Page 157 of Just Let Go

He smiled. “How often does anyone ever give you flowers?”

She took the bouquet. “Never, actually.”

“Then it’s the perfect gift.” He looked unsure. “Can I sit?”

She shook her head, as if to bring herself back to the present. “Oh, yes, of course.”

He took the chair across from her, folded his hands on the table, and watched her for a long moment as she sat down again.

“So... why are you really here?” Did she sound as unsteady as she felt?

“Came to see you.” He reached across the table and took her hands in his. “Came to make my case.”

She frowned. “What kind of case?”

“Not the kind I have to make before the judge,” he said, one eyebrow raised. “The kind that will hopefully show you how much you mean to me.”

She had no response.

“I thought a lot about what you said. About forgiving myself and forgiving my father.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not quite there yet.” He squeezed her hands. “But I want to be. I want to learn to let it go, to get past all that garbage so I can move on.”

“I think that would be really good for you, Grady.”

“And you were right. I do sabotage myself, and I did push you away. And I still think I’m not good enough for you.”

“Grady, please—”

He cut her off with an upheld hand. “But I told you before that I want to be, and I meant it. I want to try to be the man you think I can be.”

She studied her folded hands on the table. “I saw your win.”

“You did?” His face warmed into a soft smile. “I hoped you were watching. Jaden said you didn’t go to Cedar Grove with the rest of them, so I wasn’t sure.”

“I watched it alone.” She eyed him. “You gave Benji your medal.”

He nodded. “The medal was always for him. But the skiing—the journey—that was all mine.”

She pressed her lips together. Was this actually happening? Was he really here, in Harbor Pointe, sitting at her table?

“Look, Quinn—” he reached over and put a hand on her cheek—“I’ll do my best to let go of all of that other stuff, but I never want to let go of you.”

She blinked, sending tears down her cheeks. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again.”

“Are you kidding? When I won, all I could think about was that I wished you were there.”

She understood that feeling, though on a much smaller scale.

“Can I show you something?” He stood.

She gave his upturned hand a skeptical look.

“Come on.” He pulled her up, held on to her hand, and walked down the block toward the flower shop.

“What are you doing?”

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