Chapter Nine
Grant had jumped from an aircraft in the middle of the night, infiltrated hostile territory, and spent countless deployments making decisions where the consequences of being wrong could be catastrophic.
Yet somehow none of those experiences compared to sitting in a hotel bar waiting for Amelie to come downstairs.
He sat with Mac, Nico, and Rafe near one of the large stone fireplaces, nursing a beer. His eyes kept drifting toward the elevator bank every so often despite his best efforts to appear relaxed.
Nico shook his head and laughed. “You know, watching you right now is one of the most entertaining things I’ve seen all week.”
Grant glanced at him. “What are you talking about?”
“You keep looking at the elevators.”
“I do not.”
“You absolutely do,” Rafe said, taking a drink from his beer.
Grant frowned.
“Twenty-one times,” Mac said with a smirk.
“What?”
“You’ve looked toward the elevators twenty-one times in the last fifteen minutes.”
“Why are you counting?”
Mac shrugged, “I was curious.”
Grant muttered something under his breath, which made the other three laugh harder.
That was exactly why tonight mattered so much. Because this wasn’t really a first date, it was a second chance.
Grant wasn’t foolish enough to take that gift lightly.
The teasing gradually faded as if the other men recognized where his thoughts had gone. Mac set his glass down and leaned back in his chair, his expression growing more serious.
“I know that I don’t need to tell you how lucky you are to get a second chance.
And not only that, but also to be a part of your son’s lives.
” Then he smirked. “And based on what I’ve seen from those boys, I would suggest you don’t screw it up because I have a feeling that they will make your life miserable if you do. ”
Grant looked down at the table briefly before nodding.
“Believe me. I know I’ve been blessed with a gift. I have no intention of messing it up.”
A few moments later, Nico, who was facing the elevators, suddenly sat up straighter in his chair, a grin spreading across his face before he let out a low whistle.
“Damn. You are one lucky son of a bitch.”
Grant turned his head, and his breath caught as Amelie stepped off the elevator.
Her long chestnut hair fell down her back in soft waves. The cream-colored cowl neck sweater, dark jeans, and black boots were simple, comfortable, and warm. It was something he imagined Amelie wearing.
She had never needed much makeup, and from this distance, he could already tell she had kept it simple.
Grant just stared, and when her eyes found him, she smiled. At that moment, he knew he was done for.
His gaze then dropped from Amelie to the two boys standing beside her.
Tyler and Trevor started toward him, and Amelie followed behind them. Grant downed the rest of his beer and then stood up.
The boys said a quick “hi” to him and then immediately launched into an excited discussion with Nico and Rafe about night snowboarding, clearly thrilled that the two men had agreed to take them out on the slopes after dark.
Grant’s attention shifted to Amelie as she reached the table.
“Hi, everyone,” she said with a smile.
A chorus of greetings met her, but Grant barely heard any of them. He stepped forward before he could stop himself, leaning down to brush a kiss against her cheek.
The scent of her light perfume immediately wrapped around him.
“Hi,” he murmured, lingering just a second longer than necessary. “You look beautiful.”
A faint blush colored her cheeks, and the smile she gave him, hit him square in the chest.
“Thank you,” she said. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”
That earned a grin from him, though if he was being honest, he would have shown up wearing a potato sack if it meant spending the evening with her.
The boys immediately made dramatic gagging noises, and Tyler actually clutched his chest.
“Oh no. They’re flirting.”
Grant laughed while Amelie looked horrified.
“We are standing right here,” she informed the boys.
“Trust us,” Trevor said. “We’re painfully aware.”
Everyone laughed. The tension that had been hovering around Grant all evening eased another notch.
“Are you ready?” he asked Amelie.
She nodded.
Then she turned toward Nico and Rafe.
“Thank you again for offering to watch these two.”
Rafe waved a dismissive hand. “It’s no problem.”
Amelie leaned down and kissed the boys on the tops of their heads.
Grant looked at the boys. “You two behave and listen to Nico and Rafe.”
Tyler grinned. “Pretty sure we’re not the ones who need the safety briefing tonight, Dad. Remember, Trevor, and I are proof that Christmas magic is real.”
Grant closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose while Nico and Rafe completely lost whatever composure they had been holding onto and laughed.
He should have been embarrassed, but honestly, he was too busy trying not to laugh.
Beside him, Amelie looked from the boys to Nico and Rafe and then back to Grant, her brow furrowing in confusion.
“What did I miss?”
Grant immediately shook his head. “Nothing.”
“Grant.”
With one last wave to the boys and the guys, he guided her toward the door before any of them could make things worse.
“I’ll explain later.”
“You better.”
At the door, Grant quickly helped Amelie into her coat. Once she was bundled against the cold, he hesitated briefly before reaching for her hand.
For a second, he wasn’t sure what she would do, then she smiled, and a moment later her fingers slipped between his. The simple gesture shouldn’t have affected him as much as it did, but it did. And together they stepped outside into the snowy evening.
The village looked even more magical at night. Thousands of Christmas lights illuminated the streets while music drifted from nearby shops and restaurants. Snowflakes floated lazily through the air as people wandered through the market carrying shopping bags and cups of hot chocolate.
For several minutes, they walked hand in hand, neither of them seeming in a hurry to break the comfortable silence.
Eventually, Amelie glanced sideways at him.
“So, are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
Grant smiled. “No.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Why not?”
“Because it’s a surprise.”
“I don’t like surprises.”
Grant laughed. “That is absolutely not true.”
She sighed dramatically. “Fine. I don’t like surprises when I’m not the one planning them.”
“Now that sounds accurate.”
She bumped her shoulder lightly against his, making him smile.
For a while, they kept the conversation light.
Amelie had told him how much fun the boys had had snowboarding with him and the guys earlier. Apparently, they couldn’t stop talking about it.
“I enjoy too,” Grant told her.
Amelie looked up at him and smiled. “I’m glad.”
A few minutes later, they turned down the side street where the restaurant was.
As they approached the wooden building, covered in Christmas lights, the smell of fresh pizza drifted from inside.
Amelie slowed, and she looked up at Grant.
“You remembered?” Her voice was soft, almost disbelieving.
Grant looked at her and smiled. He felt ridiculously pleased with himself based on her reaction. Twelve years later, and apparently, pizza was still the way to her heart.