Page 73 of New Girl in Town
It was just one word, barely two syllables, but I heard everything neither of us was brave enough to say since our beginning came to an end so fast that we both hadn’t seen it coming.
It hurt. A lot.
I blinked back tears, mourning what hadn’t been and what I wished could be, but I understood what Grant was saying with that one word.
Baby.
Whatever we had couldn’t go on under the stress of what had happened. We needed time. And that meant I couldn’t touch Grant the way I wanted and we shouldn’t be having dinners like this under the pretense of just being friends.
We both wanted each other. There was no denying it. I lowered my hands, my shoulders drooping. “I should go.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Me too,” I said. I turned away, feeling like I’d been sucker-punched in the stomach. I paused in the doorway, my hand tight on the door knob. “Do me a favor?” I kept my eyes on the door in front of me.
“Anything.”
“Stop with the gifts.” I looked over my shoulder to see him shoot me a confused look.
“What gifts?”
“I mean it, Grant.” A flair of annoyance went through me and I frowned. “No more gifts. I’ll bring the jewelry back tomorrow.”
“But Aurora—“
“Goodnight,” I whispered, opening the door and slipping out before I could hear another word from him. I had to get home and in bed before I did something I regretted, like begging him for a do-over, like pushing past my own confusion at the situation, or like not thinking and just indulging for a night like Melinda wanted me to. I shut the door and sprinted up the stairs while I held back my tears.
Falling for Grant St. John had been scary, but letting him go?
Letting him go felt impossible.
This man was under my skin and he had his hooks in so deep that I had no idea how I’d manage to stay in one piece as I worked to dislodge him.
