by Sofia Tate
Mom leans over to kiss my hair, then tucks me in tighter under the scratchy cotton sheet and itchy blanket as I drift off into blissful oblivion.
* * *
Grayson
When Emilia pulls up to the rear entrance of the hospital, I spot a petite woman with slightly graying hair in a nurse’s uniform standing under the awning.
Emilia parks the car, coming over to my side to help me out. I pull the hood snugly around my head.
“Just look straight ahead,” she tells me.
I do as she says, keeping my eyes on the woman.
Once we reach her, she holds out her hand to me, her face warm with no fear in her eyes. “Mr. Shaw, I’m Joan Moore.”
“Hello. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances.” I turn to Emilia. “This is Emilia, my estate manager.”
They exchange greetings, then Mrs. Moore reverts back to me. “Come on. We’ll take the service elevator.”
We enter the hospital, the antiseptic smell assaulting my nose. Leading us down a long hallway, she presses the call button for the service elevator. I hear it clanking its way down to us, metal on metal.
Finally the elevator stops and opens for us, with Mrs. Moore leading the way. At Lily’s floor we take a few turns and finally reach a room with “Moore, Lily” written on the whiteboard outside the door.
Her mother’s hand falls on my forearm. “Don’t worry. She’s by herself. Just be prepared because she’s hooked up to machines. She’s just had a dose of meds, so she’s sleeping now.”
I nod. “I understand. Thank you.”
“We’ll wait here,” Emilia says to me.
I take a deep breath and push the door open
I step closer to the bed where Lily is sleeping. Various machines make beeping sounds and a monitor displays her heart rate and blood pressure.
Finally I take in her face, her angelic face, where ugly bruises are already beginning to form.
I seethe in anger, clenching my fists, wishing I could hurt the man who did this to her, but I exhale, calming myself. This isn’t what she needs now. What I need.
I sit down in the chair next to her bed. I take her small, warm hand into mine.
“Lily?”
She doesn’t respond. I didn’t expect her to, but I would give anything to see her glorious blue eyes right now.
“My beauty, I’m here. It’s Grayson.”
I watch, enraptured, as her chest rises and falls with each breath.
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t help you. And I’m just grateful you’re here. You’re alive.”
Words fall out of my mouth, and I can’t stop them. I don’t want to stop them.
“Maybe it’s easier for me to say all this while you’re sleeping since you can’t talk.” I laugh to myself. “You’ve brought me back to life, Lily. I don’t want to lose you now. I never thought someone as beautiful and perfect as you could ever want to be with me. And if you were awake, you’d argue with me and say you’re not perfect, but to me, you are. I’m going to be the man you deserve. I’m going to make you very happy, I promise.”
I bite my lip to keep myself from breaking down because I’m teetering on the edge and I just have to tell her one more thing, the most important thing of all.
“I love you, Lily Moore.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Easy, sweetheart,” my mother urges me as I sit upright to sign my discharge papers.
“I need to get out of here, Mom. I need to see Grayson. I had a dream about him last night and I just…” I look up at her, begging with my eyes. “I need to see him.”
I flip my legs over the side of the bed, Mom’s hand on my arm to steady me. “Don’t worry about Grayson. Let’s just get you dressed.”
She helps me into a fresh set of sweats that she brought from home, holding me to ensure I don’t fall over. I slip my feet into my winter boots, and she adjusts my coat when I put it on.
An orderly enters the room with a wheelchair.
I grimace at the sight. “Oh, come on. I’m perfectly capable of walking out of here on my own two legs.”
“Hospital policy, sweetheart,” Mom says.
“I thought that was just a medical TV show thing.”
“Where do you think they got it from, Miss Smartmouth?”
The orderly laughs to himself.
“Is she like this at work, too?” I ask him.
He simply grins and lies. “No.”
“Good answer, young man,” Mom says to him in praise.
I’m wheeled out to Mom’s Jeep, and the orderly carefully places me in the front seat.
I lean my head against the cool glass of the window as she reverses out of the parking spot, heading for home.
I look out across the Hudson River as we cross over to Catskill. “Mom?”
“Mmm-hmm?”
“Why did you say not to worry about Grayson?”
She doesn’t respond until we pull into her driveway.
Turning off the engine, she shifts in her seat to look at me straight on. “He was at the hospital two nights ago.”
My heart jumps to my throat. “But…but he couldn’t have. He’s agoraphobic.”
Her eyes soften as she explains. “After Reed took you…that bastard…” she mutters under her breath.
“Go on,” I plead with her.
“Grayson called the police, and Emilia brought him over to see you. He refused to leave you, but I insisted he get some rest and I promised to give him frequent updates on your condition.”
Only one revelation stands out for me from her account. “He was there? He left his house?”
Mom leans over to touch my cheek. “Yes, sweetheart. He did. For you. He’s an exceptional man.”
I nod, my throat choking up with unshed tears. “He is.”
Silence envelops the interior of the car. I glance over at Mom, who’s looking out the window. I reach for her hand. “What is it?”
