Page 58 of Fake It Till We Fall
Careful not to wake him, I slipped from the bed. In the living room, I found his shirt in a ball on the floor. I pulled it over my arms, inhaling his scent as it surrounded me like a hug.
I started a pot of coffee in the attached kitchen before I crouched in front of the fire, coaxing the embers back to life with a few fresh logs. Sparks crackled, and the smoke curled as the fire caught once more.
Outside, grey predawn started to creep across the sky. I grabbed a fluffy blanket from the couch and wrapped myself in it, before pouring a mug of coffee and settling into the couch.
It was the perfect morning.
And it scared the hell out of me.
What if I was being naive? What if last night had been nothing more than nostalgia and the wine and years of loneliness catching up with us? What if we’d gotten caught up in the pretending and gotten carried away?
What if I let myself believe it could work out between us, only to be broken in two again?
Did I even want to stay?
I lifted the mug to my lips and blew on the hot liquid.
There were more questions than I had answers for.
The job offer still sat on my phone unanswered. Six months in the Mediterranean as a head chef. It was everything I’d ever worked for. It was a dream come true.
At least, ithadbeen.
The longer I hesitated on accepting the offer, the further away that dream felt.
And then there was Grandma. She tired so easily now, even when she tried to hide it. I still didn’t know what was going on with her health, but I didn’t need the details to know that she wasn’t getting any younger. She’d worked so hard her entire life. For me. She deserved to rest and enjoy her retirement.
But I knew the only way she would step away from the kitchen completely was if I stayed.
For her, I’d stay.
But would it be enough?
I wrapped my hands around the mug of coffee and stared into the flames, searching for answers.
“Good morning.” Grayson’s voice, still rough from sleep, came from behind me. A moment later, his arms slid over the couch and around my shoulders as he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. “The bed felt empty without you.”
I turned to give him a half smile but held onto his hand. “I didn’t want to wake you.”
“I wouldn’t have complained.” He gave me a sexy smile and kissed my hand. “Mind if I join you?”
Grayson
If it were upto me, I would have stayed tangled up in Harper all morning—her legs around mine, her hair spilling over my chest, the warmth of our bodies keeping the real world at bay.
Waking up to an empty bed had given me a jolt. For a moment, I panicked and thought maybe I’d dreamed the night before.
Instead, I found her by the fire, wrapped in a blanket, holding a cup of coffee and staring into the fire. She’d stoked the flames back to life, and they painted her in a warm glow. For a second, I’d just watched, letting myself believe that this was really my life. And it was all real.
Maybe it wasn’t a bad thing that she’d slipped away before I could wake up to see her lying there next to me. I needed whatever reminders I could get that this wasn’t permanent.
I took a moment to pour myself a cup of coffee and top up Harper’s before joining her on the couch in front of the warm fire. She leaned into me, and I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her close.
“So…” I tipped my head toward her. “About last night.”
Her face flushed. She bit her bottom lip. “What about it?”
“We got a little carried away, didn’t we?” I chuckled a little and took a sip of the hot coffee.
