Music blasts through the air, and I laugh as I look up at Grey. He is stunned as he gawks at the shiny banner that reads “Happy Birthday, Grey!” in big bold gold letters. The air is littered with colorful confetti, and the sound of laughter and cameras going off fill my ears until I am smiling so hard, my cheeks are on fire. I spot my group of friends among the people I don’t know and wave at them. They wave me over, but I hold up a pointer finger to signal I need a minute. They nod in understanding and laugh at Grey, who is still like a deer caught in headlights.
I tap his shoulder, and he slowly faces me. “Today is August eighteenth, the day the love of my life, Grey Nathaniel Wyler, was born.” I cup his neck and stand on my toes, pressing my lips against his. Confetti falls all around us as he holds my waist and tastes the secrets I’ve been keeping so I can plan all of this. I pull back and laugh a little as he kisses all around my face. “I will never forget this day, ever,” I say through the laughter as he kisses me all over.
Chapter Thirty-One
Grey
“You sneaky fuck.” I’ve just been staring around in amazement and confusion. My first thought when I flipped the light on was: what the fuck? I questioned when the hell and how she got all of this done. I didn’t even think she knew when my birthday was. But then it hit me: my grandmother loves to talk about me and share embarrassing stories. So, of course, she would reveal that, my middle name, and much more. I’ll chew her out for that later, but not too much; it shows how much she cares for me.
She giggles and looks around at her handy work. “It’s nice, right? You see the waiters?” She points out a tall girl with a short pixie cut wearing a button up and a horrid black vest and carrying a tray. She waves her over. “Your abuela revealed to me that you were obsessed with gummy worms when you were a kid. I wanted to see if that obsession is still there.”
“I am going to kill that woman,” I sigh and shake my head in slight embarrassment.
“Hush. She’s a sweet woman who just loves to gush about her grandson.” She taps my cheek and laughs when I turn to bite her hand. She’s flushed red as she realizes the girl is near us. “Now, here—thank you,” she says to the girl as she picks up two colorful sugary worms, then hands me one. I reluctantly take it, rubbing the back of my neck with my free hand. “Apparently you wouldn’t leave the dinner table until you got your dessert worms.” She raises a cheeky eyebrow as the girl walks away with a plastered smile.
“I guess you can say I was kind of a chubby kid,” I tell her, unable to hide a little smile as I hold up the worm, reveling in arguments with my abuela to give me my damn worms. Ah the amount of ass-whoopings were worth the pity worms. “Got teased a lot.”
“But you beat them all up?” she questions. I almost don’t notice because I am so in my head, but our hands are clasped together and we’re walking through the crowd.
“Hell no!” I say, and she gasps. “I had to get beat down a lot before my grandpa stepped in and taught me how to really fight. See this scar?” I point to the one above my right eyebrow, and she nods, staring at it. “From a fucker named Chuck that would throw rocks at me.”
“Aw.” Her hand lightly touches the scar. I take her wrist and pull it to my lips. I close my eyes and can practically feel her heavy blue eyes watching me. I pull away and brush my knuckles against her soft, fair skin.
“Don’t feel bad. It got me to where I am today,” I tell her, finally opening my eyes. “Here, with you.” She smiles before standing on her toes and bringing my head down to meet her sweet lips. I grasp her hands and pull her into my chest, then wrap my arms around her waist. The kiss is slow and gentle but filled with my love. I deepen the kiss, tracing her tongue and finding that tender spot that makes her giggle. I smile as she does it and cup her face.
I am so in love with this girl it physically hurts me. I did not expect this magnitude of a grand, meaningful party. But then again, I should have seen it coming. Liv is the most compassionate human I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. She is the best thing that I have ever had in my life. I don’t deserve her. She and I, and the whole damn world, know that. But I am the most selfish person and I will not give this amazing, cheesy girl up. Not for a damn thing.
“Te amo, Grey Wyler,” she whispers as she pulls from my lips.
I press my forehead to hers and kiss her nose. “Y te amo, Olivia Westerfield.”
I will never get tired of saying that. Ever.
