Grayson’s Epilogue
Grayson’s Epilogue
Two Years Later
Absolutely not.” Avery’s voice is firm, but I smile anyway.
“You’ve done it before.”
She plants both hands on her hips, glaring at the row of white swan boats drifting lazily across the water.
“I’m not getting in a damn swan boat.”
“C’mon, it’s for old time’s sake.”
“Go by yourself if you want to reminisce.”
I shift, and the box in my pocket pokes into my side. Going by myself is definitely not part of the plan.
“Do you always have to be difficult?”
She grins. “Yes. You should know that by now.”
“You’re right. I’m well aware that you like to be a pain in my ass for sport.”
“Good. Now walk past the swan boats, and nobody has to embarrass themselves today.”
My feet stay firmly planted by the sidewalk, and she rolls her eyes.
It’s two years later, and absolutely nothing has changed. Well, almost nothing. Her hair is cut shorter, and she wears my old Boston Blades hoodies more than anything she owns. She smiles more easily and laughs louder, but she still hates swan boats with a concerning amount of passion.
After today, I’m hoping to change that.
I shake my head. “What do I have to do to get you on one of those damn boats?”
She quirks her brow. “That desperate?”
“Chaos, don’t test me. You know I’ll get you on it one way or another.”
A mix of defiance and hunger flashes across her eyes as they blaze into me.
“Now I’m kind of interested in just how you plan to make me.”
I let out a low chuckle before yanking her against me. She gasps at the sudden movement, eyes burning brighter now that she’s against me. I shift my hips against hers, and her gaze drops to my lips, thinking the same thing I am.
My lips crash into hers in a way that isn’t suitable for a public park, not that that’s ever stopped us before.
Her arms tug on the hair at the nape of my neck, pulling me toward her.
My hand cups her cheek, deepening the kiss while my other hand slides down her back until I can feel the sliver of skin that peeks out above her leggings.
Her arms slide down my body, and only then do I remember what’s in my pocket and how close she is to finding it all on her own.
Fuck.
I pull away quickly, forcing my breathing to slow. I force an easy smile on my face even though my heart is beating out of my chest.
“Now will you come on the boat?”
“Not sure that was convincing enough.” Her cheeks are pink, and she chews on the inside of her lip.
“And if I promise to finish that in a much more satisfying way when we get home?”
“What kind of way?” She steps forward just slightly, as if drawn to me without realizing it.
I lean in. “The kind of way where you’re sprawled out beneath me while I use my tongue to wring every single ounce of pleasure from your body.”
Her breath hitches with our faces only inches apart, then she jolts back.
“I actually love swan boats.” She calls out, sprinting down the sidewalk to the entrance. “C’mon, Grayson, stop dragging your feet.”
I laugh, watching her go. Years later, she’s keeping me on my toes as much as she ever has.
“You’re impossible,” I yell after her, trying to catch up.
“Apparently, you like impossible.”
“I love impossible.”
She rolls her eyes, but I catch the smile she’s trying, and failing, to hide.
“I love you too.”
The words fall off her lips casually as if they don’t still knock the air out of my lungs every single time.
There’s not a soul on the swan boats, which I know is because they are closed for the season.
They’re only giving us a ride because I rented one for an obscene amount of money.
Seriously, they raked me over the coals for this.
Watching her smile grow as we step onto the boat makes it worth every penny.
I’m hoping she chalks the lack of other passengers up to it being the middle of the week.
Boston is chilly today. The trees surrounding the garden are starting to turn colors, sunlight filtering through them in scattered patches across the walking paths.
Aside from the season, everything is almost identical to the afternoon we wandered through here on our first date. That was back when she insisted it didn’t mean anything. Back when it already meant more than either of us was willing to admit.
Her fingers lace through mine as the boat sails away from the dock. My thumb brushes over the ring box hidden inside my pocket.
It feels like it weighs thirty pounds.
After finally winning the Cup this past summer, I thought I’d experienced the worst kind of pressure imaginable. But it didn’t even remotely compare to the tiny velvet box currently threatening to give me a heart attack.
“You’ve been weird all day.” Avery’s fingers tighten around my own.
I glance down. “What?”
“You keep getting lost in your head.”
