Kept Secrets

by Traci Hunter Abramson

  Chapter 5

  Devin didn’t know how it was possible to have a good time and still wish he was somewhere else. The bachelor party had already moved from the casino to a show then back to the casino, yet Grace always seemed to be on the edge of his thoughts. Part of him wanted to extend his time with his friends, but another part wished this party would end so he could spend more time with Grace.

  He shook that thought from his mind, focusing once more on the people he was with. The decision to take a break for a bite to eat was a welcome one, and he settled into his seat between Cody and Sean.

  “So what’s going on with you and Grace?” Cody asked as soon as they had their drinks.

  “What?” Devin looked up from his glass.

  “Every time I see you, she’s at your side.”

  “We’ve had a lot of catching up to do,” Devin said, not ready to confess his feelings to his friends, especially when Grace didn’t understand he was seriously still in love with her.

  “Maybe you should convince her to extend her vacation here for another week,” Cody said.

  “That’s not a bad idea.” The idea took root, and Devin considered the possibilities. Admittedly, he wasn’t terribly excited about spending the holidays alone, and he would have time to see his parents after they returned from Europe if he decided to delay his trip to Sedona. He was still pondering the possibilities when Sean’s words cut into his thoughts.

  “Grace may be hot, but from what I’ve heard, she’s the wait-for-marriage kind of girl.”

  Sean’s sneer told Devin he didn’t approve of Grace’s high moral standards, and he wasn’t about to admit he shared them, not in front of a bunch of men at a bachelor party.

  “I already offered to let them join in on the fun,” Caleb said, shifting his attention to Devin. “We can still have a double wedding.”

  “That would be something.” Cody lifted his drink and gestured as though toasting him. “What do you think, Devin? Is Grace the ring-on-the-finger type?”

  “I think the couple we should be toasting right now is Caleb and Molly,” Devin said. After lifting his soda and clinking glasses with the other men at the table, he took a sip and wondered how much longer he would have to wait before he could see Grace again.

  Even though Devin hoped to slip away from the party at a reasonable hour, his friends insisted they needed him as they went from one show to another, one casino to another. Finally, at three o’clock in the morning, all four men wearily made their way from the elevator toward their rooms located at the end of the hall.

  Sean staggered a step, nearly losing his balance.

  Devin exchanged a look with Caleb that spoke of their mutual appreciation that neither of them had ever chosen to drink alcohol. Fatigue alone was enough to make their steps unsteady.

  Devin was so focused on the men beside him that he was nearly to his room before he noticed something scattered on the floor. “What in the world?”

  Stuffed animals. Everywhere. Big ones, small ones, one enormous one. A teddy bear nearly as big as he was leaned against his door. The rest of the floor was wall to wall with stuffed animals piled almost two feet deep.

  “I think the girls had fun tonight.” Caleb waded through them, kicking a pink flamingo into the air. It landed a few feet down the hall.

  “I think we need a shovel,” Cody said, one arm supporting Sean.

  “You can find a shovel if you want. I’m going to bed.” Devin pulled his key from his pocket and put a hand against the wall to keep his balance as he trod over the animals. He had to shift the teddy bear to the side to get to the lock, and as soon as he managed to open the door, Teddy and a handful of stuffed animals closest to his room spilled inside.

  Too tired to try to push them back out, he set the giant bear inside and kicked the other toys out of the way.

  “Good night,” he called to the other men, who were currently doing their own balancing acts to get to their rooms.

  Teddy blocked the narrow hallway by the bathroom, and Devin picked him up and dropped him on the extra bed. Then he collapsed on his bed, too exhausted to change out of his clothes. The image of Grace and the other women creating the disaster outside his room brought a smile to his face.

  He pulled his phone from his pocket. He knew he shouldn’t call so late, but if she hadn’t wanted him to call, she wouldn’t have left him all those presents, right? He hesitated only a moment before he found her number.