She shakes her head before answering. “Sweetpea, are you ready for this?”
“What?”
“From what I saw Grayson is a good man. But he has so many issues. His disfigurement, his agoraphobia. You’re signing on for a lot. It’s not going to be an easy life for you. Is he truly who you want?”
I clench my fists in frustration. “Mom, I can handle it.”
She takes my hand in hers. “Lily, I would never question your ability to handle a delicate situation because you’re my kid.”
“Damn right.” I grin.
“But it’s so soon after Reed. Are you sure you don’t want to take a break from dating and be on your own for a bit? You know, so you can discover what you really want in a relationship?”
I smile at Mom’s concern. “I’m sure. Grayson is who I want to be with. If you could only…”
She reaches over to touch my cheek. “What, honey?”
My eyes start to mist. “If you could only know the way he makes me feel…it’s how he sees me like nobody ever has before, or even how I’ve thought of myself. I can’t describe it. I need to have that in my life. I need him.”
Mom’s eyes widen at my reply. “Wow. That’s so…fucking…romantic.”
I burst out laughing. “I know, right?”
Mom suddenly claps her hands together. “Okay, enough of this lovey-dovey crap. Let’s get you inside. You need a shower and a proper meal, then I’ll drive you over to his house myself.”
“Thanks, Mom. But first, I need to hear his voice.”
“Okay, honey. I’ll bring in your things.”
Mom gets out of the car as I reach into my purse, rummaging around for my cell.
I scroll for his number.
After two rings…
“Lily?” his rough, pained voice demands.
“Grayson. I’m here. I’m home.”
I hear him exhale deeply. I can hear the smile in his voice. “Thank God.”
“I’m so sorry I didn’t call before. I was so out of it on the meds, and—�
��
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
“Mom told me that you came to the hospital to see me.”
He pauses. “Yes, I did.”
“You did that for me.”
“I would do anything for you.”
“Grayson?”
“Yes, my beauty?”
I swallow as tears form in my eyes. “I love you.”
I swear I hear sniffles from his end of the phone. “I love you, too. Come to me.”
“Tonight.”
“Sooner.”
“So bossy.”
I hear him laugh out loud before I hit end.
* * *
“Holy crap!” Mom shouts as we drive up to Grayson’s house. “This place is huge!”
“Calm down, Mom. It’s just a house.”
“And all this land. And look at the view of the river from here.”
I sigh in exasperation. “Okay, calm down, Mother.”
She pulls up to the front door, and my hand’s already on the door handle, ready to pop out as soon as she brings the car to a stop.
I peck her quickly on the cheek. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Remember, no glove—”
I lean back as I shout in frustration, “Argh! Enough!” I give her a pointed look, then a smile. “Love you.”
I walk as quickly as I can to the back of the house because I know he’ll be in his studio waiting for me.
Just a few feet from the door, Grayson yanks it open, lifting his hand to me with his palm facing out. “Stop! Don’t move!”
I freeze.
I forget to breathe when Grayson takes a step outside, onto the grass. And another. And another.
I can’t stop crying or shaking. I keep my hand firmly clamped over my mouth in shock.
Finally he reaches me, folding me gently into his embrace.
“I can’t believe it,” I cry into his chest. “I’m so proud of you, baby.”
“I was so scared. I thought I’d lost you.”
“Never. I’m not going anywhere.”
I look up at him, smiling so much that my muscles begin to hurt.
“And I have something tell to you,” he hints.
“What?”
He grins proudly. “I’m starting therapy to help me get over my agoraphobia. My first session is tomorrow.”
I beam at him in return. “That’s so wonderful, Grayson.”
His dark brown eyes turn into warm chocolate. “I want to be a part of the world again, Lily. And I can’t envision myself in it without you by my side. I love you.”
I cup his face in my hands, gently running them over his cheeks, taking care with his scars, warming them under my touch. “And I love you.”
I squeal with delight and surprise as he picks me up in his arms, carrying me quickly into the studio.
Slamming the door shut with his foot, he kisses me long, hard, and deep. I fist his hair in my hands, returning every kiss with equal passion.
With me still in his arms, Grayson carries me over to the daybed. When he sets me down, his chest rising and falling, his eyes roam over me.
“I want to take all your pain away,” he murmurs, so raw and impassioned.
I’m not sure what he means until he slowly starts to help me undress. When he sees the bruises that cover my body from head to toe, his hands clench into tight fists.
I touch his chest. “I’m here, Grayson. I’m okay.”
His lips clamp together as he keeps his emotions in check. He nods his head.
I watch as he gently begins to kiss each bruise. He kneels to reach the bruises on my belly, my hips. He turns me around to make sure he doesn’t miss any on my back.
When he’s satisfied that he got all of them, he stands up and I kiss him slowly. “Thank you,” I whisper.
I look on with a full heart as he strips in front of me, laying me down on the bed, taking such care to avoid the bruises when he holds me close.
We lie quietly until Grayson sits up and repositions me on the bed, settling between my thighs.
“Not that I’m going to deny you, my love, but you really don’t have to right now,” I say.
