Page 25 of The Corner of Heartbreak and Forever
They pressed their faces close together. Grace smiled for the camera, but Reed was too taken with her to look anywhere else. And when her green eyes met his, their mouths came together hungrily. Her lips were warm and sweet as he took the kiss deeper. The flash went off around them a few times, and then there was only the darkness, the curtain to the booth buffering them from the outside world as they made out like they had all those years ago, groping and kissing like they’d never get enough of each other. He lifted her up and she straddled his lap, holding his face between her soft hands like she never wanted to let him go—and man, he hoped she didn’t.
“Come home with me, Grace,” he said between kisses.
“Okay,” she said, and pressed her lips to his. “One more kiss.”
By the time they stumbled out of the booth with their enormous bear, Reed’s body was on fire. They made out on the way to the truck, stopping every few minutes to maneuver around the bear. He tossed the stuffed animal behind the seats and they tumbled onto the front seat in a flurry of lasciviousness. His body pressed down over hers, and he pushed his hand beneath her blouse. She moaned, breaking through his lust-addled brain.
He ground out a curse. “Not here, Grace. I want you naked in my arms, and I don’t want to worry about who might see or hear us.”
“Oh! Right!” she said, and then worry rose in her eyes. “Brindle saw us together. We’ll be the talk of the town tomorrow, if we’re not already.”
“That’s not what I mean,” he said, laughing softly as he stepped out of the truck and helped her sit up. “I’m glad they saw us.” He went around to the driver’s side and hauled her across the seat until she was pressed tightly beside him. “Talking is one thing. Giving them a show is another. Let them talk all they want. Pretty soon nobody will remember a time when we weren’t together. Most of all,you.”
They kissed at every light on the way to his place, and when they turned off the main road, Grace said, “Remember when we used to dream about owning that Victorian on the road where Sophie’s parents live?”
“Mm-hm.” The nearer they got to his house, the clearer his thoughts became. He was pushing for no more hiding, and that meant being honest abouteverything. Including Alina. He hated the idea of bringing her up and hated even more having to admit to Grace that he’d almost married the wrong woman. But she trusted him, and he didn’t want to keep anything from her.
“Sophie built a house there. She’s coming home for her baby shower next weekend, and—” She stopped talking when he turned down hisandhis new neighbor, Sophie’s, road. “Reed…?”
He turned into his driveway, which was lined by tall oaks, and his pulse kicked up as the house came into view. He parked out front, the headlights illuminating the house.
“You bought it? This isyours?” Her gaze sailed over the wide front porch that abutted the turret on the left, then drifted up to the two windows on the third floor.
He cut the engine and stepped from the truck. “Fate’s got a strange way of making things work out. This Painted Lady came on the market at the right time. How could Inotbuy it? It’s a piece of history”—ours and its own—“and has all the hallmarks of the things I treasure. Check out the gingerbread trim, the wide porch, and octagonal tower. And the steep, multifaceted roof is true Victorian. Not to mention the memories I have of us ogling the place.” He glanced at Grace and caught her watching him with a wondrous expression. “Sorry. I get a little carried away.”
“No, it’s nice to see you haven’t lost that romantic touch. You always got carried away about houses and things other kids paid no attention to. It was one of the things that I admired about you. You were different from everyone back then. I guess you still are.”
As they headed for the front door, she said, “It’s gorgeous. It looks the same, only different. Better.”
“I fixed up the siding, replaced the gingerbread around the peaks, had it painted. I fixed up the whole porch and was able to use most of the original pieces. Wait until you see the inside. It’s even better than we imagined.”
“You painted it white, lavender, and pale green,” she said with a smile.
“I was never very good with colors.” It wasn’t really true, but Grace had loved those colors, and when it came time to paint, he figured, why not? “You had a great eye for that.”
“I’m sure I sound shell-shocked. I can’t believe you bought it.” She ran her hand up the railing as they ascended the steps.
“I’ve still got a little work to do in the kitchen, and I need to paint the living room, but it’s getting there.”
He pushed the door open, revealing high ceilings and archways leading into the living room and kitchen and restored carved woodwork along the lower half of the walls and stairs to their right. Grace smiled appreciatively as she took in the results of his hard work. She stepped into the living room, which opened to the dining room.
“The kitchen’s around back, and there’s a great morning room that overlooks the creek.”
“Wow. This is gorgeous.” She ran her fingers over the complex moldings and glanced up at the ornate chandelier and intricate medallion on the ceiling. “Did you do all of this work?”
Pride rose inside him. “Yes.”
“It’s really stunning. And what’s going on over there?” She pointed at the color samples he’d painted on the wall.
“I couldn’t decide which colors would look best. Which do you like?”
Her brow wrinkled in concentration, her head tilting to one side, then the other. “I really love this one.” She pointed to his favorite, pale seafoam green. “It ties in with the outside of the house. It’s vivid and somehow also soft, but it might be too much for the whole room. I’d probably go with something like this one.” She pointed to the next sample. “It reminds me of buttercream, and white trim would make itpop. It also goes with anything.” She looked around the room. “Not that you have anything to match it to. Where’s your furniture?”
“I have the necessities, a mattress and dresser, a kitchen table. Until now I haven’t needed anything else. Other than when I showed the house to my aunt and uncle, you’re my first guest.”
“With a house this special, don’t you want to show it off?”
“Not really. I’m rehabbing it for myself, not so other people can gawk at it.”
