Page 104 of Grumpy Darling

When I opened the front door, I found Gray standing on the doorstep smiling. He held his hands behind his back, and there was a nervous glint in his eye that seemed to match my own. He was dressed in khakis and a button-down shirt that hugged tightly against his muscular chest and arms. I’d always thought Gray looked his best when he was wearing hockey gear, but clearly, I hadn’t spent enough time around him when he was dressed up. The way his clothes molded to his frame, and how he held himself with such quiet strength, it was like getting a glimpse of the man he’d be one day, and it was alluring in a way I wouldn’t have expected.

I tried to speak, but I couldn’t get the words to come out. I couldn’t think of how I was supposed to react in this situation. It was too difficult to pretend I was unfazed by the sight of him looking so good. Or by how cute it was that he’d rung the doorbell of his own house to make this practice date feel more real. Perhaps it was the surprise of seeing the effort he’d gone to, or maybe it was just that I was still getting to grips with the strength of my feelings for him. But words continued to fail me. Instead, I stood there gaping at him like a fish gasping for water.

“You look beautiful, Pidge.”

“And you look...” My voice trailed off as he pulled his hands from behind his back to reveal a large bouquet. “You got me flowers?” He’d already gone to more than enough effort, and this was the sweetest thing, but I had to do my best to mask my disappointment. Bouquets of flowers always filled me with a twinge of sadness. Why pick something so beautiful only to let it die in a vase? But when I took them from his hands, I realized there weren’t any real flowers. The bouquet was actually an arrangement of all my favorite candy.

“I know most people get flowers, but I thought you might prefer these.”

“Candy?” I said. “You got me candy flowers?”

“Is that okay?”

“I love them,” I murmured.

“I’m glad.” A smile played at his lips. “Are you ready to go?”

I nodded and took his outstretched arm in mine. Honestly, I wasn’t close to feeling ready, but I trusted Gray, so I knew, whatever happened, it would be okay.

Grayson drove us into town, and my nerves began to abate just a little when we parked outside Nino’s. It was the best pizza restaurant in town, and my favorite place to eat. It was also the perfect place for a practice date. We’d been here a million times before, so I felt much more at ease knowing we’d be somewhere familiar.

“Nino’s? Good choice.”

“Hope you’re hungry,” he said.

I thought my stomach might be too full of butterflies to eat, but I nodded and shared a smile with him. “I’m always hungry for pizza.”

He jumped out of the truck and came around to open my door for me, taking my hand as I climbed down. The butterflies only intensified. “Thanks, Gray,” I murmured.

“You’re welcome,” he replied softly.

We walked into the restaurant, but after the host gave Gray a wink, he led us past all the regular tables to the door that led out to the back terrace and the garden beyond. I hesitated in the doorway. Everyone loved sitting in the outside area, but it was only open during the summer. As soon as the weather turned, Nino’s closed it off.

“We can’t go out there, Gray.”

“Trust me,” he replied, taking my hand in his once again. He gave it a squeeze, before opening the door. I gasped when I stepped outside.

The whole area was covered in fairy lights that basked the snow-covered garden in a warm orange glow. In the middle of it all was a large clear dome. It looked like a giant snow globe, and inside I could see an intimate table and two chairs had been set up. I instantly recognized it from the Winter Wonderland carnival our school had hosted last year. They’d had about a dozen domes set up, and I’d spent the entire night snuggled inside one with a hot chocolate in my hands. I remembered going on and on about how much I’d loved them. I didn’t realize Grayson remembered that too.

“The snow domes are back?” I whispered.

“For one night only . . .”

I stared at him in wonder. “You organized this?”

“Well, even if it’s just for practice, I wanted your first date to be something special.”

“But how?”

“I’m a Darling Devil. No one stops us from getting what we want.” He donned the lethal expression I was so used to seeing whenever he was facing down an opponent on the ice.

I let out a laugh. “Seriously, Gray. How’d you do it?”

His fearsome expression vanished and he shrugged. “We didn’t really have a team meeting after school today. The domes are stored in a lockup in the gym. Coach Ray pulled one out for me, and a few of the guys agreed to help me set it up. Then I just had to convince the manager at Nino’s, which wasn’t too hard—he’s got a kid who loves hockey. I said I’d take him for a skate, and that was enough to get the go-ahead.”

I was as impressed as I was surprised. Gray had really gone above and beyond. All so I’d feel special on a date that wasn’t even supposed to be real. I was starting to question whether Grayson was real himself. I couldn’t have dreamed up a better guy.

“Stop looking at me like that,” he said. “It’s no big deal. Come on...”

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