Page 71 of Fake It Till We Fall
I’d settled Grandma into a chair in the corner with her new blanket when she insisted she wanted to stay and enjoy all thegames, even though she looked like she might fall asleep at any moment.
I almost got sucked into the drawing debate when Grayson caught my eye from the hallway and gestured for me to follow him out to the porch.
Outside, the cool air was a welcome contrast to the heat of the house. He wrapped a heavy fleece blanket around my shoulders and pulled me in for a quick hug.
“This was nice,” I said against his chest. I breathed deep and settled into his arms. “Isnice. Your family hasn’t changed a bit.”
He pulled back and raised an eyebrow until I laughed.
“Okay, obviously, some things have changed. Quinn is an excellent addition.”
“She is.”
“And Avery and Delaney are amazing, too.”
“They really are,” Grayson agreed. “I’m actually surprised Lauren isn’t here, but I can’t keep up with whatever’s happening with those two.”
“Your mom doesn’t come up for the holidays anymore?”
Grayson shook his head. “She doesn’t come back to Trickle Creek for much these days.” His voice held a thread of disappointment. “But she’s happy down south,” he continued. “She has a full life, and her arthritis is so much better in the heat. Hopefully she’ll come up this summer when Delaney and Ethan’s baby is due.”
“That would be nice.” I let myself get pulled back into his arms. “Being with family is so important.” It was something I was feeling more and more.
Grayson turned me in his arms, so I was pressed up against his back and could look out onto the snow-covered yard. The soft glow of the Christmas lights strung above the porch cast a colorful display of light onto the snowflakes that fell lazily fromthe sky. I leaned my head back against his chest with a contented sigh.
“This is the best Christmas I’ve had in a very long time,” I confessed after a moment.
“Really? It beats out a sunny, beach holiday?”
“In every single way.”
Behind me, Grayson shifted, his arm moving to his pocket. I turned to see him produce a box from his pocket. My heart leapt into my throat in a moment of panic.
“Grayson, what?—”
“Don’t worry.” He laughed. “It’s not like that. Just a little Christmas gift.”
Some of the panic receded. “But I didn’t get you anything. I didn’t even think about?—”
“Harper.” He stopped me with a shake of his head before lifting the lid of the box to reveal a simple silver ring.
I knew that ring.
There was nothing flashy about it. A simple stone in a silver band with a deep-purple amethyst.
I remembered the night he gave it to me. We were seventeen, full of love and hope. Grayson had promised me forever that night, and I’d promised it right back with my whole heart.
Just as clearly, I remembered pulling the ring off my finger and throwing it at him the night we broke up, hot tears blurring my vision, my heart shattering into a million pieces. I remembered the ring bouncing on the gym floor before skittering away, a painful symbol of everything I’d just lost.
“You kept it,” I whispered.
“I did.” His voice was low and rough. “Of course I did.”
My throat tightened, my heart stumbling over itself. These last few weeks with him had been so nice, but we’d never talked about the elephant in the room. We’d never addressed the fact that he’d broken my heart. “But, why?” I tore my gaze away fromthe ring to look him in the eye. “Why would you keep it after…after that?”
He blew out a slow breath, his eyes never leaving mine. “Because when I told you I didn’t love you, I lied.”
My heart stuttered.