  She answered with a groggy, “Hello?”

  “I’m lying here next to the present you left me.”

  “What present is that?” she asked, humor chasing away some of the sleep in her voice.

  “Teddy.” He rolled onto his side and adjusted the phone so he could talk without holding it. “You realize I’m going to wake up thinking about you now.”

  “That’s nice.”

  “It is nice.” He closed his eyes. “Not as nice as if I was waking up to you.”

  “Sorry, Devin. I’m not that kind of girl.”

  “I’m not asking you to be.” His breathing slowed, and he could hear the exhaustion creeping into his words. “Marry me.”

  “Good night, Devin.”

  “I really am going to marry you someday.”

  “Have you been drinking?” she asked.

  “I don’t drink. I love you, you know.”

  “I think you need to get some sleep.”

  “Good idea. We’ll plan the wedding tomorrow.” He rolled over and promptly fell asleep.

  * * *

  Grace woke up wondering if the phone call from Devin had been a dream. She could have sworn he’d said he loved her. Her insides fluttered with excitement at the thought, then moved with a wave of exasperation.

  She swung her legs over the side of the bed and raked her fingers through her hair. She really needed to stop letting Devin’s marriage proposals work their way into her dreams.

  A text message chimed. She glanced at her bedside table, her eyes narrowing when she didn’t see her cell phone. She was certain she had plugged it in to charge. She ran her hand over her bed, searching for the source of the sound. Under her pillow?

  Suddenly uncertain, she read the message illuminating her screen. I’m trapped! Stuffed animals everywhere. Come save me.

  Her laughter carried across the empty room as she typed, Don’t you like your gifts? I won the teddy bear just for you.

  Meet me downstairs in an hour? I’ll take you out to eat before we go shopping.

  See you then.

  She plugged her phone back into the charger, her mind clearing. A couple of pressed buttons revealed what she had thought was impossible. She really had talked to Devin earlier this morning. That meant . . .

  Her chest tightened, a kind of ache settling there when she let the first flutterings of possibilities creep into her mind. Had he really been serious when he’d professed his love? Or had he had some other motive to say such things to her? Or was it because he’d lost all sense of logic at 3:00 a.m.?

  Afraid to dream but equally afraid not to, she headed for the shower. They had only a few more days together, she reminded herself. After the wedding, she would find out if Devin really did plan to be a more permanent part of her life.

  * * *

  “Let’s go in here.” Devin tugged on Grace’s hand and headed into a jewelry store in the mall, where they had spent the past several hours. After he had managed to clear a path through the dozens of stuffed animals outside his door, he had met Grace for a morning workout. By the time they had showered and changed, their first meal of the day had been lunch, rather than breakfast, followed by this shopping trip.

  She waved at the shopping bags he carried. “I thought you said you were done with your shopping.”

  “I’m done shopping for my family. I haven’t bought you a Christmas present yet.” Neither of them had mentioned the phone call last night, and Devin had come to realize Grace didn’t trust his sincerity. In truth, he was only coming to
grips with it himself.

  “You don’t have to get me anything. Until three days ago, you hadn’t seen me for years.”

  He stopped by the doorway and looked down at her. Her words held no malice, but they stung just the same. “I still can’t believe I let that much time slip by.”

  Devin pulled her into the store, surprised to find it empty even though Christmas was only ten days away. Maybe people in Vegas didn’t shop for jewelry on Wednesday afternoons.

  “May I help you?” the store clerk asked. She appeared to be in her early forties, her dark hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail, turquoise and silver adorning her ears and neck.

  Opting for the subtle approach, Devin said, “We’re just looking for now.”

  “Let me know if you have any questions.”

  “We will. Thanks.”

  Grace lowered her voice. “Devin, you are not buying me a Christmas present, especially not jewelry.”

  Though his instinct was to dispute her claim, he said simply, “It won’t hurt to look around.”

