Chapter 46
FORTY-SIX
PRESENT
Grant and I moved in together quickly. We blended our lives so seamlessly.
He encouraged me to make any changes or decorate however I wanted.
I immediately planned to turn Gio’s old room into my mini office and library.
I went from a two-bedroom condo to a four-bedroom house, so we still had two other rooms to decide what to do with.
“What are you thinking about over there?” he asked, bringing me out of my trance.
“Honestly, what we could do with the other two bedrooms. One could be a guest bedroom, but what should we do with the one you use as storage?” We were definitely going through that room soon, because I couldn’t handle the clutter.
“We could have a fun room,” he said suggestively.
My face heated as I pictured all the fun we could have. “I’ll think about it.”
“You’re the boss.” He winked.
“I should get to work.” I stood up from the table and walked to him. He always kissed me on my forehead, nose, and lips before we were away from each other. I never thought I could be loved so loudly and proudly.
When I arrived at work, it was slow. Since I had no work to do, I browsed through Grant’s sister’s social media to get a feel for how to approach her.
I wanted to approach the topic delicately because the only woman she ever saw her brother with was Avery.
I wanted to ensure I didn’t come off as someone trying to take her place in Grant’s or her life.
All I wanted was for Grant to feel whole again, and he needed his sister back to do so.
I was afraid of how he’d react if she didn’t want to see him.
I needed to clear my head. “I’m going to take my fifteen and go for a walk,” I told Carmen as I stood up from my desk.
“Okay, mijita. Be safe.”
“I will.” I walked out of the store into the fresh spring air.
I wandered around downtown when I came across a small boutique with a ‘For Sale Coming Soon’ sign in the window.
I looked through the windows, and it was the perfect size for a bookstore.
I took the number down just in case. I wasn’t quite financially ready to throw everything into my dream yet, but it could be a sign—literally.
With a clear mind and slight excitement over the prospect of finding a building for my store, I opened Luna’s profile and drafted a message.
Hi Luna,
My name is Serenity; I apologize if this message finds you at a bad time.
I'm Grant’s girlfriend, and funny enough, we met in therapy.
We became best friends before we became a couple, and he’s come such a long way in his healing journey.
I recently learned about you and Avery. I am so sorry for your losses.
Not just your Gram and Avery, but how you lost the brother who was your best friend, who became a shell of who he used to be before losing Avery.
I make no excuses for how he handled his grief when you still needed him as a parental figure.
I saw the pain in his face when he talked about that time in his life, and I don’t think he can truly feel healed without at least talking to you and explaining everything he couldn’t back then.
The reason I’m reaching out instead of him is because he believes you’re better off without him.
If you miss him just as much as he misses you, then we would like to invite you to our home for dinner. You’re welcome anytime.
I left her my phone number. I hoped for the best and sent the message.
Not even ten minutes later, I received a call from an unknown number. I immediately answered.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is this Serenity? I received a message from you about my brother, Grant.”
I almost squealed with excitement from hearing from her so soon. “Yes, hi, thank you so much for calling. He would love to see you and at least talk.”
“I can come tomorrow. I’ve been looking for him, but he’s kind of hard to track down. I could have tried harder.” She laughed lightly.
I laughed along with her. “He’s been a real recluse since moving to Tucson after you left. I happened to be at the right place at the right time to get him to step out of his shell. But tomorrow will be perfect. Where are you living now? I don’t want you to have to go out of your way.”
“I’ve been in the Phoenix area, but don’t mind making the drive. I’d like to see the life Grant built for himself. I hated how we left things, but maybe it was the best for both of us at the time.”
“I’m so glad you’re willing to come down. I’m so excited to meet you, and I’m sure Grant will feel the same when I give him the good news.”
“Actually,” she started, “can you not tell him I’m coming? I’d like it to be a surprise.”
“I love surprises,” I exclaimed. “Text me when you’re headed this way, and I’ll make sure he's ready for you.”
“Thank you, Serenity. Your message meant more to me than I can express. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
My eyes watered at her admission. “See you tomorrow.”
We ended the call, and I jumped up and down. I hoped I could keep the secret so she could surprise him tomorrow. Grant knew me too well. He’d know right away I was hiding something. I’m sure I can find a way to distract him.
“Where’d you head off to during your break?” Mikey asked.
“I went for a walk, but guess what?”
“Tell me.”
I looked around, ensuring Carmen wasn’t close by. “There’s a small boutique going up for sale a couple of blocks from here. A perfect place for an indie bookstore. How mad would Carmen be if I opened a bookstore somewhat close to hers?”
“Hmm,” he started, tapping his fingers on his chin. “The stores would honestly be so different since she primarily carries mainstream or traditional authors’ books. I think she would tell you to go for it.”
“Really?” I asked skeptically.
