Chapter 20
20
GRANT
There was a single moment when I thought Tessa might let me into her soul, and then I saw her lock it all down again. She was right to do so, because I felt certain that, instead of scaring me off, Tessa’s worries and fears and sadness—the stuff she kept locked down so tight—would only make me fall more in love with her. I sighed. The last thing I should be thinking about was loving Tessa, but the word had lit up in my brain every time I’d thought about her this week. “Tess,” I said, when she didn’t continue. “I want to see you tonight.”
She nodded, but didn’t say more, and I wasn’t sure what it was supposed to mean. Tessa was so out of sorts, and maybe I needed to give her space to have those feelings, but I didn’t want to.
“I better get back out there,” I said, my free hand falling to the doorknob behind me.
“Grant,” she repeated, pressing her soft palm into my chest to still me. “It’s not you. It’s never you. You’re….” The word trailed off, leaving me with countless possible endings, and for one disastrous second I considered telling her how I really felt. “My friends want to go to the bar tonight, but tomorrow I’m yours.”
“Be careful what you offer me, Tessa. You know when you’re mine, you’re mine.” My voice was barely a whisper, a sandpaper-rough breath on her skin.
Tessa’s lips curled up at one corner, the first hint of a smile I’d seen since I’d followed her to the closet. “Yes,” she agreed simply, and I smiled in reply, dipping down to kiss her tenderly. “You can leave first, if you want, so no one sees us.”
She nodded her agreement and I swung the door open, letting her head out of the closet while I stayed behind. She closed the door shut behind her and I leaned back on it with a sigh, closing my eyes and trying not to think about how stupid in love I was falling.
“There you are. Is everything okay?” Kelly asked as I walked back toward my family where they stood boxing food.
“Everything’s fine. I just had to check my messages,” I lied, surprised at how easily the words slid from my lips.
Kelly nodded as if this made perfect sense, and I didn’t elaborate, knowing that if word got back to my father he’d want to know what patient needed advice at this hour. “Tessa wanted to switch and work on food so your mom moved us to wrapping. How are you at wrapping?” she asked, grinning widely.
“I’m fine at it,” I replied, fighting the urge to look away from Kelly and seek out Tess.
“Great! Your mom said you’d do fine, but Tessa was explaining how bad Everett she’d gone to school with them for more than a decade. It was me she didn’t know.