  Devin took his time leading her to the display cases. They looked halfheartedly at bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. When a tray of birthstone rings caught his eye, he motioned to them. “What about one of these?

  “Devin, you are not buying me jewelry.”

  “What’s your ring size?” Devin asked.

  “I have no idea.”

  “I thought all women knew their ring size.”

  “Women who wear rings probably do.”

  The clerk stepped forward and opened a drawer beneath the display case. She pulled out a large ring with silver bands in various sizes hanging from it. “Here. We can find out for you.”

  The clerk reached for her hand and started slipping bands on her finger, finding the correct size on the second try. “Six and a half.”

  “I like that one. It’s simple. Classic.” He motioned to a ruby solitaire.

  “I’m not letting you buy me a ring,” Grace repeated.

  “Humor me for a minute. If you were going to pick out a ring for yourself, which one would you want?”

  “I don’t know. I guess something like that.” She tapped on the glass above a pearl ring, two small diamonds offsetting it against a platinum band.

  “Can she try that on?” Devin asked.

  “I think it will need to be resized.” The clerk pulled the ring free and held it out. “Yes, this is a seven.”

  Devin took it from her and slipped it onto Grace’s left hand. “It suits you.”

  Grace stared at it for a moment and then removed it and handed it back to the clerk. “Thanks for your help.” She then took Devin’s hand. “We should get back to the hotel.”

  “You realize you’re being difficult, right?”

  “Not at all.” She moved toward the door, glancing back to make sure he was following her.

  Devin wished he could find a way to distract Grace long enough to buy the ring for her but knew it would look suspicious if he tried. Instead, he lowered his voice slightly and spoke to the clerk.

  “Do you have a business card in case I can change her mind?”

  “Yes, of course.” The woman retrieved a business card from a card holder on the counter, and cluing into Devin’s dilemma, she turned the card over and jotted down a string of numbers.

  Devin took the card from her and smiled when he saw the product code for the ring Grace liked scrawled on the back. “Thanks. You have a great day.”

  The clerk smiled. “You too.”

  * * *

  Grace reined in her horse, slowing to look at the sun lowering in the distance. Orange, yellow, and purple streaked the sky, the red rocks of the desert outside of Las Vegas casting long shadows across the ground.

  Ahead of her, Molly and Caleb were deep in conversation as they rode side by side. The rest of the wedding party had opted to spend the evening at another show, but Devin and Grace had both been ready to get outside.

  Horseback riding in the desert wasn’t what Grace had expected to do two days before her cousin’s wedding, but it was the perfect distraction.

  Even though she had spent most of her time in Vegas with Devin, the constant pace of doing something all the time had started to wear on her. If she had her way, after they got back to the hotel, she was going to find a nice quiet corner somewhere to hang out.

  Devin slowed his horse and waited for her to catch up.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” She nudged her horse forward to pick up the pace. “I was just thinking how gorgeous this is. It’s been a long time since I’ve done something like this.”

  “You know, I was thinking maybe we could stay and spend a few days here after the wedding.”

  Surprised, Grace shifted her focus so it was fully on him. She had hoped Devin would want to see her after the week ended, but she hadn’t anticipated his wanting to extend their time here.

  “I don’t know. . .”

  “You don’t have to decide right now. When are you supposed to be flying out to see your grandfather?”

  “Not until Christmas Eve.”

  “Perfect. Stay with me until then.”

  “You aren’t serious.” She tried to read his expression, but the sunglasses he wore prevented her from seeing his eyes. “I thought you wanted to see your parents. Besides, our hotel rooms aren’t exactly cheap.”

  “We can cut that cost in half as soon as you marry me.” The trail narrowed, forcing them to ride single file for several yards. As soon as Devin brought his horse beside her once more, he continued. “I want to spend the rest of the break with you. Staying in Las Vegas works, but if you’d rather go somewhere else, we can do that instead.”

