Page 36 of Letters of Faith
He had laid me in bed, pulled the covers up to my chin, and pressed a kiss to my forehead.
My chest had tightened from both the warmth that spread through me from being taken care of and the guilt I felt because of that.
Groaning, I turn on my side and look at the clock.
It’s one a.m.
I won’t be able to go back to sleep for a while. I’m always wired after I dream about Nate, and tonight, the memories of Grayson and Nate are clashing together, each warring for dominance.
Throwing the covers back, I slip on my slippers and pad to the kitchen for a glass of water. When I reach the end of the hall, though, I nearly jump out of my skin.
Grayson’s lying on the couch, fast asleep. He’s lying on his back with his head turned to the side. One arm is draped across his stomach while the other falls to the floor.
What’s he doing here? Why didn’t he go home?
Quietly, I tiptoe over to the couch.
He looks peaceful while sleeping, none of the usual lines of grumpiness marring his face.
Leaning down, I run my hands through his hair like he did to me hours before, careful not to wake him up.
For a moment, I wonder what it would be like to lay down beside him while he sleeps. The feel of him holding me in his arms while Icried earlier haunts my memories—making me ache for a future that I gave up when Nate died.
If I let myself, I could love Grayson, and that terrifies me.
So, instead, I pull my hand from his hair, gently kiss the scruff on his jaw, and grab the blanket lying across the back of the couch, pulling it over him.
I don’t look back as I silently walk back to my room.
I could love him, but I’ll never let myself.
Chapter 16
Georgia,
Hi, pretty girl. It’s me again. By this point, I hope you’re okay with receiving these letters. I know the first one was probably a shock. I’m doing it for your own good, though, so keep that in mind when I ask you to do this next thing, okay?
I’m going to tell you a story—it’s important, so listen up.
We were young when we first started dating, so I really didn’t know what dating was supposed to look like. But, being the book nerd you are, you were in love with love and romance.
There was this one day in college—we were sitting on the grass outside your dorm. It was late spring. While I studied, you were reading one of your romance books. You couldn’t quit talking about the date the male character set up for the female lead. You glowed talking about that book, and I vowed that day that I would learn everything I could about romance so that I could be the one to make you look like that.
You didn’t know it, but the next time I was in your room, I took a picture of your bookshelf and read every romance book you had. I took notes. Then, when I was ready, I set up the perfect date.
Do you remember it?
I found this little coffee shop that doubled as a bookstore. I didn’t have a lot of money then, but I had enough to buy you the book you had been talking about for weeks. We went to the coffee shop. I bought thebook and read it to you while we sat in that cafe. I’ve never been much of a reader, but seeing how you smiled that day was worth it.
You read all these fairy tales about love and romance, but the thing is—it’s better when it’s real.
I told you before, and I’ll tell you again, you are a girl who’s supposed to be loved, and because of that, I’m going to ask you to do something hard. Don’t hate me for this.
Go on a date, Georgia.
It’s time.
I let you dip your toes in the water with that first task, but now it’s time for you to dive head-first into moving on. It doesn’t have to be serious—or lead anywhere—but you need to put yourself out there. One day, it will be serious, and I want you to be ready for that.
