“Are you going to?”
“What?”
“Deal with whatever you’ve been carrying around?”
“Yeah. Thanks to you.”
“Me?”
“You put me in my place. Opened my eyes. I’ve been…” He might have been in my living room, but at that moment, he was a million miles away. With a shake to his head, he turned to look at me. “I’ve been an asshole. I’m genuinely sorry I spoke that way about you and to you.”
“Don’t worry.”
“I was wrong, and I’m man enough to apologize.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you for waking me up.” I held his hand and nodded before letting go. It was obvious he was carrying something dark around, and I could only hope he would find a way to deal and move forward.
“I sent him away today,” I shared. “I told him I couldn’t give him another chance.”
“Then say sorry.” Lexi popped out into the living room, and both Garrett’s and my head twisted to look at her. “Hello,” she said as she came over to sit on my lap. Her eyes went wide when she looked at Garrett. “You’re Marc’s brother!”
“How do you know that?” Garrett asked exactly what I was thinking as I stroked her hair.
“Because he’s a superhero.”
“In a movie,” we both clarified, and she just rolled her eyes.
“Yeah… I watched him talk on Kids YouTube about his hero.”
“His hero?” Garrett scowled. I watched Grace light up.
“Yeah. You. They showed a picture of you guys together.”
“Really?” The surprise was obvious on his face.
“Yup.” She turned to look at me. “So, are you going to say sorry?”
“Baby…”
“Mommy, all you have to tell him is sorry.”
“Sometimes it’s not that easy.”
She rolled her eyes. I pressed my lips together, wondering what her teenage years would be like if the sass she had now only grew later. “How will you know if you don’t try?” Dang kid was right.
“She’s right.”
“What?”
“She’s right. You’ll never know if you don’t try,” Garrett pointed out, and my heart rate picked up.
“I…” I missed him. I missed everything about him. The good and the bad.
“He’s miserable without you, Grace. You should see how pathetic he looks around the house.”
“He’s not pathetic,” Lexi and I both said at the same time and smiled.
“I’m just not sure I know what was real between…”
“Buuulll… fingers.” Lexi giggled as Garrett saved himself from cursing in front of her and cleared his throat. “You know that it was all real.”
“I—”
“I’ve never seen him like this before.”
“Garrett—”
“Talk to him.”
“I think he’s right,” Lexi agreed sweetly, and I realized Garrett was right.
As stupid as that bet had been, when it came to Lex and I, he had always put us first. He had always tried to do everything he could to protect us. And he always showed us how much he cared. From the elevator ride to the baseball game to everything after. His actions had always spoken louder than his words.
“Okay.”
“Yay!” Lexi cheered.
“Yeah?” Garrett almost sounded hopeful.
“Yeah, I’ll…”
“I’ll take you.”
“What? No, you don’t have to…” I tried to think of what to do. Should I call him?
“Trust me, I think it’s the least I can do.” He looked at me expectantly. I looked down at Lexi and smiled then glanced back at Garrett.
“Okay.” They both stood up and looked at me hopefully as excitement buzzed through me.
“You guys mean right now?” I asked, and Lexi beamed.
“You should never leave things for later that you can do today,” Lexi replied the words I had told her in the past so she’d do her homework. I just grinned.
Chapter Thirty-One
Marcus
Sitting out by the pool, he tapped his hands against the top of the glass whiskey bottle. He wanted a drink, but he knew that drinking wouldn’t help. The problem was he didn’t know what would.
He should just go to her house, knock on the door, drag her into her bedroom, and sexually manipulate her into giving him a chance.
He wanted her.
Not just sexually but for always. Shit, she could shelf sex as an option for them, and as much as that would suck not to get a taste of her, as long as he could hold her hand and look into her deep brown eyes, he’d be happy. His phone rang, and he looked at it.
Whatever hope he had of it being her dwindled when he saw Garrett calling… Would he ever again get a call from her? His chest hurt tremendously at the idea of a future with Grace and Lexi being gone.
“What?” he clipped, fighting to roll his eyes and hoping to fucking death the ass wasn’t drunk in some bar, asking for a fucking ride home.
“That’s not a very nice way to answer the phone.” His heart sped up as he looked at his phone again to make sure he had read it right.
“Grace?” he barked, his nerves too close to the edge. Was he imagining her call?
“Hi,” she softly said, and he shut his eyes.
“Hey,” he nervously mumbled. “Umm, my phone says you’re calling from Garrett’s phone.”
“I am.”
“What?”
“Your place is a lot bigger than I thought,” she said, and he frowned.
“What?”
“When I came here, umm, after that whole thing with Katie. Lexi and I were only inside. I never walked the grounds.”
“Grace…”
“I mean, it’s like a regional park back here.” His head popped up. “Open the pool gate, Marc.”
“What?” He stood looking behind him and froze. His hand held on to the phone still at his ear. He looked at her. She was wearing the same thing from earlier and smiled, shyly waving with her free hand. “Tell me you’re real.” His voice was full of emotion, but he didn’t give a shit.
“Open the gate, Marc,” she whispered. His feet moved without hesitation.
