Page 64 of Letters of Faith
“Okay, okay,” I laugh. “You win. You’re the manliest man I know, and that face should be in magazines because it’s so handsome.”
He gives a self-satisfied smirk, loosening his arms, and I turn in them to face him.
“I’ve been thinking,” I say, running my hand over his face that truly could be on the cover of a magazine.
“This probably doesn’t bode well for me.” There’s a cheeky grin on his face as I pat his cheek and then put my finger over his lips, effectively quieting him.
“Shh, and listen. Don’t freak out when I say this, promise?”
He nods, keeping quiet with my finger still pressed against his lips.
“I think we should host a dinner—and invite your family.” That wariness in his eye turns into an all-out confrontation, but I have a plan. Grayson may think he’s fooling himself and everyone around him, but he wants to get to know his family. I could see it the day that he let Avery color his tattoos, but he’s too stubborn to make a move without a little push. “It doesn’t have to be just your family. I would like to invite my parents and Ellie, but it would be nice to invite your family too. They want to get to know you—you should let them. You won’t even have to do it on your own. I’ll be there with you if anything goes wrong or you get uncomfortable.”
My words are rushed, jumbling together as they come out, but I want him to hear everything before he makes up his mind because once Grayson makes up his mind, that’s it. He’s done.
He doesn’t say anything when I’m finished—just sits and stares. Maybe this was a bad idea, but I had to offer. The silence stretcheswithout him answering, and I begin to get uncomfortable. His fingers wrap around my wrist pulling my hand from his mouth, and heat flames into my cheeks. I hadn’t even noticed.
“I was waiting—I didn’t want you cutting me off again,” he teases. “Let’s do it. You’re right. It is time that I give them the benefit of the doubt, but I make no promises that it will be permanent. I’ll give it a chance, though.”
“Thank you. I’ll take care of everything,” I say, leaning forward and kissing his cheek. “You won’t regret it.”
“Only because it’s you,” he says, reaching out and tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m glad to see you start to be happy again, Peach.”
“It’s because of you, you know. I would have stayed in the dark if it wasn’t for you. Thanks for helping me come back to the light.”
“You’re wrong, Georgia. You would have found your way out on your own. It was never me.”
Leaning back on the couch, I lean into his side and sigh. “It wasn’t me, Gray, but I do think God’s been working through you this whole time, and whether he knows it or not, Nate’s had a part in it too—leading me to you, that is.”
Grayson’s muscles tighten beneath me, but I don’t understand his reaction. Before I can think too hard about it, he says, “Yeah, maybe it was Nate’s plan all along.”
There’s something strange in how he says it, but I don’t question it too hard—even if I should.
Chapter 28
Grayson
It’s the day of the dinner, and Georgia has been buzzing around my house all morning. Currently, she is standing at the stove with an apron wrapped around her waist that shows her curves, and a drying towel flipped over her shoulder. Dishes litter the countertops, and there’s flour all over her face. I tried to step in and help earlier, but she shooed me out of the kitchen with a kiss and a snap of that towel to my leg. The entire scene is straight out of one of my dreams, except in my dream, she has my ring on her finger.
“How’s it coming?” I ask, slipping behind her and wrapping my arms around her waist.
“Didn’t I scare you out of the kitchen once already? What are you doing back?”
With my hands on her waist, I spin her until she’s facing me. “I thought you would want to know that I just got a text from my brother. They are about fifteen minutes away, so I figure everyone else will show up soon, too.”
A panicked look crosses her face.
“What? The food is not ready yet. I’m not ready, either. Look at me,” she says, gesturing to her clothes with splotches of flour and other various foods over them. “Plus, Ellie texted this morning and asked if she could bring Harper along. I can’t tell Ellie no, and you knowHarper. Everything needs to be perfect—I don’t want your family to get a bad impression.”
She’s panicking, switching from focus to focus, unable to choose which she is most panicked about.
Taking her face in my hands, I force her to look at me. “Hey, I’m right here. We’re doing this together, remember? Now, let’s deal with this one problem at a time. You get changed, and I can finish up here in the kitchen. I’m not hopeless, you know. As far as Harper goes, ignore her, but if she gets to be too much, I don’t mind kicking her out—this is my home, after all, and no one will make my girl feel uncomfortable in my home.”
That same smile Georgia wore at church appears on her face now, and my heart nearly beats out of my chest from the sight of it.
“Your girl, huh?”
“You know it,” I say, placing a quick kiss on her lips and grabbing the towel from her shoulder. “Now, shoo.”