“Yes, I do,” he rumbles. “I need to do this for you. And for me. To claim you as mine.”
I lie back on the bed as Grayson wraps his arms around my thighs to hold me in place. The flutter of his lips on my pussy jolts me, and I arch my back and reach down for his hair so I can run my fingers through his silky locks.
“Lily,” I hear him groan.
He kisses my outer lips as if he were kissing my mouth, with his warm tongue sucking and licking me deeply. I’ve never felt such ecstasy before, had someone who adored and worshipped my body the way Grayson does.
He inserts one finger, then two, into me, gently at first, then when he takes my clit into his mouth, his grunts sync with my pleas of “More!” and “Don’t stop!”
Finally I reach the cusp, I scream his name, and my release crashes over me. My legs shake, my toes curl, my heart races so fast that I worry it will explode inside my chest.
He inches back up to me, lovingly leaving kisses on my belly, my breasts, my throat.
Finally he reaches my mouth, kissing me slowly and deeply, and I taste myself on his lips.
God, I fucking love that.
When he pulls away, he places his head on my chest, panting heavily.
I slowly run my hand through his hair while trailing the other up and down his back with my fingernails to cool him down
“I’ll have to return the favor—” I start to tell him.
He quickly sits up, a serious look crossing his face. “But not until you’ve recovered and you get your strength back. Understand?”
I can’t help but smile, and I kiss him quickly on the lips. “Yes sir.”
Grayson lies back down, tucking my body into his as we both drift into blissful sleep.
* * *
Grayson
One week later
With a black hoodie firmly pulled over my head, I walk hand in hand with Lily down Main Street in Cottage Grove. I do my best to hide my face, but sometimes the hood slips off and people stare. Thank God for my fierce bodyguard. If someone gives me a second look, Lily simply asks them what they’re looking at or jokes about me being GQ’s Man of the Year. At first I found it quite rude, but now, I adore her for her protective tendencies.
We’re about to walk into the camera shop, where I’m going to insist on buying her a new camera, when she stops suddenly. I am now face to face with Reed Shepard, the vile, hateful bastard who almost took my love away from me.
I can’t help but smirk at his appearance. His face is visibly bruised and his arm is covered in a plaster cast, held in place by a sling tied around his neck.
“Lily…I…”
He dares to say her name?
I step in front of her, and she grips my arm so tightly that I can feel her fingers penetrate my coat sleeve.
I sear my eyes into his.
“Grayson, you don’t have to,” she insists.
“This won’t take but a second, darling,” I reassure her.
I revert my eyes back to him.
“Listen to me very carefully. You will never speak her name again, you will never approach her again, you will never contact her again. If it weren’t for the threat of prison, I would complete what that tree started. You are incredibly lucky to have such rich, devoted parents who can pay off judges and police so you get off with probation. And it’s only because of Lily’s compassionate heart that she’s not pressing charges against you. Such a pathetic excuse for a man, you are. Am I making myself clear, you bastard?”
The pathetic excuse simply nods without saying a word, quickly averting his eyes from Lily and rushing off like a frightened little boy.
Lily turns to me, rips off the hoodie, grabs my face, and kisses me for what seems like ages on a public street.
“My hero,” she breathlessly declares when she pulls away. “That was fuckin
g awesome.”
Awesome. Another colloquialism I’m adjusting to, but quickly endearing myself to if it means more kisses like that from Lily—and even more than that, more of the look of love and pride in her eyes, the look I intend to live up to for her to have it permanently.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Spring
One step, one step.”
“I swear to God, Grayson, it’s enough that you bought me a new camera. But if you got me a new car, I’ll kick your ass.”
“You love my ass, darling. Why would you want to harm it?”
Sigh.
Insufferable man.
The love of my life is currently leading me blindfolded from the main house to his studio. He’s forbidden me from going into his studio for the past two months because he didn’t want me to see what he was working on. He even put a sign on the door in huge capital letters:
KEEP OUT! THIS MEANS YOU, MY BEAUTY!
He stops at the door, taking my hand to brush it against the wood. “Feel something?”
I grin. “The sign is missing. You’re done?”
“Yes. Just a few more steps.”
I hear the door open and sense the cool of the wide space when we walk through together.
“Don’t look!” he warns me.
“Whatever,” I pout.
“I think we need to get rid of that word from your vocabulary. I find it quite tiresome.”
“Fine. Just hurry up, will you, sexy man?”
“Now that term of endearment I think you should keep,” I hear him reply from across the room, which means he’s standing somewhere near his sculpture.
“Count on it. Are you nearly done?”
Without warning, his hand lands on my shoulder, causing me to jump from surprise. He angles my body in a certain direction, probably so I don’t miss anything. “Yes. Ready? One…two…three.”
When he unties the scarf, I blink a few times to adjust my eyes, and that’s when I see it.
Myself. In hardened clay.
I gasp in shock. “Grayson…”
“What do you think?” he asks, his voice shaky.
I step closer to the sculpture. “May I touch it?”
