.
She continued talking about it on our walk home. I carried Meatball, because apparently, he was done with physical exercise for the day.
He curled up in the dog bed that we’d grabbed for him on the way home, and I sat on the edge of my bed and watched as she packed up one of two large suitcases that she’d be taking with her on her flight to New York early tomorrow morning.
And before I realized it, it was time to get dressed and ready for Gracie’s goodbye party down at Four Clovers.
I chuckled as I realized we were color-coordinated when she strolled out of the bathroom. She wore a white flowy skirt, black cowboy boots, and a cream sweater that hung off her shoulder.
“I mean, we didn’t even plan this.” She smiled as she walked over to where I was sitting on the bed after just pulling on my work boots. “I like your tan polo shirt. We match well.”
“Did we plan it, though? You did buy me the shirt.”
“I love a neutral aesthetic.” She leaned down and kissed me. “We definitely need to get some photos tonight.”
We decided to leave Meatball at home after feeding him and taking him out. Tonight would be busy at the container park, since it was line dancing night.
Once we arrived, the place was already going off. “Busy” was an understatement. I could swear, everyone in town had come out to say goodbye to Gracie. She’d made a mark on this town and the people who lived here.
She and Tatum had dragged Stanley and Margo out on the dance floor, and all the guys and I were laughing our asses off as we watched.
Everyone from my office, and even some of the subcontractors, William and Carl and Jackson, had stopped by to wish her well.
The Petersons were there, gushing about how much they loved their home.
“Holy shit. Even Wanda Waters is here. That woman doesn’t leave her antique store,” Bass said as he reached for his beer.
“Well, she does live in the apartment above it, so that’s pretty convenient for a homebody.” Brody laughed.
“Gracie’s a special woman,” Cannon said, glancing over at me. “Sorry, brother. I know it sucks for you.”
“Nah. Don’t be sorry. I’m proud of her for doing this.” I took a long pull from my bottle and looked out over the dance floor, where Gracie was leading everyone in her favorite line dance.
“She doesn’t strike me as a city girl,” Phoenix said. “She’ll be back.”
“Agreed,” Bass said. “You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl. Look at her.”
She held up the hem of her long skirt and moved her feet left and right, a big smile on her face as she sang along with Chris Stapleton. She was in her element.
“Agreed.” Cannon clapped me on the shoulder just as Gracie looked up, and her gaze locked with mine. She and Tatum walked over to the table, and she was still catching her breath.
“Hey. Tatum said she’d take a photo of us. I want a recent one to take with me.” She reached for my hand. “Let’s go over by the tree.”
I followed her over and quickly dipped her back, and we both laughed as Tatum took some pictures.
“These are great.” Tatum glanced down at the phone before handing it back to Gracie.
“Gracie,” Shana Peterson called out, and Gracie jogged over to her as Tatum and I started walking back to the table.
“Hey,” Tatum said to me. “How are you doing with everything?”
“I’m good. Happy for my girl, but of course I’m going to miss her like crazy.”
I didn’t want to wallow. Not when everyone was acting like I should be. I was trying to keep it together. Stay positive.
Maybe we’d be fine.
I wasn’t a big complainer, so I was doing what I could to appear unfazed.
“You don’t have to be stoic for me, but I’m glad you’re putting on a brave face for her,” she said. “She’s really freaking out.”
I narrowed my gaze. “She seems all right. I think she’s ready.”
“I mean, it’s all perspective, right?”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning…” She paused and glanced over her shoulder to see Gracie deep in conversation with Shana Peterson. “I’ll just give it to you straight, so you know where her head is. Because I don’t think she’ll tell you.”
“Okay.”
“She’s got to do this, Cutler. She has something to prove to herself and maybe to everyone else, because she’s really beaten herself up over what happened in Paris.
But she’s struggling with leaving you, and she won’t admit it, because she doesn’t want to make it harder on you.
” She shrugged. “Just be patient with her. She loves you.”
I nodded before rubbing my face. “I’d wait forever for that girl. I understand that she needs to do this. I understand that she might love it there and start a whole new life. And it’s not for me to stop her from doing that.”
“So you need to let her go and see what happens.” Her gaze was sad, and she forced a smile. “Who knew you were such a romantic guy? You’ve totally ruined your playboy reputation.”
I laughed. “All it takes is the right girl to change everything.”
Gracie came walking back over and took both of our hands in hers. “Come on. I just convinced all the guys to get out on the dance floor with us. Let’s go.”
“Phoenix is going to line dance?” Tatum gasped. “This is definitely a first.”
We all lined up, and Brody, Bass, and Cannon all had shit-eating grins on their faces.
Phoenix looked like he was being tortured, which made it even funnier.
And Gracie led as we moved across the dance floor listening to Kenny Chesney, with the whole crowd singing along now.
I wrapped my arms around her from behind as we moved together, and she tipped her head back, her lips grazing my ear.
“I love you, Cutler Heart.”
Yeah. I love you too, Gracie girl.
We ate. We danced. We laughed. And we stayed late into the night.
She was leaving on a flight before the sun would even be up.
But we didn’t care.
Almost like we didn’t want the night to end.
When we finally got home well after midnight, we found Meatball still sleeping on the bed, just where we’d left him.
“I’m going to get him outside real quick,” I said.
“Let’s both go. We could even jump in the lake again.” She followed me outside.
“Baby, you were freezing last night after we jumped in.”
She shrugged. “I don’t want the night to end.”
“Then the night doesn’t have to end. But you don’t have to jump in the lake to keep me awake.” I chuckled. “I’m all yours.”
She nodded and said she’d go get ready for bed. I quickly got a fire going before I took the dog outside, which took all of three minutes because he’d barely stepped onto the grass before he lifted his leg and then wandered back inside to his dog bed.
I decided to let him sleep there because he was happy, and I couldn’t wait to get to my girl.
I stepped into the bedroom. The firelight danced in the background, and all the lights were off. Gracie was sitting on the bed, propped up on her elbows, completely naked.
“What took you so long?” she asked, her voice teasing.
I tore my shirt over my head and kicked off my boots before shoving my jeans and briefs down as quickly as possible. “If I knew you were in here waiting for me like this, I would have let Meatball pee in the house.”
Her head tipped back with laughter. “Last time together for a while, Bear.”
“So, let’s make it count.” My voice was gruff as I leaned down and kissed her.
I wanted to savor every last second with her.
I made my way down her body, kissing every inch.
If this was our last night together, I was going to make sure she remembered it.