Chapter 5
FIVE
Grant
I’m parked outside of Rowan’s apartment before the sun has even risen the next morning. I didn’t think to ask when her class was and didn’t want to risk missing her. I don’t like the area she lives in, and I hate the thought of her standing alone in the dark at the bus stop, waiting for her ride.
Sipping my coffee, I scan the street and peek up at her building. The lights are off except for one room, and I know in my gut it’s her bedroom. A shadow passes in front of the window, and my heart beats harder in my chest.
The sun rises, but I don’t bother taking in the view. All I care about is seeing my girl again. I’ve been walking around in a daze since I dropped her off last night. It’s like I’m not whole if I’m not near her.
This is crazy. I know the chances of Rowan marrying me are slim to none. I mean, she’s a brilliant woman. Even if she did feel this thing between us like I do, she seems too rational to act spontaneously.
Which is why I stayed up all night making a new plan. My goal now is to get her to go out with me. I’ll win her over, and maybe we’ll be solid before I’m cleared for active duty.
The front door of her apartment bursts open, and my girl comes rushing out in a hurry, her backpack slipping off her shoulder as she bounds down the stairs.
“No, no, no!” she shouts.
I follow her gaze to see the bus pulling away from the curb.
“Dammit,” she growls.
I grin as I climb out of my car. “Morning. Need a ride?”
“Jesus!” she shrieks, whipping around to face me. “You scared the crap out of me!”
“Sorry,” I say sheepishly as I walk around to the passenger side and open the door for her. “Need a ride?” I ask again.
She steps closer. “Why are you here?”
“To see you,” I say simply. “Come on. I’ll give you a ride.”
She chews on her bottom lip as she climbs into my car. I smile as I close her door and climb behind the wheel, pulling away from the curb. There’s no traffic at this time of day as I drive toward the college.
I pass her the cooler I packed this morning with her breakfast. “Do you always wake up this early?”
“Yeah, I have to catch the early bus to get to school on time,” she explains, frowning as she opens the cooler. “What’s this?”
“Breakfast. You have to eat.”
“Oh… thanks,” she says softly, pulling out the yogurt parfait and a muffin.
I make a mental note of what Rowan reaches for, filing away all the information I can about her.
We pull out onto Main Street, and I smile as she finishes her muffin. I like taking care of her. I love seeing her happy and knowing she’s all right. That she has what she needs.
“So, have you given any thought to my offer?” I intend to get her rejection out of the way early so I can spend the rest of the drive convincing her to have dinner with me tonight. Our first date.
“Yeah,” she admits.
“But?”
“But I guess I thought you would have found someone better by now.”
“There is no one better than you, Rowan. No one.”
“Why exactly do you need a wife? And a chubby, broke wife at that.”
I glare at her, hating that she thinks that way about herself. “Not chubby,” I growl. “Perfect.”
“Don’t lie to me, Grant,” she snaps.
I pull onto the shoulder and turn to face her. “I’ll never lie to you, Rowan. You’re not chubby. You’ve got curves, sure, but you’re meant to. You’re beautiful. All of you is beautiful.”
She holds my gaze for a moment before looking away, blushing slightly.
I reach out, stroking my fingers across her soft cheek. “If you could read my mind, you would never doubt my attraction to you. You’re all I can think about. I dreamed about you last night.”
She looks at me, eyes wide. “Really?”
“I’ll never lie to you,” I repeat.
I shift back into drive, and we finish the drive to college.
“Which building?” I ask.
“You can park in front of that one. My class is just over there, but the parking lot is always full by that building.”
Rowan gathers her backpack and stuffs her breakfast wrappers into the cooler. I park and turn to face her, watching as she glances around, looking everywhere but at me.
“I have class soon,” she says.
“I’ll wait here and drive you home when you’re done.”
“I can take the bus.”
“No.”
“Grant,” she groans.
I smile. “I like driving you.”
“It’s going to be hours,” she warns.
I shrug. “I don’t mind.”
“This whole marrying you thing… what exactly would that entail?”
Her question surprises the shit out of me. “It means we’d be married.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“What did you mean?”
“Like, what are the rules?”
“You can do whatever you want. Well, no. You can’t see other men. Or kiss anyone else.”
“I mean, would it be a real marriage? Would it be just for show? We’d have to talk about the timeline for me to pay you back and—”
“Pay me back?” I interrupt.
“For medical school.”
“You’re not paying me back.”
“Yes, I am. I have to! That’s way too much for you to give me.”
“I want to pay for medical school for you. I want to take care of you.”
“I… Why?”
I debate how much to tell her. She’ll freak if I admit that I fell in love with her at first sight, so I go a different route.
“Because I like it. I’ve never been the relationship type. Never dated or anything like that, but with you… I don’t know. It’s just different.”
She studies me for a minute, shifting in her seat. “Okay, so rules?”
“You move in with me.”
She nods. “I can live with that.”
