Chapter 31
Never in my life had I been more tempted to cancel on my brother.
Over the years he’d dragged me along to hundreds of these charity events.
Standing around in a stuffy ballroom while billionaires yammered on endlessly about stock prices wasn’t my idea of a good time, but Andy had told me more than once that without me there he would likely perish of boredom.
I figured the least I could do was put on a pretty dress once in a while and show up for my brother.
Besides, he always took me out for greasy fast food at the end of the night. Fancy rich people portion sizes and I did not get along.
Tonight was going to be a struggle, though, and no amount of McDonalds fries was going to make it any easier.
I wanted to see Liam with an intensity that made me ache. I had so much to apologize for, so much to get off my chest. Everything between us seemed chaotic and unsettled and I hated that feeling. It made it difficult to concentrate at work, difficult to sleep.
God, I had so many regrets. There were a million things I wished I had done differently. If I had just been a damn grown up, if I had just been honest about how I felt, so much of the heartache of the last week could have been avoided.
Tomorrow, I reminded myself as I finished applying my eye make-up. You’ll talk it all out tomorrow. And this time, I was going to be strong enough to tell him the truth about my feelings.
“Ace?” my brother’s booming voice called from downstairs. I frowned at my bedside clock. He wasn’t due to pick me up for another fifteen minutes, and Andy was far too busy to ever be early.
“Up here,” I called, cinching my robe at the waist before he came barreling in.
“Oh, good. You’re not dressed yet.”
I felt a surge of hope—was he backing out of the event?—but it diminished when he held out a black garment bag, replaced by confusion. “What’s that?”
“I bought you a dress,” he said, thrusting the bag forward. “For the event.”
I frowned. It wasn’t unusual for my brother to gift me black tie garments for these occasions—he would never expect me to waste my paltry teacher’s salary on designer labels—but his gifts usually consisted of sending me to a boutique with his credit card.
I didn’t think he’d ever picked something out for me before.
“What’s going on?” I asked, immediately suspicious.
He rolled his eyes. “I can’t buy my favorite sister a gift?”
“Andy,” I warned.
He pushed the bag forward again. “Peyton picked it out, okay? She said you had a crappy week and deserved to feel spoiled.”
I took the bag, still feeling unsure, but Andy seemed in a hurry now that he’d delivered the garment. “Get dressed, yeah?” He was already heading to the door. “I want to get going.”
Grumbling about annoying brothers, I shut the door behind him and unzipped the black bag—and my breath immediately caught.
The dress was gorgeous. Emerald green silk cascaded to the floor, the fabric so sumptuous it needed little embellishment.
I knew at a glance it was going to do amazing things for my skin tone and bring out the color of my eyes.
As soon as I slipped into it, it was clear it would fit me perfectly, almost like it had been made just for me.
I brushed off the thought that it was also almost the exact same color as the ill-fated prom dress I’d felt so beautiful in all those years ago, but never got the chance to wear.
“Jesus, Andy,” I said a few moments later as I made my way down the stairs. “This must have cost a fortune.”
He looked up from his phone and something softened in his eyes. “You look beautiful, Ace.”
I walked over and adjusted his bow tie. “You don’t look too bad yourself.”
He surprised me by pulling me into a hug. “I mean it,” he murmured. “You look great. You deserve to have an amazing time tonight.”
“Okay, you’re definitely being weird now,” I muttered, but I hugged him back tightly.
He gave me a classic Andy smirk as he pulled away. “Let’s go, Ace. The night awaits.”
“I don’t understand why I couldn’t just wait in the car,” I grumbled, following my brother down a long hallway in the bowels of the Avenger’s practice facility. He’d received a call shortly after we’d gotten into his car, some issue at the arena that couldn’t wait, so we’d made a detour.
“I don’t see why you’re complaining,” he said, striding ahead of me. “Maybe you’ll get lucky and see lover boy.”
I rolled my eyes at his back, grumbling about the heels currently pinching my toes. “If we miss the hors d’oeuvres I’m gonna be pissed.”
“I’m going to remember all this whining later,” he said, laughter in his voice. “You’re about to feel very silly.”
“What are you—“ But we’d just turned a corner and the glass walled gymnasium came into view. When I’d seen this part of the building on Andy’s tour, he mentioned the team would use it for off-ice workouts and drills as well as stress relief in the form of pick-up basketball games.
