Page 67 of Lovers at Seaside
She swatted him, laughing as their mouths came together again and Christmas pushed in between them.
“All this for a little silver pouch?” Grayson teased. “What would you give me for a peanut-butter cookie?” He wiped tears of joy from her eyes and, thankfully—because she was shaking too badly to move and clinging to him so tightly not even air could fit between them—he removed the pouch from Christmas’s collar.
“I really wanted to get down on one knee and do this right,” he said with the biggest, most loving smile she’d ever seen. He rose with Parker in his arms, dropped to one knee, and set her on the other. Christmas jumped off the bed and stood beside them, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.
“Parker Polly Collins, my sweet, amazing girl.” His voice was thick with emotion. He swallowed hard, his eyes suspiciously glassy, while a river of joy flowed from Parker’s. She didn’t even try to wipe her tears away. She didn’t want to miss one second of seeing the love on Grayson’s face.
“I had a whole speech memorized, but, baby, you’re looking at me like that, and I’m so nervous I feel like I’m going to pass out.”
“Don’t pass out,” she said quickly. “Not until you ask me!”
“Don’t worry. I brought backup.” He opened the silver pouch and handed her a slip of paper.
Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks as she read it. “Parker Polly Collins, my sweet amazing girl, if you’re reading this, I must be out cold. I’m sorry.” She looked up and smiled.
He covered the note. “Don’t read the rest. I think I can cover it. Parker, I spent months falling in love with you from thousands of miles away, and the minute I saw you, in your sexy sweatpants, with tequila breath and your killer guard dog, I knew I was a goner.”
A half laugh, half sob burst from her lips. “Ohmygosh, Grayson,” she whispered.
“Every day I learn more about you and fall in love with you all over again.”
“Grayson,” she said through her tears. “I’m not going to be able to speak by the time you’re done. Will you marry me?”
“Oh, baby,” he muttered with a smile. “I wanted to make this perfect for you.”
“Don’t you see? You already have. You gave me the family I never knew existed, and now you’ve given me something even better. A chance forour ownfamily.”
He gazed deeply into her eyes, and her throat clogged with emotions. “Baby, will you marry me? Crazy cross-country schedules and all?”
“Yes!”
He pressed his lips to hers, half kissing, half laughing, and said, “I love you so much.”
“Good, then shut up and kiss me. I’ve never kissed a fiancé before, and I want to see if he’s as good as my boyfriend was.”
“Don’t you want to see your ring…?”
There went her thoughtful man again, trying to make her life wonderful.
“Later,” she said as their mouths came together and he carried her to the bed.
GRAYSON STOOD IN his yard, listening to the sounds of love surrounding him. Summer and Hannah giggled at the water’s edge. The other Seaside babies played on blankets on the shore, while their parents chatted happily around them. On the other side of the dock, Mira watched her son chase Christmas, Pepper, and Joey, who were too busy running after birds to notice. Occasional barks floated in the breezy summer afternoon.
Sawyer, Sky, and Grayson’s brothers and father were talking on the grass a few feet from him, their deep voices similar and comforting. Matt’s arm was draped lazily over their father’s shoulder. It was wonderful seeing everyone together. Grayson’s and Parker’s schedules were a little chaotic. They had two homes now, their cottage on the pond and Parker’s home in Malibu, as well as a gazebo for each; Grayson intended to keep his promise of giving Parkereverything. He’d built the gazebos with the same theme as the railing he’d installed in the house on the bay: thick, stable roots with lots of branches and a few birds thrown in for Christmas. It didn’t matter how chaotic their schedules were or how many homes they had. As long as they were together, wherever they were becamehome.
Hunter broke away from the group, watching Jana cross the grass toward the gazebo as he came to Grayson’s side. “You finally figured out how to get Matt to visit.”
“It was a nice side effect to the engagement party,” Grayson admitted, though he would have rescheduled if Matt couldn’t be there.
“He’s had his eye on Mira all afternoon.” Hunter nodded toward Matt, who was watching Mira and her son like a hawk.
“Good. Maybe he’ll have a reason to stay.” Grayson shifted his gaze back to Parker. She’d been sitting in the gazebo for the past hour, talking with Luce, Sarah Stein, and Jamie’s grandmother, Vera, who had come back for the engagement party. After the DNA results had come back, he and Parker had visited Sarah and gently broken the news about Miriam and about Parker. Sarah had cried tears of sadness over losing her daughter and tears of joy for the granddaughter she now had a chance to get to know.
Parker leaned in and hugged Sarah. She talked with Jana for a few minutes, both of them stealing glances in Grayson’s and Hunter’s direction. Then they stepped out of the gazebo and headed over to them. Parker’s eyes connected with Grayson’s, sending an electrical charge through the air. He knew he’d never get used to the effect she had on him.
“It’s a shame Reggie wasn’t able to find out any more details about her mother,” Hunter said. They’d hired private investigator Reggie Steele, who had come highly recommended by Kurt’s friend, Treat Braden. There was no record of Miriam Stein after she left home and no record of Sherry Collins until she took a job at a music store while she was pregnant with Parker. She’d worked there until the day she was killed. Apparently her boss was a good guy and had allowed her to bring Parker—Polly—to work with her. Reggie assumed Miriam had secured several false identities in the years in between when she’d left her family and when she’d become Sherry Collins. He’d been unable to make any connection between Miriam or Sherry and Bert, although it appeared that Bert had left the letters as a guiding light for Parker. Reggie discovered that Bert had made a few of the same inquiries he had, which indicated that Bert had at least suspected there might be a connection. He’d spoken with Sherry’s boss a couple years earlier and had mentioned that Parker reminded him of his niece. They could only assume Bert hadn’t told Parker of his suspicions so as not to upset her without having proof to back up his thoughts, and perhaps he was still hoping to figure it out. His attorney said Bert had notified him of the safe-deposit box several years prior to his death.
Sky insisted it was the universe stepping in once again, and Grayson thought it was probably a little bit of both. It had been as heartrending as it was a blessing for both Parker and Sarah to have the level of closure they were able to find.