Reaching it, he swung the door open, and even though every cell in his body wanted to grab her into his arms, he didn’t. He stood there looking at her.
“Hi.” She slipped the cell into her pocket. He didn’t respond, afraid to say something that would make her disappear. “I… well, umm... Is it okay that I’m here?”
“Yeah. I mean…” He cleared his throat and shrugged. “Yeah, it’s cool.”
“Okay.” She glanced over to where he’d been sitting. He could see the bottle there and wondered what she was thinking. “Should I come back?”
“No,” he clipped, scared to death she’d leave and he’d never set eyes on her again. He watched her bite her lower lip nervously and moved his hand to meet hers.
He watched her look down at their connected hands but didn’t look away from her. He couldn’t.
“Why did you call from Garrett’s phone?”
“My battery died,” she weirdly answered. He scowled. “I mean… he came to see me.”
“Garrett?” he growled. “What did he do? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She stepped into his space, placing her free hand on his chest.
Even through the material of the shirt he was wearing he could feel her warmth, and fuck if it didn’t soothe and balm his ragged soul. He wanted her touch.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered and looked up at him. He raised an eyebrow as his free hand tucked an out of place strand behind her ear.
“You have nothing to be sorry about.”
“I do. I didn’t let you explain.”
“I was an ass.”
“You’re a man.” She shrugged, and his eyes didn’t waver from her dark stare.
“I am. But I don’t want to be that kind of man to
you or for Lexi.” She started to shake her head and say his name, but he stopped her by stroking her cheek. “I’m so fucking sorry. I was a prick. I have no explanation for making that stupid bet other than the guys riding my ass and I felt like I had something to prove. It was pure stupid ego. I was going to tell you. I know you won’t believe that, but I was. I’m so fucking sorry.”
When she closed her eyes and moved into his touch, hope fueled him. Gently, he pulled her in closer and leaned in to kiss her forehead. His nose nuzzled hers, and he took it as a good sign when she moved further into his touch.
“I love you, Grace. I think I fell in love with you somewhere between being stuck in an elevator and a photo shoot,” he whispered against her skin and knew she heard him when she stopped gripping his shirt and wrapped her arms around his waist, her breasts now pressed up against his chest. “I know it’s fast. But a man knows what he wants when he sees it. For me, it’s you, Grace."
She pulled away so she could look at him. He let one of his hands leave her waist to cup her face. “No more lies?”
“None. Not one. Not ever again,” he vowed, and she blinked.
“Promise me, Marc. Because I—”
“I promise.”
“I can’t start this back up if we can’t be honest. I want to move forward. If this is going to work. I’m not interested in a relationship like—”
“Gracie. I promise you. No lies. No games. That bet was a shit thing to do. Even if it was before I got to know you. Because from the moment I laid eyes on you, honey, you felt like a breath of fresh air.”
“I didn’t recognize you when we first met.” She shook her head. He smiled.
“Exactly! You just saw me. You didn’t see the face, or brand, or name...”
“I was kind of bitchy.”
“Sassy,” he corrected, “And I fucking love that about you. I Love everything about you.” Her lips twitched, but he saw the worry that had started to fade away start to filter through again.
“You don’t think this is crazy fast? I mean, we’ve known one another for less than a month.”
“What I remember about life before you isn’t something I would want my life to be like again,” he shared honestly.
“I know what you mean.” Her voice was soft as she stood on the tips of her toes. He leaned down to meet her. His lips hovered over hers. He was dying to kiss her, to taste her, but he wouldn’t push. “You’ve picked up my life like a snow globe and shaken it all up.” He frowned, and she smiled. “It’s never glittered like this.”
“Grace…”
“I want you too. I want you in my life so much it scares me.”
“I won’t let you down.”
“Shh…” Her lips touched his, but he pushed her back.
“Gracie, you give me this back, you give me you again, and I will work my ass off to deserve you.”
“You already do. I should have waited and listened. Really listened. Baby, from the first moment in that elevator, you’ve been protective and caring and …. and I should have really taken note that your actions always spoke louder than your words.”
“Tell me…” he growled, needing to hear her say it.
“Such a caveman,” she whispered. He picked her up and took them back to the chair he’d been sitting in.
“You have no idea.”
“Marc, your brothers are in the house,” she whispered, even though they were alone in the darkness, the pool lights and the moon the only things that illuminated the space around them.
“They can get their own woman.”
“Lexi’s…”
“They’ll watch her,” he huffed before sitting her down on his lap. Her fingers went into his hair. “Tell me,” he pressed.
“I’m yours,” she whispered. His lips tingled to kiss her, his hands ached to roam her body, and his dick wanted to conquer her depths, but he had to hear it again.
“Again,” he rasped, nuzzling her nose with his, taking in the scent of her skin and breath.
“I’m yours.”
“And I’m yours. Completely, Grace,” he grunted before his mouth took hers. And like always, she gave back just as passionately as she took.
Knowing Lexi and his fucking brothers were inside, he couldn’t do what he wanted and had to keep his shit under control. She pulled away before he did.
“Marc…”
“Hmm?”
“Let’s go home,” she stated, making his heart and soul content and finally calm.
