Page 180 of Things I Wish I Said
“You didn’t apologize.”
“What?” Her head whips up, eyes round.
“You said an apology was far too inadequate for you to make amends for how you ended things, but you never actually apologized. Never actually said the words.”
A breath hisses between her lips like the air leaving a balloon. “I’m sorry, Grayson. I am so fucking sorry.”
I step forward. Reaching out, I pull her to me and lean down, pressing my forehead to hers as I breathe her in—inhaling the sweet scent of orange and vanilla. “I forgive you,” I whisper. “And I’ve been all in from the moment I met you, Ry.”
Chapter forty-six
RYLEIGH
The minute I hearGrayson’s car pull into the driveway, I panic.
“Oh shit. I’m not ready.” I scramble with my suitcase on the bed, cramming clothes into it and hastily grabbing my toiletries from the bathroom.
It’s the first week in July, and I’m set to head to the Hamptons with the De Leons for vacation where my family will join us the second week we’re there. I was given explicit instructions to be ready when Grayson got here, or we’d miss our flight. Apparently, they chose this weekend to start construction on the interstate, and there’s expected to be some crazy traveling delays.
“It’s nearly eleven now. You only had all morning,” Katie reminds me.
She sits at my desk, grinning while she watches me race around my room.
I grab a pair of sandals from my closet and chuck them into my bag. “I know, but I got an email from a really big donor forWishing Well and I couldn’t not respond. I had to write him back, and then—”
“Once you started that, then you got another email, and another and . . .” Katie rolls her eyes. “I get it. You’re dedicated.”
I snort and give her a little shrug. She’s not wrong. Now that my first semester at college is over and I’m back home, I’m working at Wishing Well full time for the summer, and it’s hard not to be passionate when you were once a desperate recipient hoping for a break.
“Are you planning on working this whole trip, too?” she asks.
I turn, hurrying to grab my charger off the desk beside her and stub my toe on the leg of the bed in the process. “Son of a . . .” I hop around on one foot howling as Katie chuckles. “No,” I gasp, finally getting around to answering her. “Victoria’s already told me we’re relaxing. Said we can have one afternoon each week to check work stuff, and the rest is all vacation.” I grimace, both excited and appalled at the prospect. Apparently, soccer wasn’t the exception. I put the same amount of passion and energy into everything I care about. Including Grayson.
I grin at the thought.
“Have you told him yet?” Katie asks, breaking through my thoughts.
I don’t need to ask what she’s referring to. I got the results of my scan back early this week.
“No.”
“What are you waiting for?” she shouts.
“I don’t know,” I say, chewing on my lower lip. “The right time, I guess.”
“The right time,” Katie repeats like I’m crazy. “Any time would be the right time.”
“Whatever,” I say, snatching a few pairs of socks out of my top dresser drawer. “I just didn’t want it to be at a time when either of us are distracted, and we’ve been so busy this week, between his baseball camp and work.”
Katie groans. “Getting older sounds boring.”
I bark out a laugh.
“Do you think there will be any hot boys on the beach?” Katie asks, her eyes brightening at the prospect.
“Katie!”
“What? I’m thirteen now. It’s totally acceptable for me to have a boyfriend. I bet they’re all rich in the Hamptons, too.”
