Page 48 of Please, Stay

“Sure.” Grayson signed the picture without batting an eyelash. So, he didn’t have problems with fans, only the ones that threw themselves in his direction like that woman at the coffee shop.

“Right this way.” He led them in. The smell hit Juliana before she saw the elephant exhibit. Three gray elephants ate palm fronds near an observation deck. Hundreds of tiny, red lights covered the front of the deck. A tall, metal giraffe covered in Christmas lights stood a little beyond that. A wreath on the door to the elephant’s pen alternated between green, gold, and white. Apparently, the elephants enjoyed Christmas just as much as the next mammal.

Grayson stopped and kissed her cheek. “I hope you enjoy tonight.” He looked over her head and then back down at her before shifting his gaze to the side. “It’s, well, it’s not something I’ve done before.” His hand squeezed hers.

Why did the zoo make him nervous? “I am having fun just being with you.”

As they passed the exhibits, a lightness settled around Grayson. His shoulders relaxed. The grip on her hand loosened.

His focus moved from animal to animal, like he really appreciated it. There were so many layers to him. It seemed strange that he lived his life basically alone. What would happen to him after he left and went to Australia? Would he find someone to be with there as well? She’d heard of the movie stars that fell in love on set. It made sense. Especially when your co-star was Grayson.

She didn’t want to share him. It was a pointless idea considering she already shared him with the entire world, but this Grayson, the one who came alive as soon as they entered the zoo, she wanted all to herself.

White lights twinkled above them as the air grew colder and damp. Monkeys played behind the fence. Their cheerful calls pulled a giggle from Juliana. When was the last time she’d been to the zoo? Carrie would love it here.

“Here you go.” Reggie stepped to the side. Grayson let Juliana walk in first.

Her eyes adjusted to the darkness. A cave, the ceiling and floor were both made of stone. But three walls were solid glass.

They were surrounded by the Lion Habitat.

A lioness with her back against the glass ignored her cub as it crawled over her and pressed its nose to the window. Juliana touched the cool glass, expecting to feel the fur. They were so close.

Grayson cleared his throat. She turned around. Two tall pillar candles were lit on a table covered with a white tablecloth. A bottle of champagne tilted out the side of a silver bucket. The light from the flames flickered over the cave, darkening Grayson’s features. He’d set up a romantic dinner inside the lion habitat. For her? Incredible.

“When I was young,” he began as he stared out the window at the lioness licking her cub. “I loved coming to the zoo. No matter which foster home they moved me to, I always managed to make it to the zoo. I especially loved the lions. They were so big. Top of the food chain. No one could mess with them.” He lowered his voice a touch. “I was envious. Envious of their family. Of their strength. Every time I came, I’d bring enough money for a hot dog and then sit and wait for the lion to come out. All-day if necessary.” He lifted his lips in a half-smile. “I used to pretend that the lion actually recognized me. I’d talk to it if no one were around. The employees at each zoo knew my name after a while.”

This incredible man rose from a crappy childhood. “What was the longest you ever lived in one place?” She’d read a little about his childhood from magazines, but he’d always remained tight-lipped in interviews.

“Two years. From eight to ten, I lived with a woman who had three other foster kids. I’m not sure she even knew I was there.”

He wouldn’t want her sympathy, she knew that, but she mumbled, “I’m sorry.” No kid deserved to grow up feeling unloved.

“Don’t be. A dry place to sleep. Food to eat. I wasn’t abused or anything.”

But he was. A lack of love growing up is just as abusive as anything physical. The scars are only visible when you choose for them to show. He was showing her now even if he didn’t realize it.

He crossed his arms, and his eyes narrowed. “There was an old man at the zoo.” He laughed lightly. “Looking back, he probably wasn’t much older than I am now.”

“Funny how that happens.”

“He’d come by and see me each time I visited. He started buying my hot dog and Coke. Then he brought me a coat one day. Then a new pair of shoes. I don’t know what happened to him, but I wish I did. I’d like to pay him back.”

“You could always try to find out.”

Grayson looked at her for a long moment. “I started to. The zoo was the most stable thing I had in my life at the time.” He untucked his shirt and pulled up the side of it until he revealed a faded, gray tattoo on the left side of his chest. An abstract lion’s head tattoo about six inches wide sat above his pec. She’d never seen that before. Not in any movie or magazine.

Her fingers itched to touch, trace the lines, but she didn’t move. “Is that new?”

“No. I got it when I turned 18. I actually thought about going to school to be able to work with lions.” He let his shirt fall back into place. “But someone approached me at a McDonald’s when I was in L.A., and—” he motioned around the room “—here I am.”

He pulled out her chair. She by-passed the seat and wrapped her arms around his waist instead. Her eyes focused on a male lion in the distance. He yawned and then shook his mane. She’d never look at the graceful animals the same way again.

“Thank you.”

Grayson kissed the top of her head. “You’re welcome. We’ll go see the Christmas lights after dinner.”

He’d shared his childhood with her. The meaning of the tattoo. That meant more than anything else he could have given her.

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