Suddenly, the lights are shut off, sheltering us in the dark again. Only a few feet away from us there is a huge cake with sparklers in the top rolling over to us slowly. I feel myself flush, which is really fucking rare, as people I don’t even know start singing the horrible tune of “Happy Birthday.” I stand awkwardly as Liv wraps an arm around me and joins in, staring up at me. I furrow my brows and grimace at the cake that is now in front of me. It is delicately designed in blue frosting.
I quickly blow out the candles to end the terrible, off-key singing. Everyone claps, and I stare at Liv to ease the awkwardness that comes with birthday cakes. I mean, what are you supposed to do when people are singing at you? It’s weird and one of the main reasons why I don’t broadcast my birthday around. That and how fucking conceited is it to be rewarded for being born into this fucked-up world…by chance at that?
“Cake?” Liv holds up a slice toward me.
“No thanks. I already got my sweets.” I smirk and pull her into my chest.
“Ugh, don’t be gross.” She backs away, but I kiss her lips.
“If this is gross, then I am disgustingly toxic,” I murmur against her lips.
“Guess it isn’t that bad.” She shrugs, and I raise a brow and nod, pulling her in and deepening the kiss a tad. I wish I could erase the people surrounding us. It’s too loud and polluted. I just want for it to be her and me, alone.
“Hey, break it up!” someone screams behind us. “There are people eating, you know.”
I reluctantly pull away and force on a smile as Jaimie winks at me.
“Hello, Jaimie,” I say when Liv lightly grips my arm.
“Happy birthday!” She launches her arms around me, and I hug her back, slightly. She pulls back and holds out a blue-themed card. “It’s from all of us,” she informs, gesturing to Liv’s group of friends. I read the card and chuckle. On the front, it says: Happy Birthday, Asshole. That’s it. On the inside it says: Happy 50th, obviously written by them with sharpie.
“Thank you, guys.” I give her a quick hug, which surprises her and everyone, especially Liv. I cough awkwardly and rub my lip.
“I picked the card!” Charlotte, I believe, announces proudly, pointing at herself with an award-winning grin.
Mateo rolls his eyes and steps forward, giving me a bro-hug. “You already got my gift. But happy birthday, man.”
“Thanks.” I give him a nod and unintentionally glance at Mason.
He catches my gaze and nods at me. “Happy birthday.” His voice is tight, and I shift on my feet.
I just nod and clear my throat. I always fucking despised this kid. Always sneaky and bright-eyed and smiles. It freaks me the fuck out. That and I’m pretty sure the fucker persuaded Rose to cheat on me because I wasn’t good enough for her. He was right, but still, that asshole started a world of trouble without even knowing it.
“Okay, I have to give you your present,” Liv pipes up, clearly trying to diffuse the tension.
“You got me something?” I shouldn’t be so surprised.
She nods and tugs at my hand. “It’s in the car—come on. I’ll see you guys soon.” She waves to her friends, then proceeds to pull me through the crowd. There’s a parted opening as I glare at anyone in our way. They shift, and Liv leads me to the door like an angel in her all-white get up. I have to stop and admire how beautiful the color causes her hair to glow and makes her seem all the more innocent. But if everyone knew how I had my hand wrapped in her hair, tugging her head back or how fucking great her pouty lips around me felt, well, she
wouldn’t be painted so innocently anymore. But to me she will always be my pure angel I can’t help but taint with my darkness.
I take off the stupid fucking blazer she forced me to put on and shove it into the backseat. I lean against the tail of the car as she pops the trunk open and searches through it. I loosen my tie and pop open a few buttons. May as well take off the abominations that are these fucking loafers and change into a pair of shoes I keep along with a few clothes in case in the trunk. I run my fingers through my hair and groan in satisfaction as the fuckers pop off my feet.
“I am never going to another dinner party with you again.” I wave an accusing finger at her.
“I had to get you to come with me. I knew how much of a loving, supportive boyfriend you are.” She tries to kiss me, but I duck, grab the shiny shits, and toss them in the back. She makes a huffing sound, and I laugh loudly as I grab a black pair of Converse. Not my favorites, but I don’t exactly have my boots with me.