  Her heart softened, and she yearned for more time with Devin. She hated the idea of his being alone at Christmas, so she made an offer she could barely believe was coming out of her mouth. “You can come with me to Colorado for Christmas.”

  As though he had triumphed in some hard-won battle, his face relaxed into a smile. “I’d like that. Of course, I’d like it a whole lot better if you married me first.”

  “Haven’t we already had this conversation?” Grace asked him.

  “The ending hasn’t turned out the way I want yet.” His grin widened. “I’m going to convince you I’m serious. You’ll see.”

  Chapter 6

  Grace held her ground that day and the two days following. Now, as she stood beside Molly and listened to wedding vows being exchanged, longing seeped into her. She supposed weddings always made single people long for what they didn’t have, but she hadn’t expected it to hit her this hard. Was it knowing that her friendship with her cousin would change now that Molly was married, or was it the desire for some permanence in her life to replace what she’d lost when her parents had died? Or perhaps Devin’s frequent comments about marriage really were wearing on her.

  Her gaze swept the room, from the bride and groom staring into each other’s eyes to her aunt and uncle sitting close by. Then her eyes met Devin’s, and her stomach flip-flopped. She saw an intensity there she couldn’t ever remember seeing before. Something was different about him, as though he had found a new sense of determination, but Grace didn’t understand the source of the change.

  They still hadn’t nailed down their plans for going back to Arizona, and Grace hoped Devin planned to join her in Colorado. She had given him her flight information and mentioned to her grandfather that she might be bringing a guest. She hadn’t, however, mentioned any of this to Molly. She always wanted to know the whole story, and the last thing Grace wanted right now was for anyone to try to dissect her renewed relationship with Devin.

  She didn’t want to think about what would happen after the holidays, but with him staring at her from across the room, she was considering the possibilities. All of them left her uneasy. A long-distance relationship was the best she could hope for. Finding her heart shattered a second time, the worst. Was there anything in between?

  As Molly
and Caleb shared their first kiss as husband and wife, a little seed of hope blossomed within Grace. Devin might have been joking about getting married, but maybe one day, he would discover that the love she felt for him so many years ago hadn’t faded. Maybe, just maybe, he would learn to love her too.

  * * *

  Devin held Grace in his arms, swaying to the slow song Caleb and Molly had chosen to be their last dance before leaving on their honeymoon. He took in the scent of roses lingering on Grace, a reminder of the bouquet she had carried all day, though her hands were now linked loosely around his neck.

  Every time he asked Grace about marriage, she brushed him off as though it was a big joke. But he wasn’t joking, and he was ready to make sure she understood his intentions whether she was ready or not.

  Throughout the wedding and ensuing activities, Devin had imagined what it would be like to be in Caleb’s place, to have Grace standing beside him at the altar. He couldn’t remember ever wanting something more than he wanted to put a ring on Grace’s finger and know that their futures would tie together. The urgency he felt to marry her wasn’t logical. He knew it, but he couldn’t stop himself from taking steps to make it happen.

  He had a list of every bridal shop in the area and knew which ones were open after normal business hours. The pearl ring wasn’t traditional for an engagement, but Devin hoped to only be engaged for a few days at most. Besides, he wanted her to wear something she liked, and he admired her choice.

  “What time did you want to get on the road tomorrow?” Grace asked. “Checkout is at eleven.”

  “I wasn’t joking about wanting to stay here longer with you,” Devin told her.

  The song ended, and Devin reluctantly released her. Good-byes followed as everyone wished the newlyweds the best. As soon as Caleb and Molly left, the party dispersed, and everyone but the parents of the bride and groom decided to head for one of the nearby nightclubs.

  “Do you mind if we skip out on the dancing tonight?” Devin asked. “I have other plans in mind.”

  “I guess.” She looked at him hesitantly.

  “Great.” He slipped his arm around her waist and guided her out of the room and to the elevator. As soon as they were inside alone, he added, “I think you’ll want to change clothes for what I have in mind.”