Epilogue #2
Grafton is frozen above me, his dick twitching against me right before he groans, dropping his forehead to mine. “Goddamn.”
I snicker, sliding a hand through his hair, scratching my nails against his scalp. “Foiled again,” I say cheekily, my own body confused at the sudden switch in direction.
“It’s alright,” he mumbles. “I’ll get her back when she tries to date.” A startled laugh bursts from me, and he leans up, eyes twinkling. “Better get out there before she starts without us.”
He leans down, pressing one last lingering kiss to my lips, and then he’s gone, sauntering into the attached bathroom. My breath hitches in my throat as I watch him, but he turns at the last moment, catching me gawking at him. My cheeks burn as he flashes a wicked grin at me.
“I hope you never stop blushing around me, darling,” he says roughly. “Come shower with me.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” I say huskily.
He lifts a brow. “Let’s do it anyway.”
I clutch my coffee with both hands, concentrating on making sure that my knee doesn’t bounce and give me away.
Grafton and I are sitting next to each other on the couch, while Louise is in an armchair across from us.
Roger is down on the floor, ohhing and ahhing over all the presents the children are ripping into, passing them a new one as soon as they’re through with the one on their lap.
To keep the magic alive, I shipped all our presents ahead of time, but I also didn’t account for everything that Louise and Roger would buy… Which appears to be the entire toy section of a department store.
“Roger,” Louise calls. “There’s one more under the tree.” She leans forward, pointing to the small box that I snuck under there last night. My stomach swoops.
“Oh.” He grabs it, squinting at the name tag. “It’s for you, Grafton.”
His eyebrows climb his forehead as he sets his coffee down on the table, taking the present when his father leans forward to give it to him.
“What’s this, then?” he wonders, looking at the tag.
“From Lynne.” He glances at me, his eyes suspicious, and I lift my hands to my mouth, hiding the way my lips tremble.
“It’s just a…” My voice is breathless, my heart thudding wildly in my chest. The coffee sloshes in my mug, and I quickly set it down before I drop it. “It’s just something small.”
Grafton hasn’t missed a thing, one corner of his mouth lifting. He doesn’t make a move to open it, his blue eyes locked on me until Ginny bounces on her knees. “Open it! I wanna see!”
My face feels like it’s on fire, and I clasp my hands tightly together in my lap, waiting for him to slowly pull the cheerful wrapping away. He’s meticulous, ensuring he doesn’t cause a single rip to the paper, and I have to bite my tongue to stop myself from ordering him to hurry up.
“You alright, darling?” he asks in a low, knowing voice, his eyes on the present.
“I’m fine,” I rush to reassure him. “Just…too much coffee.”
Mase frowns across the room. “You’ve only had one cup, Mom.”
And Ginny, darling that she is, jumps to her feet and peers into the mug. “And she didn’t even finish it.”
I shoot my children a dirty look. “Snitches get stitches,” I say in a deep, growly voice, and both of them crack up laughing. I look back at Grafton just in time to watch his smile fade away as he looks at the black jewelry box in his hand.
His head slowly lifts, those eyes blazing into mine with fiery intensity. “Darling, what’s this?” There’s a dangerous undercurrent to his words, and I’m not sure why, but it has my confidence flaring.
I flutter my lashes coyly. “It’s your present.” Duh.
“If I open this, and it’s what I think it is…” he says slowly, and everyone else pulls their full focus to us, sensing that something is about to go down.
“What is it, Graft?” Louise demands. “Open it!”
He doesn’t look away from me, the box looking tiny in the palm of his large hand. “Lynley.”
I smirk at him, gesturing at the box. “Go on.”
He slicks his tongue over his teeth before looking down, slowly opening the box. Sitting on the cushion inside is a small piece of paper and nothing else. Grafton pulls it out, slowly unfolding it, his eyes tracing over the words.
Mase looks over me, his eyes twinkling, while Ginny just looks confused, because my girl isn’t great at secrets yet. Louise and Roger are dying of curiosity, until finally, Louise demands, “Well, go on. What does it say?”
Grafton inhales deeply, not answering. Without looking away from him, I tell the room, “It says, ‘I’m ready. Ask me.’”
That doesn’t clear up the confusion at all. He looks over at me, the paper shaking in his hand and his eyes overly bright. “Are you always gonna beat me to the punch, darling?”
I open my mouth, but as his words register, I close it with a frown. He doesn’t seem to need an answer, though, because he’s standing up, sliding a hand into his pocket, and pulling out a similar box to the one he just opened.
Louise gasps loudly, her husband shushing her. Everyone is watching with bated breath as Grafton goes to one knee in front of the couch.
“You were…” I try to ask, my voice fading into nothing.
“I was.” He smiles at me. “I said I would wait until you were ready, and I did. So Ginny and I came up with a plan.” He shoots a conspiratorial look at my girl, who claps her hands.
“I didn’t tell!” she exclaims. “I didn’t say a word!”
Grafton chuckles. “No, you didn’t. Ginny and I came up with the plan. It was Mase who helped me pick this out…” He flicks open the box, showing a single brilliant-cut diamond solitaire set on a delicate white-gold band.
My breath catches in my throat, my chest starting to burn the longer I go without air. I throw an accusing look at my son. “You double-crossed me.” He shrugs, looking unrepentant, and a watery laugh escapes.
“Lynley,” Grafton says quietly, and I look back down at him, my eyes locking with his.
“I’ve waited my entire life for the piece that was missing, never knowing what it looked like or when I’d find it.
The moment I saw you under that tree, I knew.
And once you became mine, I also knew I’d never let you go.
” His shoulders move on an inhale, but he doesn't look nervous. Just determined, resolute—like there’s only one outcome here.
“Lynley. You, Mase, and Ginny… You’re mine. And it’s time the world knew it.”
I feel the tears trickling down my cheeks. I don’t brush them away as he plucks the ring from the box and takes my left hand. They’re shaking in his steady grasp, and he strokes a thumb over my fingers before sliding the ring on—a perfect fit.
I stare down at the sparkling ring, my voice cracking as I remind him, “You didn’t ask me anything.”
“Huh,” he murmurs. “Didn’t I?”
Grafton gets up, leaning in so close that all I can see is blue. And then he smiles. “Marry me, Lynley.”