“Let’s go home,” she repeated, making his eyes glassy. She sweetly kissed each of his eyelids as she held his face in both her hands. “Take us home, baby,” she told him again. He buried his head in her neck, breathing in her scent now that he was finally able to breathe again. He knew that she meant her place when she said home; but really, anywhere she was meant home for him.
He kissed her neck and noticed the way she moved it slightly, giving him a chance to kiss the smooth flesh. He pulled away, held her beautiful face, and kissed her hard before they stood.
They walked into the house hand in hand. Garrett’s head popped up from where he was reading Lexi a book, and Marc caught his older brother’s nod.
Lexi squealed his name, and he braced as her little body slammed into him before he could bend to pick her up.
“You didn’t give up!” She smiled brightly. He had to bite the inside of his lip so as not to cry.
“I didn’t, Lex.” His voice came out gruff, and she leaned in
“Now will you marry Mommy?” she asked. He winked and was gifted with a gleaming smile and her own not so subtle wink. “Let’s go home, Marc!” she ordered, and with one girl in his arm and the other holding his hand, he did.
The three of them walked toward more than his car.
They walked toward a future.
Together.
Chapter Thirty-Two
One month later
Grace
“Gabby, you were supposed to be here with Lexi like an hour ago.” My blood pressure was rising; my stress level was already through the roof.
“I know, but this child took me into Forever 21, and now she’s trying on outfits she says she needs for your trip.”
“Forever 21? She’s six, Gab.” I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose.
“I know, but she is kind of right about these boots I’m holding and a little denim skirt she just tried on.”
“Gabriela Raquel…”
“Relax. There is plenty of time before your flight.”
“Gabby…”
“Wooshhh pshhhh… What? I must have bad reception.” My sister and her fake bad reception noises.
“Just hurry. I still have to pack whatever the heck you guys are buying,” I pointed out just as the doorbell rang. “Someone’s at the door. Just please, hurry up, okay?”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don’t be so stressy.” I rolled my eyes as I ended the call. I’d like to have her travel with a six-year-old and be tight on time to catch her flight and not be ‘stressy.’
I swung the door open as I slipped my cell phone into the pocket of my sweater and looked up. My heart stopped mid beat.
“Hi.” One word, two letters, and just like that my heart was better.
“Hi.”
“I must have the wrong house. I’m looking for Grace Rivera.” My lips twitched at what he was doing.
“I’m Grace.”
“Really?” He looked me up and down. I could feel his eyes like a touch. I loved when he did that.
“Mmhmm.” I leaned against my door and looked up at his crystalline eyes then down at his mouth.
“I was hoping I could talk to you about something.”
“Oh?” I raised my eyebrows, wondering what he was up to. Not that I wasn’t happy to see him. I was.
We were supposed to meet him in Calgary, where we would drive to a small mountain town named Bragg Creek, where they were shooting his next film. The last two months had been hectic to say the least, wi
th traveling and juggling deadlines and different time zones.
It had been countless texts, FaceTime, and Skype calls. Sexy chats and not so sexy disagreements. We mostly argued because we missed one another. We also had two amazing days in Montana. This time with Lexi. We had camped under the stars, had a bonfire with s’mores, and ridden horses. The two days flew by, but they had been a great way to reconnect after having been apart for a week. When it had been time to leave, he’d flown back to set in Canada, and we’d come back to L.A..
It wasn’t easy. But it was real. We made every minute we could spare count. We were very solid. Every day that passed I was deeper in love with him than the day before.
The paparazzi liked to follow us around the first month, but their interest had finally died down.
Lexi was done with the school year, so her and I were going to meet him up at the rental house we would stay in for the summer. Our flight was supposed to leave in four hours, yet here he was on my doorstep.
“I have this project in mind.” He snapped me out of my thoughts, and I smirked at him.
“Do you?”
“Yeah, and I need the rights to something.”
“Oh, and what’s that?” I asked, smiling like a fool as he was semi-recreating the first time we met.
“Well, it’s more about having to give you something,”
“Give me something, huh? I bet.” I opened the door wider as I chuckled, but when I looked at him, my laughter died instantly.
There he was.
The definition of masculine beauty. Tall, dark, and handsome in jeans, the olive-colored Ninja Turtles tee I’d bought him, and a worn-in, black leather jacket. And he was on one knee.
The man I loved.
On one knee.
“Oh my…” I closed my mouth and pressed my lips together while I stared at him. His hand caught mine, and I loved the way they looked together. My tan skin with his lighter one interwoven together.
“Grace. The first time I stood in this doorway, you took my breath away. You were beautiful, smart, and so damn sassy I didn’t know whether I wanted to laugh or spank you.” He smiled. I rolled my eyes, suddenly worried that it wasn’t what I thought it was. “You don’t take shit from anyone. Not from your sisters, and certainly not from me. I love that. I love everything about you. The way you are with Lexi. The way you love your sisters. The way you love me.” He shifted slightly, his free hand placing a box in between our joined hands, but I couldn’t tell you the color of the box, because I couldn’t look away from him. My heart was galloping as I took slow, deep breaths through my nose to calm down.
LIE (Right Men Book 1) Page 29