“Nope. I’m right here.”
“Is something going on?”
I can tell by the stubborn set of her jaw that she’s not going to drop it.
“Just thinking about the first time we were here. Feeling sentimental, I guess.”
She softens. “After Wesley and Nathan’s wedding last week, I’ve been a bit sentimental too.”
“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”
“Wesley and I spent years joking that we’d never need or want a man. Then she walked down the aisle to a man she never wants to be without.”
“She’s definitely changed her mind,” I say, nerves coiling tighter behind my ribs.
“Absolutely.”
“Have you?” I pull her hand onto my lap. “Changed your mind?”
She studies me. “You already know I love you.”
“But love and marriage are different things, Chaos.”
“Before we met, I never saw myself wanting marriage. My parents’ marriage was awful, and I felt the burden of it most of my life until recently.”
She’s right. After her childhood, I wouldn’t blame her if she never wanted to get married. I think I could swallow it. I think I could love her, just like this, without a ring, forever. But damn it, I want her to marry me.
I’d called her parents a couple of weeks ago to tell them I was proposing.
I didn’t ask for permission because Avery is the only person who has a say in that, but I wanted them to know.
I wanted them to process it on their own time, so that, with any luck, they’d be happy for her.
If she says yes. If I’m brave enough to ask.
“And now? Is marriage in the cards for you?” I ask, the words harder to force out than I anticipated.
She lays her head on my shoulder. “Yeah. I think it is.”
My entire body relaxes, and she notices.
“Grayson, what’s going on with you today?”
I pivot, keeping her hand firmly in my grasp as I turn her toward me.
Everything gets quiet, the park fading away entirely as I pull the box out of my pocket.
Her eyes widen as I drop to my knee. “No way.”
“I haven’t said anything yet.” My lips twitch as I force myself to open the box.
Her hand flies out of my grasp to cover her mouth as she gasps.
“Avery Holt, Chaos.” I swallow. “I spent so much of my life chasing this picture I’d built in my head. I thought if I found the right relationship, the right future, everything would finally fall into place.”
She blinks, reaching back down to hold my hand.
“Every time I got close, something felt missing. That is, until you crashed into my life.”
She laughs through watery eyes. “It wasn’t very graceful.”
“No, it wasn’t.” I smile. “You drove me absolutely insane. You challenged me and made me work for the chance to know you the way I wanted to. And I’d do it all again to be with you like this. You’ve taught me how to let go and how to be myself even when it’s messy.”
“And sure, this may have started out as a few rescue attempts on my end,” I pause when she laughs, “but, baby, it’s you who saved me.
It’s you who showed me what love should be.
I want to choose you for the rest of my life.
When you want to hide away, and when you fight me every step of the way.
Because even when things are hard, loving you is the easiest thing in the world. ”
Tears spill down her cheeks.
“Chaos, will you marry me?”
She doesn’t hesitate, not even for a single heartbeat. “Yes.”
Relief crashes into me so hard I nearly forget to breathe. Then she throws herself at me, the entire boat rocking as I collide with the side of it.
“Really?” I choke out the words, fighting tears of my own.
“Grayson, I want every ordinary day with you. Grocery stores and bar alleyways. I want arguments about swan boats, quiet mornings, and loud family dinners. I want all of it. I want you.”
My heart cracks wide open. I pull the ring out of the box, sliding it onto her finger. We both look at it a second longer than necessary, the importance of this moment settling in.
She wants to marry me. She’s going to marry me.
I squeeze her tighter, kissing her hard on the lips before peppering light kisses across her cheeks and forehead.
She pulls me back to her lips and kisses me, slowly and thoroughly. When we finally pull apart, she holds her hand up, watching the diamond catch the afternoon sun.
She motions to our boat. “I can’t believe you proposed to me on a fucking swan boat.”
I laugh. “I told you on our first date they were romantic.”
She smiles softly. “Yeah, I guess they kind of are.”
I take her hand, my fiancée’s hand, as they drop the walkway for us to get off the boat. She curls into my side, our steps aligning in a perfect rhythm.
We start walking again toward whatever comes next, but it doesn’t really matter where we’re going.
What matters is that we’re going together. That’s all I’ll ever need.