Chapter 24 Grayson
GRAYSON
Grayson spent every moment between Rory’s arrival and Christmas hurriedly completing the preparations for a great big holiday at home.
A huge snowstorm came at one point, trapping them in the house for two days and frosting the whole town white. But there was so much cooking and planning to do, the three adults and one sweet baby hardly noticed.
The gathering was Evangeline’s idea. She had called his parents without telling him, and chatted with Sam before shyly asking Grayson what he thought about a great big Christmas get-together for his family and any of the men who didn’t have a place to go.
But Grayson was happy to make it real, happy to share the preparations with Evangeline and Rory, and happy to have a home that felt a little less empty these days, and where there were a lot more smiles.
Rory seemed to fit right in. His booming laughter filled the house, and everything seemed to tickle the big man’s funny bone.
From cooking, to tidying up, to meticulously planning seating and a meal for a horde of hungry holiday guests, Rory threw himself into everything with infectious energy and good-natured humor.
And even when there was no project at hand, he endlessly tinkered—changing the filters on the furnace, checking that the hose bibs were off, vacuuming the bottom of the fridge, and changing the oil in the SUV, as if making everything he touched run just a little smoother were as natural to him as breathing.
And the way he doted on Leo made Grayson smile.
Evangeline had pulled Grayson aside half a dozen times, thanking him for letting her brother stay for a while. But honestly, he was happy to have the man around.
Grayson was feeling more like himself—confident, content, and if not exactly easygoing, at least quicker to see the bright side of things.
And after a heart-to-heart he’d had at The Barrel with Dalton Tyler, well… he was ready to start taking his own advice.
He was ready to ask for more.
Christmas morning was a quiet, family affair. Grayson, Evangeline, and Rory opened their gifts, took turns cuddling Leo, and ate bacon and eggs standing around the kitchen island, laughing as Rory regaled them with tales of Christmases when he and Evangeline were small.
But soon it was time to get to work.
Rory headed out with a shovel to give the driveway and parking area one last clearing.
Evangeline took the bacon-wrapped scallops out of the oven, put a tray of lasagna in, and began topping the chocolate cookies she’d made with peppermint frosting.
And Grayson carried Leo upstairs to change him one last time before their guests began to arrive.
“It’s going to be a big day,” he told the little one as he fastened a fresh diaper on him. “What do you think? Is it good luck to take our chances on Christmas?”
Leo’s little hands had been grabbing for the sunlight streaming through the window, but he looked at his daddy and his chubby little face broke into a dimpled smile, almost like he knew what was going to happen.
“She might say no,” Grayson warned him. “And we’ll have to respect that if she does.”
Leo smacked his lips and chuckled.
“I know, I know,” Grayson said, smiling down at him. “She can’t resist you. It’s me I’m worried about.”
By the time they got downstairs, a couple of the guys from the center were already there.
Most of the men and women from Trinity Falls had friends and family to celebrate with.
But Captain Anderson’s reputation and the good work his center was doing had drawn veterans from all over the region.
And with the roads still iffy without four-wheel-drive, and so many flights canceled, Grayson was pretty sure they would have a full house today.
Evangeline was walking around with a tray of soft pretzels, gently teasing anyone who didn’t take one, while the radio played “Santa Bring My Baby Back,” and Rory’s booming laughter echoed from the kitchen, mixing with the delighted laughter of other guests.
“Looks like the party’s already started,” Grayson murmured to Leo, who was clinging to him like he wasn’t sure about all this noise and all these new people. “And it’s nice to have so many guests here, because they all want to spend time with us.”
“Grayson,” Evangeline said, her face lighting up when she spotted him. “Your parents’ flight was delayed, but they’re still going to get here tonight.”
“That’s great,” he told her.
He hadn’t been sure they would still want to travel after that storm, but it seemed that he wasn’t the only one who couldn’t resist Evangeline when she had her mind set on something.
“Are those soft pretzels?” one of the guys asked as he came out of the kitchen, looking excited about it.
“They sure are,” Evangeline said. “A Philly classic. And if you don’t have one, I’m going to take it personally.”
“Well, in that case,” the young man said, grabbing a pretzel from her tray and winking at her.
Grayson felt a hint of jealousy, but no real anger followed.