“You finish school and let me pay for it.”
“Okay…” she says, less enthusiastically.
“That’s all I’ve got.”
She chews on her bottom lip as she thinks it over.
I prepare myself to counter her rejection with a dinner offer.
But then she licks her lips and nods. “Okay.”
I blink. “Okay?”
“Let’s get married.”
I stare at her in shock for a solid minute like a moron.
“When?” she asks.
“We’ll go to Las Vegas this weekend and tie the knot,” I say, my brain working at a hundred miles an hour. “Or would you rather have a ceremony here?”
“No, Vegas is good.”
“Good.”
The word is still hanging between us when something in me snaps, something that’s been tight and coiled since the second I met her.
Before I can second-guess it, I reach across the console and curl a hand behind her neck, guiding her toward me.
Her breath catches, her eyes widen, but she doesn’t pull away.
I tug her gently across the small space, and then my mouth is on hers.
It’s soft at first, careful, like I’m afraid she’ll change her mind about everything we just agreed to if I touch her wrong. Her lips are warm and a little hesitant under mine. For a heartbeat, she sits perfectly still, as if she can’t quite process what’s happening.
Then she exhales against my mouth—a shaky, surprised little sound that goes straight to my chest. Her fingers clutch the strap of her backpack, knuckles white like she’s bracing herself. And then, slowly, beautifully, she kisses me back.
Her lips move against mine, tentative but real, and the sensation hits me hard. Relief. Want. Possession. Hope. All tangled together until I’m no longer sure I’m breathing.
I slide my thumb across her jaw, angling her closer, savoring the way she lets me. She tastes like the muffin she just ate and something purely her, sweet, nervous, soft.
A good sign. A damn good sign.
When she finally pulls back, it’s only far enough to look up at me. Her lips are slightly parted, cheeks flushed, eyes wide like she’s standing at the edge of something big.
Maybe we both are.
She nods at me, and I bite back a grin, nodding back.
People walk by, breaking the spell.
“I need to get to class, but I’ll see you after,” she says breathlessly.
“Okay, I’m going to base to see what I need to do to get you enrolled with my benefits. What time are you done with classes?”
“Noon.”
“Okay, I’ll be here.”
“Sounds good.”
She climbs out of my car and heads to class. I watch her go before starting my car and driving to base. I call my best friend, Devon, on the way. He picks up on the second ring.
“Grant,” he grunts.
I smile at his grumpy tone. “Just wake up, bro?”
He grunts again. “I’m jealous of all the guys with you on deployment who get to be around your sunny self. What’s up?”
“I need a best man.”
Stunned silence greets that statement. “Fuck, man. You pranking me?”
“Nope.”
“You’re getting married?” He sounds wide awake now.
“Yep.”
“You. The guy who once said that love was for suckers?”
“Yes.”
“The guy who—”
“Yes! Me. I’m getting married.”
“Who’s the unlucky girl?”
I snort. “Her name’s Rowan.”
“When did you meet? I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone.”
“Yesterday.”
“What?” he shouts. “Oh, my god, dude. Is she a stripper? I can’t believe I have to explain this to you, but she’s not into you. She flirts with everyone.”
“She’s not a stripper. She works at the medical clinic on base and is going to college.”
“So, she’s smart, and she’s still marrying your sorry ass?”
“Yep.”
“Crazy.”
I huff a laugh. “I know. I’m a lucky bastard.”
“Can’t wait to meet her.”
“When will you be back stateside?”
“Well, it was supposed to be tomorrow, but it got postponed. I’m stuck here for another two weeks, so it looks like I’ll miss your wedding. Unless you want to postpone the big date and spend more than twenty-four hours with your girl before you tie the knot?”
“Nope. I’m not stalling and losing Rowan. You can meet her when you get back. We’ll celebrate then. Go out to dinner or something. Maybe you’ll finally find out who your mystery girl is by then, and we can double date.”
“I doubt it,” he growls.
“She still won’t tell you her name?”
“Nope. I keep asking, but she always signs the letters as just yours.”
Devon has had a secret admirer since he was in boot camp.
I was there when he got the first letter.
He’s been in love with the girl for years, but he still doesn't know her name. I’ve tried to convince him to use our military intelligence to figure it out, but he always refuses. He wants her to tell him herself.
“Is she still writing you?” I ask.
“Yes.”
He doesn’t say “thank God”, but I can hear it in his tone. I think Devon would go a little crazy if she ever wrote him a Dear John letter. I never understood his obsession, but now I’ve met Rowan, I get it. I would tear the whole world apart to find Rowan if she ever left me.
I hear voices in the background, and Devon sighs.
“I’ve got to get going, but congratulations, Grant.”
“Thanks, man.”
“Talk to you later.”
“Later.”
We hang up, and I pull onto base. I have a lot to get done today. I need to get things started with Rowan’s benefits, and then I have a Vegas trip and a wedding to plan.
I grin. I can’t wait to get started.