Chapter 35 #2
He clicks his heels, and I drop my head back to the throne.
“Moose got them for me. They look good right?”
“Who are you, and what have you done with Drill Bit?”
Greyson doesn’t have any right to move as quickly as he does, but he’s on me in a millisecond, his scruffy chin rubbing against my cheek, and his warm breath sliding down my neck.
“Oh, Monroe.” He groans, then nips at the sensitive skin beneath my earlobe.
“Drill Bit is still in control, I’m just letting you have the fantasy of being in charge.
This is your thing, but tonight, at home, I’ll really show you what I can do with these hips.
” His lips press to mine, but it’s too chaste.
“I might have learned a few tricks today.”
My jaw drops as he swivels his hips in a move that would make Magic Mike proud.
I squirm in my seat while he slowly lowers himself into his.
At some point, Moose joined us on stage. As master of ceremonies, he’s apparently in for a show we won’t soon forget.
“Ready, kids?”
“Where did Moose get a top hat from?” I whisper.
“Ready,” Grey calls back, then to me he whispers, “Pops insisted.”
“Of course he did.”
The curtains rise, and so does my temperature.
“Oh shit.” It slips through my lips as I scan every single face as far as I can see.
“What? What’s wrong?” Grey snatches my hand and tugs until I face him.
The stage isn’t huge, but most of the town is here, and my happy little bubble of a moment ago bursts.
“Sav?”
“I’m fine. I just…I guess I never pictured this part of it.” Moose is speaking to the crowd, but Grey has a way of sucking you into his orbit and drowning out everything else. “I’m center stage. He could…he could be…”
Worry lines form deep between his brows. “Yes, he could. But we have everything in place. You’re safe here, even if you’re on display. Roman has taken care of everything.”
“Can Greyson prove he’s worthy of our sweetheart, or will another prince prove victorious?” Moose’s voice is amplified through the sound speaker.
“Oh, God. What if Riley wins?”
Grey’s face is ferocious. “That will never happen.”
“Right. Right, of course.” Get your shit together, girl.
“Greyson Reyes and Savvy Sweetheart.” Moose calls out our names, and Grey uses his grasp on my hand to help me rise.
I feel a little like royalty as our friends and neighbors clap, cheer, and whistle. It’s easy to fall back into the safety of home-field advantage.
Grey squeezes my hand, then lifts our joined palms to the air.
“They love you,” I say when the cheers get louder.
“Nah, I’m just arm candy. You’re the sweetheart they’re rooting for.”
“Are we ready to crown this year’s sweetheart?” Moose asks the crowd.
Madi, Clover, and Elle account for at least thirty percent of the noise as they begin chanting my name.
Not going to lie, it’s kind of good for the old ego.
Moose hands Grey the microphone.
Shit. How did I forget this part?
“I’ve been told it’s my duty and my honor to introduce this year’s sweetheart, Savannah Monroe.”
Bricks start stacking in my throat.
“A few months ago, I bet none of you would have thought I’d be the one delivering this speech. But a few months ago, I was an idiot.”
The crowd laughs, and a brick is dislodged. This is his superpower. This is how he’ll win…he simply won’t give them any option but to fall in love with him.
“Have you ever met someone who was your equal and from the very first words out of their mouth, you knew you were either going to kill them or marry them?” Geez, he really does play well to a crowd.
“Well, that was me, except I was too stubborn to admit the truth. The moment I met Savvy, I thought for sure we were going to ruin each other.”
He turns back to me, and his face softens.
“And we did.” He’s talking to the crowd, but it feels like his words are meant just for me.
“In the best way possible, we tore down walls and childhood trauma. We shoved, kicked, and pushed each other through uncomfortable situations, and we came out on the other side, stronger, healthier, and…in love.”
Come on, Grey. Now it’s time for you to get your shit together. This isn’t how the introductions are supposed to go.
“I can honestly say there’s only one woman strong enough, kind enough, smart enough, and stubborn enough to carry the baggage I came to Happiness with.
” His voice is as smooth as melted chocolate.
“But she held it over her head as though it weighed nothing, then tossed it onto the highway where she ran over it a few hundred times until the load was something I could bear.
“That’s why she’s your sweetheart. Because she has a capacity to love that is so pure, so true, so…perfect.” He smiles a smile he reserves just for me, and my knees wobble. “She’s perfect. And she’s the perfect representation of everything good here in Happiness. To our sweetheart, Savvy Monroe!”
He holds out the microphone to Moose, then pulls it back at the last second. “Oh, any prizes I win, I’ll be raffling off over at the Discreet Daily Deeds booth—except time with Savvy, that’s all mine. All you have to do to enter is drop a wish in our treasure chest.”
A chorus of oohs and aahs fills the air as he finally hands over the microphone to Moose, then uses his thumbs to swipe under my eyes.
“What the hell, Drill Bit? That’s not how this was supposed to go.”
“I improvised.”
Moose hands him a crown I’ve never seen before.
Grey lowers it so I can see.
My stomach drops into my toes.
“What did you do?” I whisper.
“I improvised.” He winks. Greyson Reyes freaking winks.
“Moose told me they go missing every year, so Clover and Madi helped me source one just for you. I would have done it myself, but it turns out I’m not that crafty.
” He holds up his forearm, where a small half-inch burn sits.
“Turns out hot glue guns are fucking hot.”
Tears blur my vision as he spins a crown made of light pink silk roses, adorned with sprigs of violet and sage. But it’s the wire spires that appear to float around it with tiny glowing fireflies dangling from the ends that makes my nose tingle.
“I couldn’t find a way to make the bugs glow forever.
” He lifts it and places it on top of my head.
I know people are cheering, but I can’t hear anything but my pulse beating in my ears.
Then he leans in, presses a kiss to my cheek, and whispers, “Since they only glow for thirty days, I bought a lifetime supply.”
Before I can respond to that, he kisses my lips. “Showtime, Monroe. It’s time to win your heart.” He points to my crown. “How’s that for wooing you, huh?”
He jumps off the edge of the stage and takes his position in the front line. With his family and friends surrounding him, he rips his shirt over his head and twirls it around in the air.
Dear God, he’s all in.