Page 93 of Beautiful Mess

“All done with the book thing?” I ask her, my gaze sliding over to the kids again when I hear Willow yelling at Beau about something. Snapping my fingers to get her attention, I shake my head and move the phone away from my mouth as I bite out, “Knock it off, both of you.”

“Yeah, it’s over. It was so much fun!” Grace gushes, and I can hear the smile through the phone. “A couple of the ladies invited us to a cookout they’re having at the beach, and obviously, we couldn’t refuse.”

“Obviously,” I agree teasingly.

“Exactly!” She giggles. “So, after me, Gem, and Charley helped Georgia clean up, we walked down here. There’s tons of food and beer, and there’s music and games.Oh!And there’s tons of kids. Super kid friendly. Bring the kids! Please come!”

Chuckling, I look at the guys. “The women are at the beach for some cookout. Wanna go?”

Everett and Fletcher agree right away, but Graham’s face twists up as he runs his fingers through his hair. “I’m not really in the mood,” he murmurs. “But you guys can go.”

My eyebrow lifts. “You sure?”

“Is that my brother?” Grace cuts in.

“Yeah, Graham’s not feeling it,” I tell her.

Groaning, she says, “Put me on speaker, please.”

Huffing out a laugh, I do just that. “Okay, go ahead.”

“You’re coming, dammit. It’s going to be a lot of fun, you’ll see.” Graham looks less than amused. “Come on, there’s even cheddar brats!”

My brow furrows as I ask, “Are cheddar brats supposed to be a selling point?”

“Oh, my brotherloooovesthose things,” Grace announces. “He’s obsessed.”

Everett and Fletcher laugh in unison as Graham rolls his eyes. “I’m not obsessed, asshole. I like them a verynormalamount.”

He barely finishes his sentence before Grace says, “Please come, Graham. You know how long it’s been since you’ve hung out with me? It’ll be fun, I promise.”

There’s a pregnant pause, and right when I’m convinced he’s going to tell her no, Graham heaves a sigh and, very begrudgingly, agrees. Hanging up with Grace, she sends me her location; she’s about a mile down from where we’re at, but it doesn’t take long to corral the kids once they learn we’re going to the beach. As soon as we get there and our feet hit the sand, the older kids book it toward where everyone’s at. As we approach, I realize almost everyone here is a familiar face. It’s mostly women, but a few of their husbands are here too, along with a bunch of kids running around.

Willow and Blakely run up to a couple of girls who’re building an elaborate sandcastle and join them as Beau and Sutton hop into a game of tag with a group of kids I recognize from their grade. It’s always amazing how easily it can be to make friends when you’re that age. Fletcher wanders off in search of the alcohol while Everett, Graham, and I join the other guys.

Hand stuffed in my pocket, my gaze takes in the ladies standing about fifteen feet in front of us, and it doesn’t take long to find the one I’m looking for. Right in the center of it all, with a high, bouncy ponytail and her bare feet pressed into the sand, is Grace. The short pink sundress she’s wearing makes my blood heat as I drink in the sight of her before she spots me. Her head is thrown back as she laughs at whatever the woman in front of her is saying, and it’s entrancing. All eyes are on her while she dives into a story I can’t hear from where I’m standing, animatedly using her hands and stopping to laugh every so often. The rosy color to her cheeks very well may be from the sun, but if I had to guess, I’d say it’s more from the seltzer in her hand that’s following whatever she drank at the bookstore.

It’s been six months since New York—since things have become moreofficial—but I’m no less captivated by her than I was then, and I’m certain that’ll never change. I could watch her talk and laugh with people for hours at a time and never get bored. It’s not until Grace turns her head, meeting my gaze through the crowd like she could feel the weight of my stare, that I realize I’m smiling like a fool. A grin that squints her eyes spreads across her face as she runs over and throws her arms around my shoulders as mine instinctively wrap around her waist.

“You came!” she squeals, pressing her lips to my neck, right below my ear. The gentle touch and her hot breath against my skin sends a shiver down my spine.

“Of course I came,” I murmur before kissing her forehead.

“I missed you today,” Grace says softly, peering up at me, with her chin on my chest and a dopey smile on her face.

“Missed you, baby girl.”

Biting down on her bottom lip, Grace holds my gaze, slightly bloodshot eyes soft as they pour into mine. My heart beats wildly as I wonder what’s going through her mind. As if she can read my mind, a sweet smile tugs on her lips before she softly says, “It’sactuallyunreal how much I love you.”

My chest rumbles with a deep laugh as I tip my head down, brushing my lips against hers. “Yeah, well, feeling’s mutual.”

It doesn’t take long for her sisters and Charley to gravitate toward us, and after I grab Everett and I a couple of beers from the cooler, we hang out with everyone for a while, watching the kids run around and play. Handing her niece and a fresh bottle to me, Grace drags her brother away, demanding he crack a smile and have some fun. Upbeat pop music fills the air, and after a round of shots—plus, a second for good measure—and a whole lot of convincing from not only Grace, but Georgia and Charley too, Graham finally gives in to their demands to dance with them.

For somebody who grew up an only child, I wasn’t sure how I’d like being brought into Grace’s big, close-knit family. Sure, I’ve known them for years, like them all plenty, and even consider a few of them my friends, but knowing them and being a part of their family are two very different things. The idea of holidays and get-togethers felt like a lot to handle. Yet as I stand beside Everett, Gemma, and a conked-out Rosie, with a now-sleeping baby cradled in my arms, and we watch the four of them—which quickly turns into five when Fletcher joins them—dance and laugh together like there’s not a care in the world or a single other place they’d rather be, I’m filled with an immense sense of gratitude.

After a couple of songs, Graham taps out and joins us on the sidelines. A moment later, a collective wave of squeals and shrieks fill the air whenAll Too Well, a Taylor Swift song I’m well-versed in thanks to Grace, Willow, and Blakely, starts playing. I’ve never seen a group of women light up quite like they do when Taylor Swift comes on. Carefully passing Rosie to Everett, Gemma excitedly runs over to the group before I watch a handful of little girls and boys join them too. The song is drowned out by the sound of well over a dozen people singing along, and admittedly, it’s kind of amazing to witness.

One arm slung over Charley’s shoulders and the other over Georgia’s, Grace sways from side to side, their eyes bright and faces lit up with glee, as they belt out the heartfelt lyrics, never missing a beat. A wave of emotion washes over me as I watch the woman I love radiate sunshine, looking as beautiful as she ever has while surrounded by the people who mean the most to her. I wonder if she knows how truly loved she is. How deeply her love has touched all of us, and how every single one of us are better people because we are loved by her.

As I stand here taking it all in, with tears stinging the back of my eyes, it hits me how blessed I am, how bleak my life was before knowing what her love felt like was. And how much better it is with her light and love in it. And when Grace meets my gaze through the crowd, her sisters and our kids surrounding her, and waves me over, my heart skips a beat. A grin splits my face as I join her in the center of the crowd, her eyes only on mine as I wrap an arm around her waist, letting the music move my body with hers, not giving a damn how silly I may look. Her eyes crinkle, and the sweet, feminine sound of her giggle wraps around my heart, squeezing it tight as I make a dramatic show of dipping her, and suddenly, I’m reminded of something I heard once, something I never thought twice about until this very moment.

It’s not lavish homes or fancy cars or expensive trips that make a person rich; it’s love, in its purest and deepest form.

It’sthis, right here, with Grace and our families.

And that makes me the richest man in the world.

The End.

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