Page 116 of Not A Whisper

Swallowing hard and ignoring the burning sensation that follows it, I lean forward to kiss him on the side of the mouth. “Thank you, Grant.”

His cheeks turn a light shade of pink.

“Yeah, well, you were the one who laid the groundwork. If you weren’t so good at your job, it may have been a little bit more difficult.” He clears his throat. “And when they saw me, it automatically confirmed that you hadn’t been lying about our relationship status.”

Before I can say anything else, he grabs my hand and tugs me away from the library.

“Come on, I’ll give you the keys to the truck so you can go home. I’ll have Jason bring me back to our place after our classes.”

Unable to keep from grinning, I allow it to shine as we walk to the student parking lot. Grant Gipson just saved the dream I’ve been holding onto since I was a little girl.

And that makes him my hero.

Twenty-Nine

“So, yeah, I have some time now to come visit.”

There’s a thick pause on the other end of the line. I wait for Pianna to say something. Anything really. She’d been all excited to hear about the fun I had in Vegas but had been silent during my whole explanation of how I managed to get myself suspended, which is completely unlike my best friend.

When the silence continues to stretch, I have to check to make sure the line didn’t drop.

“I should’ve just told you Wednesday night when it happened, or yesterday, but I’ve been, um, still wrapping my head around the whole thing.”

Along with coming to terms with the suspension, I’ve had other pressing issues to keep my mind occupied. Like if I’m going to go to this fundraiser thing with Grant. I’d decided last night that I am going to go, I just haven’t worked up the nerve to tell Grant yet. I don’t know why I’m nervous. Maybe it’s because we’d be stepping intohisworld. A world full of polite smiles, platitudes, and sugary, backhanded compliments. Aworld where Garry Gipson thrives, and I am just a small fry. I’m not sure if I’m ready for that type of mingling.

I push my rising anxiety to the side for the time being to focus on the present issue.

“Pianna?”

A heavy sigh huffs out on the other end. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me, but I get it.”

Well, that seems a little bit too easy. This is a very non-Pianna response.

“You do?”

“Yeah, shit happens. Lord knows I’ve lost a job here and there because I couldn’t keep my hands to myself.” Her nervous giggle has mental alarm bells going off in my head. “No harm, no foul, right? And you managed to somehow keep your job? I’d say you got off easy.”

I didn’t tell her about how or why Grant stepped in. Not yet anyhow, but I intend to do so here in a minute. Pianna is my best friend. Keeping my marriage a secret from her is the worst thing I can do. Now that I’ve had some time to come around to it, it’s time to let my best friend in on it too. I already have the speech in my head, ready to go. We wouldn’t focus on me for long, I have every intention of steering the conversation back to her wedding. That hers was way more important and special than my surprise elopement. Hopefully talks of her dress options, venues, and wedding details will be enough to dampen her annoyance with me.

I snort, “Yeah,easy.”

Leaning back against the couch with my laptop on my lap, I skim my fingers over the mousepad to keep my screen from going to sleep. The bandages have been removed from my burned hand. With them gone, you can see my palm is still red, but luckily, the ache is gone.

“So,flights…”

“Um, ah, actually, Bri, you might want to hold off on buying a ticket,” Pianna stammers.

Oh no. My stomach and heart sink together as one.

“Why would I do that?”

I don’t want to presume anything, but given Pianna’s track record when it comes to men, I wouldn't be surprised if they called it off. That would be a shame. I actually like Miguel.

“Don’t be mad at me, ok?”

I close my eyes and suck in a deep breath. This isn’t a good start to this conversation. “Pia, I promise I won’t get mad. You can tell me anything.”

“We’re postponing the wedding—” her words come out quickly, growing louder as she announces “—because I’m pregnant, Bri!”

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