But tonight, it looked far from a place where sweaty hockey players might be found working out.
“What the hell?” I murmured. Through the glass walls I could see a crowd of people milling around in tuxedos and evening gowns. The entire space was lit up with twinkle lights, balloons and streamers decorating every spare inch. “Andy, what is this?”
“This,” he said, taking my hand, “is your prom.”
I opened my mouth and then shut it, completely at a loss. I tried again but before I could ask any of the hundred questions crowding my mind, Liam stepped out of the doorway and into the hall.
“Have fun, Ace,” Andy said, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. And then he was walking away, clapping Liam on the shoulder and leaving me standing there, mouth gaping in shock.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Liam said, grinning at me.
I just shook my head, feeling on the verge of tears. “I don’t understand,” I finally managed to squeak out.
Liam stepped forward, taking my hands in his big ones. “It would seem there’s been a whole bunch of not understanding going on. Most of it my fault.”
“What do you—”
“I love you, Grace.”
That had my mouth snapping shut, my stammering questions dying out in a flash.
I stared up at him, this guy I’d been crazy about for so long.
There was nothing uncertain in his face, no hint of doubt or fear.
He looked every bit as serious and confident as he did facing down hulking hockey players every night.
But a whole lot happier.
“I’m in love with you,” he clarified, taking another step closer. “Have been for a hell of a long time.” He smiled my favorite, boyish grin, slightly abashed. “Should have told you years ago.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but he squeezed my hands, making me pause. “Let me say some things first, okay?”
Since the confusion and fireworks of pure joy battling in my brain made it difficult to find words, I merely nodded.
“Did you know I applied to Michigan our senior year?”
“What?” I gaped at him. “But you always wanted to play for Minnesota.”
His eyes softened. “True. But Michigan was one of the schools that scouted me. At first I turned them down, but by senior year, I realized they had one distinct advantage over Minnesota—it’s where you were going to be.”
I couldn’t seem to wrap my mind around this. “But—”
“I was crazy about you Grace. Absolutely head over heels. Didn’t think I ever had a chance with you.”
A snort of laughter erupted. “You didn’t have a chance with me? What planet are you on? You were the most popular guy in school.”
“And you were you,” he said simply, like that meant something. “So smart and loyal and kind and funny. So fucking gorgeous. What would you want with a guy like me?”
“Liam.”
He brought his palms to my face, cradling my cheeks and cutting me off. “When you agreed to go to prom with me, though, I started to think maybe I did have a chance. I felt hopeful enough that I got in touch with that scout from Michigan to see if they might still be interested.”
Now I really did feel like my head was going to explode. “But Chloe—”
“Lied.” He face looked harder than I think I had ever seen it.
“She lied, Grace. I wanted to go to prom with you.” His thumb swept out to wipe away a tear I didn’t realize had slipped from my eye and his voice softened.
“Of course I wanted to go with you. I was fucking heartbroken when you backed out.”
I could only shake my head, too overcome with emotion to speak. There was something like joy simmering in my chest but it battled thick regret. Why had I believed Chloe? Why couldn’t I have just been brave enough to talk to Liam?
Just like I wasn’t brave enough to say how I really felt in my kitchen that day.
Well, that was going to change right now.
“I love you, too,” I blurted out, my hands going to his chest as I stared up into those beautiful blue eyes. “I’m so in love with you, Liam.”
He went still, his eyes wide. “Yeah?”
I laughed through a sob. “Of course I am.”
His eyes closed, relief washing over his face. “Thank fuck.” Then his eyes snapped open. “Say it again,” he demanded.
That had me laughing harder, and soon Liam was joining me, looking down at me, so happy it took my breath away. We stood there in the hallway alone, laughing like idiots, our eyes wet, and I knew that this was the feeling I’d been waiting for my entire life.
Love. Acceptance. Commitment.
Liam. Finally mine, for real.
“I love you—” And even though he had been the one to demand I repeat myself, he cut me off with a kiss before I could even finish the words.
His kiss was desperate, his mouth hot and demanding against mine.
He kissed me with all the intensity of a man whose lips hadn’t met mine since we left New York.
“Never again,” he murmured against my mouth, as if he had read my mind. “I never want to go that long without kissing you ever again.”
“I can get behind that.”