Evangeline looked to him, her cheeks turning pink, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to wait much longer.
“Hey,” Rory thundered happily, striding out of the kitchen. “Is that my little best friend?”
Leo immediately began wiggling to get to him.
He still loved his daddy best, and Evangeline was just about tied with Grayson in Leo’s eyes. But Rory carried him around the house, racing from window to window, swooping him up in his arms and making funny faces until Leo was breathless with laughter.
And Leo never slept harder than when he was cradled in Rory’s massive arms.
“Go on,” Rory said, giving Grayson a meaningful look as he took the baby. “This is as quiet as it’s going to get tonight.”
He wasn’t wrong about that.
“Evangeline,” Grayson heard himself say. “Want to step out back with me for a minute?”
“Of course,” she replied, handing off her tray to the man who had just taken a pretzel. “Take these around for me?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied.
But Evangeline was already slipping past him to get to Grayson, her hand out and ready for him to take it.
A tiny bit of the reserve he felt slipped away as he wrapped her small hand in his and led her to the back door.
“It’s cold out there,” he warned her.
“That’ll feel good,” she told him. “It was warm in the kitchen.”
He opened the door and the blast of arctic air felt good on his heated skin too.
There was so much snow from the storm that the peaks and valleys of the fields had disappeared under a smooth blanket of white.
But the sky was clear for the moment—a mantle of velvety black dotted with twinkling stars.
She looked up at him, her eyes so solemn, her hand clinging to his as if she were the one who was nervous.
“Evangeline,” he began, wishing he’d thought about what to say in advance, but knowing it was better to speak from his heart. “I know we haven’t known each other long, but I feel like everything in my life changed for the better the moment you flung yourself in front of that stroller.”
That earned him a smile, and suddenly she looked relaxed again.
“Mine too,” she said softly.
“Maybe I’m jumping the gun,” he said. “But I don’t want to go slowly and I don’t want to wait and see. There’s only one thing I do want, and that’s to make you my wife.”
“Grayson,” she breathed.
“Oh, right,” he said, feeling like an idiot for not remembering to go down on one knee.
He pulled the little wooden box from his pocket and lowered himself before her.
“Evangeline Dunn,” he said, his voice deep with emotion. “I love you more than anything in this world. Will you marry me?”
Her eyes widened and something like joy filled her expression.
“W-we haven’t even been on a date,” she murmured.
“Yeah, but we already live together,” he told her, winking. “If you’d rather take me out for a couple of test drives though, I’d be happy to take you to dinner and the movies, or even out dancing, and ask you again in a month or a year.”
“You would take me out dancing?” she asked him dubiously.
“You brought me out of myself, Evangeline,” he told her, his voice breaking a little on her name. “If you wanted, I’d take you to the moon.”
“Oh, Grayson,” she sobbed. “Yes.”
“You’ll marry me?” he asked.
“Yes, yes, yes,” she said.
He practically leaped back to his feet again, pulling her into his arms while she wept against his chest. When she caught her breath, he slid his hand under her chin and tilted it up so that he could kiss her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks.
When she went up on her toes and offered him her perfect mouth, he kissed her until his heart thundered and he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop.
But when she pulled back slightly, he found that he was still enough of a gentleman to let her go.
“Rory might be a little stunned at how fast this happened,” Evangeline said as she watched him slide the ring onto her finger.
It twinkled in the porch lights and Grayson felt like it was chasing away the last of the shadows in his heart.
“He gave me his blessing last night,” he admitted.
“He did?” Evangeline asked. “No wonder he kept giving me that look all morning.”
“What look?” Grayson asked.
“You know,” she said. “The one where you can’t tell if he’s going to start cracking up or sweep you up and waltz you across the living room.”
Grayson actually did know that look.
“Your brother is the best,” he told her, meaning it.
“Let’s go tell him I said yes,” she said, her own eyes twinkling.
“Evangeline,” Grayson said, uncertain what he wanted to say, but needing her beautiful green eyes on him again.
“Yes?” she said.
“Thank you,” he told her, reaching down to smooth back a lock of soft dark hair the wind had blown across her face.
To her credit, she didn’t ask what he was thanking her for. She just leaned into his hand, scars and all, and closed her eyes like he was making her dreams come true instead of the other way around.