Page 109 of Grumpy Darling

“Uh, also, while we’re on the subject of coaching, you’re going to need to cancel your date with Damien. I don’t want to be a possessive boyfriend, but I can’t exactly let you go out with somebody else now, can I?”

I tensed as I waited to see if her fist would go flying at me again. But instead, she started to smile. “Are you calling me your girlfriend, Grayson Darling?”

“If you’ll let me.”

“Then I better cancel my other date.”

I released a low, satisfied growl in response, and she grinned as she pulled me back to her for another kiss. I wasn’t sure if it was fate, luck, or destiny. But it felt as if the stars had granted me a whole sky full of wishes, because Paige was finally mine.

Chapter 28

Paige

I had finally ticked my first kiss off the bucket list. Never could I have imagined it would be with Grayson. Never could I have dreamed that I’d wish for him on a star, and he’d be mine just moments later. That we’d spend the entire night watching the stars together until we fell asleep in each other’s arms, waking the next morning to a perfect pink sunrise.

“Next time I see a shooting star, I’m wishing for a million dollars,” I said as we pulled up outside the Darlings’ house. “Do you think it’ll just appear in my hands like you did, or will I have to wait several business days for it to land in my bank account?”

Gray smirked and shook his head as he put the truck into park. It was still early morning, but the Darling house almost always seemed busy. We just had to hope everyone was getting a late start today.

With a sigh he turned to me. “We should probably head inside.”

“Probably,” I agreed, but I didn’t move to leave. Even though it had started the previous evening, I wasn’t ready for our date to end.

“Come on.” He opened his door and climbed out, making the decision for us.

“Okay, okay.” I hopped out of the truck and into the brisk morning air. Somehow it felt colder now than it had all night. Admittedly, cuddling up next to Grayson was like falling asleep in a furnace.

“On a scale of one to ten, how much trouble do you think we’ll be in?” I asked as I walked around the truck to meet him. We hadn’t stayed out all night on purpose, but I couldn’t imagine Grayson’s mom and dad being thrilled about it.

“I doubt my parents have even noticed,” he said. “But it’s probably best they don’t find out. We’ll have to be quiet going inside.”

“I can do quiet. I’m practically the James Bond of stealth mode.”

“Of course you are.”

I wasn’t sure he believed me, but he reached out and took my hand. It was such a simple gesture, but it legitimately made my heart sing.

“What?” he muttered as he caught sight of my broad grin.

“Nothing.” I was smiling down at our interlocked hands like an idiot, and I quickly wiped the expression from my lips. I shared everything with Gray, but perhaps it was better if I didn’t reveal quite how crazy I was about him just yet.

He eyed me with some suspicion, but thankfully didn’t dig any deeper. “Okay, 007. Let’s go.”

We tried our best to stay silent as we made our way around the back of the house, but as we neared the kitchen door, I slipped on some snow and released a squeal. It seemed to echo through the entire neighborhood, and even a few birds that were perched on the garden fence took flight. It was lucky Gray was still holding my hand, or I would probably be stretched out on the ground right now.

“That’s your stealth mode?” Gray scoffed.

“Maybe my spy skills need a little work.”

“A little?”

“Okay, a lot.”

A light chuckle left his lips. He’d been smiling and laughing a lot since last night, and it was something I could definitely get used to.

“Maybe no one heard,” I said as Grayson led me the final few steps to the back door. My optimism was misguided.

When we tiptoed into the kitchen, we found every member of the Darling family sitting at the counter, eating breakfast. The room fell silent and they all glanced up from their food. Parker, Cammie, and Reed each gave us a knowing look. Danny seemed like he was trying to cover a smile. The only person who looked upset was Amy, but when she noticed the way Gray was holding my hand, I could see a little of the concern melt from her eyes.

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