Page 70 of Dream Mates
“That sounds perfect.” I cut the engine and tied up the boat. “Here.” I helped her out and took her arm. “Let’s go have a nice dinner.”
Turning to face her, I took both her hands and gazed right into those blue-grey eyes. “I know things are hard and strange. I’m not super good with details, and sometimes I forget how weird things must be for you. But I love you so much and I’m so glad you’re here with me. Talk to me, and I’ll talk to you, and we will figure everything out together.”
Grace leaned up and gave me a kiss. “That sounds good to me. I love you, too.”
I took her arm which felt so good, so right, as we went into the restaurant.
Chapter Eighteen
Grace
“Whose backpack is this and can I have it? It’s super nice.” Riley barged into the third floor sunken living room and held up a black leather backpack.
Wes, Evan, and I were piled on the couch watching the latest episode of Evan’s favorite show. That was how we were spending a wild Friday night together–though we’d had family game night earlier, which had been fun. Evan was on call.
“I’ve seen it around, but I have no idea,” Evan said.
I sighed and paused the TV. “I should probably deal with it, shouldn’t I?”
“It’s yours?” Wes blinked.
“When Agent Weigmier dropped me off, he left that as well. I… I don’t remember what’s even in it. Probably whatever was in it that day I went to work and never came back.” I’d been ignoring it since we’d come back from the cabin.
“Oh.” Riley held it out to me.
I took it from her, the leather soft under my fingers. “Itisnice. It was a graduation present when I got my PhD.”
Riley squished in on the couch with us. Her eyebrows rose. “You got abackpackfor getting aPhD? That kinda sucks.”
“It was from my roommate’s parents. They were really nice to me, especially when they found out that I didn’t have anyone there. Dad, well, the man who raised me, offered to attend, but it’s far. He helped me get into my new apartment instead.” Which had been a godsend. I toyed with the straps. That backpack was one of the only presents I’d gotten.
“Are we going to open it?” Riley prodded, bouncing on the balls of her bare feet. Her toes were painted lime green.
“We don’t have to.” Wes pulled me close.
Our dinner together helped a lot. I now had a better idea of how Wes felt after I stopped appearing in our dreams all those years ago. Of how it had affected him, his relationship with Evan, and the buried emotions both me appearing and being dragged away caused.
He’d started to understand not just how strange and new everything often was here, but how wrecked I was by these memories I hadn’t had when I arrived.
And I was glad he was okay with me being with the others in the pack.
Evan tugged on the strap. “I’m so curious to see things from Grace’s world.”
“Things aren’tthatdifferent.” Opening the top pocket, I removed a pair of scratched hot pink aviator sunglasses and my car keys. “I wonder what happened to my car, my place?”
“I thought you had a motorcycle.” Riley sat on the arm of the giant couch.
“It got stolen my last semester and I’d gotten a car.” A cheap car. I’d used my apartment money for it because I had to get to work, and taking the bus there got complicated.
Riley toyed with the colorful beads on the keychain. “You made this?”
“No, just some kids I used to babysit.” My heart twinged. Professor Jaffey’s kids.
At one point, after we’d all been hauled in together, Professor Jaffey tried to talk me into taking the fall, using the fact that I adored her kids as emotional blackmail. After all, she had kids, a family, and a career. I had a plant. Why shouldn't I take one for the team and go to jail so that she could go home.
After all, who’d miss me?
I’d almost relented, too. Because she had a point.