“There’s only one way to find out. Are you planning on jumping ship soon?”
“I doubt I could afford it right now. But I might be able to soon. Did I tell you I moved in with Grant?” I shifted my eyebrows up and down.
“No wonder you come to work in such a good mood lately.” He winked at me.
I laughed, not denying his statement. “Speaking of, I should get home to him.”
“If I had a man who looked like that, then I’d be asking to leave work early, too.”
I rolled my eyes. “His sister is visiting us tomorrow, so I want to get the house in order.” I gathered my things to leave. “Stop checking out my boyfriend.”
“Stop having a hot boyfriend,” he teased.
“Goodbye,” I said, laughing on my way out the door.
Grant was already home when I pulled into the driveway. I took a few breaths and put on my best poker face. “You can do this,” I said aloud to myself before stepping out of the car and walking into the house.
“Honey, I’m home,” I yelled through the house. I took off my shoes and walked toward the kitchen, where I heard him cooking.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he said, approaching me, bringing me into a big hug, and kissing me passionately. “I missed you.”
“What are you cooking? Whatever it is, it smells delicious.” I avoided his gaze.
“I made a garlic chicken pasta. It’s ready, I’m just letting it cool a bit. Are you hungry?”
“Starving,” I admitted.
He scrunched his eyebrows. “Are you okay? You seem off.”
I knew he could tell I had something big on my mind. “I stumbled upon something today.”
“What’d you stumble upon?” he asked suspiciously.
“There’s a little boutique downtown going up for sale soon. I peeked in the window, and it was so cute and quirky. It gave me an idea of what I’d like my bookstore to look like. Honestly, if I had the money now, then I would have probably bought it on the spot.” I let out a breathy laugh.
He looked at me solemnly. “You know we’re a team now, right? You don't have to do it all on your own.”
I should know by now that Grant wouldn’t have ulterior motives when he offered to help me financially, but my mom used money to show her love and then used it to buy my silence, so it was still a sore subject for me.
“I see your thoughts spiraling. This would be different from when your mom was helping you. I believe in your dream. I will invest in anything that brings you joy. We can at least look at our finances together, call the owner to see what they’re asking for, and when they’re putting it on the market.
Don’t rule it out yet. We can figure it out together. ”
“Your devotion to helping me fulfill my dream is not something I thought I would ever find in someone.”
He smiled brightly at me. “Anything for you.”
I stared up at him with fire in my eyes. His love and dedication toward me and my dreams were instant turn-ons. “Maybe you’d like to have dessert first,” I said, giving him a suggestive smile.
He gave me his famous sly smile back. He picked me up and set me on the kitchen island.
He kissed me hard with want. “I can’t wait to taste how sweet you are,” he said, spreading my legs, gently rubbing at my core through my pants.
We kissed more rapidly; I couldn’t get enough.
He nibbled on my bottom lip, proceeding to kiss and bite down on my neck. I audibly moaned.
He went for the buttons on my pants. “Here?” I asked, having never experienced anything sexual outside of the bedroom before.
“I’d like my dessert now,” he insisted, taking both my pants and underwear down and throwing them across the room.
He spread my legs wide right there on the kitchen island.
He lowered himself to his knees before me, lined up perfectly.
He gathered my wetness with his tongue and licked all the way up to my clit.
I let out a small moan and shifted my hips more toward his mouth.
“You like that, sweet girl?” he asked, barely taking his mouth off me.
I could feel the vibrations from his deep voice.
“More, please,” I begged. He flicked his tongue back and forth on my clit with a slow precision, picking up speed as the pleasure intensified. “Yes, just like that.”
“Mm, you taste so good.” He began devouring me like I was his last meal.
He used his whole mouth to kiss, lick, and bite, driving me insane.
I tried to squeeze my legs toward his head, the pleasure becoming too intense.
He held my legs open, moving his lips back and forth across my clit.
He used the weight of his tongue to add the pressure I needed to come undone.
My orgasm came out as a scream, coursing through every nerve in my body. As I came down, he gave me soft kisses over the area he had just devoured. “You’re so pretty when you’re dripping from my pleasure.”
He stood up, kissing me softly on the lips. “The best dessert in town, and it’s all mine.”
I was still catching my breath as he brought a warm washcloth to clean me up, putting back on my panties and pants.
“I think I’m ready for bed after that.” We both laughed.
“Well, let’s get you fed and showered first.”
“We need to go to bed early. I have a surprise for you tomorrow.” I gave him a quick wink, jumping down from the island.
“If it’s from you, I’m sure I’ll love it,” he said, kissing me on the forehead.
He made our plates and brought them to the table. I stared at him, feeling so lucky to come across someone willing to take care of all my needs. He truly took care of me, and I’d never take it for granted.