“Now, where is my present you promised?” I perch onto the open trunk and raise a brow at her.
“Um.” Her hands are behind her back, and she shrugs. “It’s me.”
“Well, okay.” I make a move to grab her, but she squeals and jumps back.
“I was kidding, you horn-ball!” she exclaims and gives me a look that makes me laugh.
“Excuse me, but you said it was you! Not my fault you wanted to be funny.” I throw quotes around the word, and she gasps, hitting my chest.
“I can be funny when I want to be,” she defends.
“Oh, yes, you’re the most comedic person I have ever known,” I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes in the air.
“If you keep making fun of me, you won’t find out what your present is,” she threatens.
“Okay, just hope you’ve kept the receipt.” I shrug, and she gapes at me. I laugh and bring her between my legs, cupping her face and smiling at her sullen expression. “Kidding, babe. You know I’ll love whatever it is you’ve gotten me.”
“Seriously?” She lifts an eyebrow.
I sigh and latch my pinky with one of hers and bring it up and kiss it. “Pinky-promise serious.”
“Okay, that was cute.” She kisses our interlocked pinkies, a smile on her luscious pink lips. “You deserve your present now.” She holds out a long, blue-wrapped box with a white bow on top. I wonder what it is. Maybe some cheesy shit like a wand if my abuela also revealed on top of many other things that I was obsessed with Harry Potter for a very short while. If so, I will obliviate her and my memory of a grandma.
“Oh, thank you for the honor.” I take the box from her, not missing the look of excitement written on her crooked lips and shining eyes. I feel a sort of weight on my chest in anticipation as I slowly unravel the bow, watching for her reaction. She has the crook of her index finger clenched between her pearly white teeth.
She taps my knee impatiently and mutters, “Hurry up and open it, Grandpa.”
“Hey, I’m turning twenty-two, not eighty-two.” I chuckle and toss the long piece of ribbon behind me. She just shrugs. “How’d you get this in there without me noticing?” It is my car after all, and I throw in and take out my duffel bag basically every day. So how did I not see a wrapped box with a fucking bow on it?
“I put it under a pile of blankets,” she explains and holds up a finger. “Why do you have so many anyway?”
I pause in opening the lid. “I like to have a lot of blankets around in case.”
“In case of what?” she shrugs.
I shrug myself. “You never know…”
“If?” Her lips are curving now. She sees my answer coming.
I blush and cough into my hand. “In case of avalanches and shit.”
She falls into a fit of laughter that makes me red.
“That’s it, I’m not opening it.” I begin to put the gift away, and she finally stops laughing. “That’s what I thought.”
Finally, I pop the lid off and tilt my head. It’s a…belt. But it’s not an ordinary belt. Facing me is a long buckle that is the word Champion in bold letters. On the right side at the end is an engraved G. I don’t know what to say, so I just look up and find Liv fumbling with her hands against her chest, bottom lip being chewed out like it’s taffy.
“Do you get it?” She pushes hair behind her ear. “Because of the huge tournament coming up. You probably won’t win a belt like this or a belt at all. But you get it? With the fighting show you watch? How they win those champion belts…do you not get it?” I watch her ramble and feel my smile getting bigger and bigger. “I can throw it out. Not really carry it to the store because I kind of got it custom because of the G. Do you see it?” She taps the G, but I can’t speak. All I can do is stare at this marvelous woman standing in front of me. “Can you please say something?” She’s covering her face now.
I stand up, remove her hands, and tip her chin up. “I love it…and I love you.” I take a deep breath and briefly close my eyes to keep from blurting out every thought that is tied to this petite girl who has the heart of a thousand full moons. “My love for you is too profound to be explained in words.”
“So explain it using something else…” she suggests, her eyes lingering on my lips before suffocating me with her cerulean eyes.
I nod and lean down, smashing my lips against her. Her hands grip my elbow as I hold onto her face but then migrates to my neck. She leans up, and I lift her up, close the trunk, and place her on it. She is finally at my height, so it is easier to show her how much she has my heart. I gently pull away and press her small hand over my exposed chest. I suck in a deep breath and find the courage to say the next words to leave my lips.
