Page 93 of Fake It Till We Fall
The noise of the plaza blurred around me. The cheers, the laughter, the teasing—all of it fell away. All I could focus on was the man beside me, his hand warm and steady, grounding me through all the chaos.
For so long, I’d thought the life I wanted had been out there. Far away from this town and these people, across oceans—or on them, in some port, chasing menus and adventures that were never truly mine. But here, in the biting cold, half frozen, surrounded by friends and neighbors, with Grayson Lyons at my side, I finally saw it all clearly.
It had been here all along. I justneeded to stop running long enough to see it.
Grayson’s mouth brushed my temple, his voice low and for me alone. “This is fun and all,” he murmured, his breath warming my skin, “but I don’t plan on sharing you with the whole damn town all night.”
A shiver skated down my spine.
He pulled back just enough to look into my eyes, his expression fierce and full of intent. “I’m taking you home.”
The words weren’t a question, but a promise. And I didn’t hesitate.
Chapter 25
NEW YEAR’S DAY
Harper
Icould have stayed wrapped in Grayson’s arms all day long. But as happy as I was, I knew the bubble would be popped eventually, and there were things that I’d already been putting off for far too long.
I hung my coat by the door and slipped off my boots, my heart pounding harder than it should have been. After everything I’d already done—the plaza, the crowd, and the microphone—having a frank conversation with my grandma shouldn’t be sending me into a panic.
But it had to be done. It was long past time I knew the truth.
I found her in her chair by the window, her new soft blanket over her lap, a cup of tea in her hands, looking suspiciously…healthy.
“Good morning, dear,” she said without turning. “I trust you had a lovely evening.”
My cheeks heated, but I was not going to be swayed from my mission. “Grandma.” I moved across the room. “We need to talk.”
She turned to me then, peering over the top of her mug. “Sounds serious.”
“It is.” I perched on the arm of the couch, my nerves twisting in my stomach. I didn’t know what I was going to hear, but I knew I wasn’t going to like it. I blew out a breath. “How sick are you, really? I know you don’t want to talk about it, but I need to know.”
I resisted the urge to hold my breath while I waited for her answer.
She blew across her tea, radiating calm. “Harper, I’m eighty-two. Everything creaks and hurts. Be more specific.”
“Grandma.” I narrowed my eyes. “Enough. You called me, remember? You told me you weren’t well.”
“I do remember,” she said simply. “You were finishing up your last charter, and I called to let you know I’d been to the doctor.”
“Right.” I swallowed hard, trying not to get frustrated. “You said you weren’t well.”
“No.” She held up a finger. “I said I wasn’tfeelingwell,” she clarified. “Isn’t that why one goes to the doctor in the first place?”
My frustration was growing, but there was something else going on, too. “Wait,” I said slowly. “Are you not really sick?”
Grandma waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, honey. It’s just a bit of reflux, is all. The doctor says if I lay off the fried onions and red wine, I’ll outlive everyone in town.”
“Wait.” I blinked. “Reflux?”
“Mm-hmm.” She took another sip of her tea. “It’s really quite unpleasant.”
“I’m sure it is,” I said, my words clipped. “But you let me think—” My voice broke, half anger, half relief.
“Sweetheart, I don’t think Iletyou think anything.” Her voice was sweet, but her smile was devilish. “But when you assumed…Well, I didn’t see the harm in letting you think it was a bit worse than it was. Besides, you wouldn’t have come home otherwise. And it waswaypast time you did. And you most definitely wouldn’t have let yourself fall into that boy again without a little nudge.”