“This…this is what you do to me,” I say in a shaky voice, licking my lips as she gasps when feeling my heart race, more than any lap around the city could cause. So fast that it is burning bright and practically glowing against her hands. But that could be my mind that loses all sense when I am around her. “You have my whole heart, princesa.” I flick my eyes up the same time hers look up, and I smile shyly. “The entire thing…”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Liv
I am glowing like the moon above our heads. The words that just came out of his mouth leaves me stunned; I can’t even speak. All I can do is press my hand harder against his chest, like I want to reach in and grab his erratic, tattooed heart. Mine. His heart is mine. I can’t be any hotter or blush any harder even if I tried. His affection toward me makes me giddy, and I want to get up and dance even if I look like a fool. He loves me whole-heartedly. I can see it in his eyes as he takes in my shocked, blushing state with that little crooked smile of his.
What he doesn’t know is that he has my heart. I’ve told him countless of times how I love him, but I don’t think he understands how he truly and one hundred percent has me. There is no turning back from this, from him. He has a hold on me that I know will never loosen. It’s a good thing I don’t want him to. I have never felt such heartache from the amount of love pouring into my veins, and I somehow just know that I won’t feel this love again, not for anyone else. Only for him.
“Say something,” he begs softly, nudging his nose with mine.
I hum and circle a finger around his inked skin. “You have mine too, Grey. You stole it the minute we met.”
“I was quite the catch, huh?” he jokes with that cockiness I love dearly.
I laugh and lift my eyes to meet his, admiring his dimples. “And you still are.” I offer him a genuine smile, and his lips lose his arrogant smirk just a tad. They soften into a smile that reflects the light beat of his heart as I slip my fingers through his unbuttoned shirt and bounce my fingertips over his tattooed skin that protects his matching heart. I lean up and he bends down, our lips meeting in the middle. A single hair of electricity wraps around my heart and squeezes tightly until I find relief in his mouth.
We should probably go back inside; my friends must be wondering what’s taking so long. The thought of their assump
tions makes my stomach tighten and my face to heat up in embarrassment. But I can’t seem to pull away. His lips draw me in and pull me away, tugging at a desire for more. So much more. Especially when his hands slither up my dress and grip my thighs. A moan slips out, and I grip the back of his hair, earning a throaty groan from him.
“Sick, dude!” a person behind Grey shouts.
I pull away and hide in his neck as one of Charlotte’s friends passes us.
“Fuck off!” Grey snaps, and the boy quickly nods before scrambling into the house. “Fucking ruined the moment,” he mumbles, turning back to me with a pout.
I laugh. “It’s okay; I think we should head back inside anyway.”
“Because of that ass-wipe? Hell no.” He pulls me closer to him, and I laugh harder.
“We can continue this later when we’re home and not in front of my parents’ beach house.” I take my hand out of his shirt and push him back. He begrudgingly steps back and helps me down. I open the trunk, grab the belt, and hand it to him.
“What’s this for?” he asks as I close the trunk again.
“For you to wear,” I explain, and he scoffs.
“I am not wearing this,” he says and moves to open the trunk.
I step in his way. “Why not?” I ask, and he opens his mouth. “Do you really not like it? Do you h-hate it?” I pull out the big guns: widened eyes and pouty lips. The puppy dog look. He falls for it every time. I even tug at my dress and twirl it a bit. It’s one of the reasons I decided to wear it tonight—he’s a sucker for the whole innocent look. Can’t ever say no to it or me. A flaw I will definitely use in the future. With a lot of guilt, of course…
“I really hate you,” he grits out through his teeth.
“Funny, I thought you loved me two seconds ago.” I bat my eyelashes, and he glares at me but slinks the belt through his dress pants loops and clasps it on. I tap the buckle and then his nose. He bites my finger and I gasp, poking his chest. “Don’t bite or I may have to reciprocate later.” I wink at him, and he slaps a hand to his chest.
Grey: The Reconnection (Spectrum Series Book 4) Page 25
