G R A C I E

God.

That kiss.

My lips still felt swollen and tender from the force of it.

As I stared up at Gray, my mind reeled. I was no longer myself. I could feel the seismic shift within. I was becoming the woman that I was meant to be. A woman who was no longer afraid to love and be loved. To live and let live. My chest felt as though it might burst from such courage.

Our lives, I sensed, would never be the same.

All because I confessed my true feelings to him.

The way he was looking at me, so intently, so lovingly, made me want to swoon. It set my senses on fire. Suddenly, I couldn't pretend like Gray wasn't my whole damn world. I had been lying to myself for so long. About him. About everything.

For years, I thought I was content in life.

I thought my sister could be trusted.

I thought I knew Gray when I didn't know him at all.

Years and years of pent-up emotion bubbled up and burst forth. Yet, I wasn't crying from anguish anymore. These were the happiest of tears.

"Kiss me again, Gray," I begged as wetness stained my cheeks. "Please."

His gray eyes darkened noticeably. He didn't say another word. There was no need. His actions spoke volumes. Swiftly, Gray slid his hands beneath my thighs and hoisted me onto him. He lifted me as though I weighed nothing. Instinctively, I wrapped my legs around his waist. My arms came around his shoulders to pull him close.

"God," he rasped, "I've wanted you for so long..."

"I've always been yours," I whispered. "Do whatever you want with me, baby."

Gray's large body tensed beneath me. "Fuck, Gracie..."

Instantly, his lips crushed mine, consuming me, as he carried me to the couch. He laid me down on the cushions and settled between my legs. With clumsy but eager fingers, I started undoing the buttons on his jeans. There was already a sizable tent near his crotch. Gray started unhooking my bra and pulling away my pants. The two of us couldn't seem to get each other naked fast enough.

"So goddamn beautiful," Gray whispered as he gazed down at me.

I blushed at the compliment. Then, my eyes began to roam, drinking in the sight of him, and my shyness gradually dissipated. "I've missed you, Gray."

This brought a faint, soft smile to his face.

Gray was beautiful, too. Perfect. All hard lines and solid muscle. It had been years since Gray and I saw each other in such an intimate way. I thought I would've remembered every little detail about him. Every scar on his body. Every line. Every muscle. Everything. But Gray had been more of boy than a man back then. He had since changed. New scars had emerged from his time in the Marines. He was bigger now, too. Far more muscular than before.

All of a sudden, I was dying to touch him.

To relearn his body again.

Shamelessly, my palms began gliding over the expanse of his broad chest, exploring the defined ridges of his stomach. Gray's head dipped down to rain heated kisses along my neck, down my collarbone, to nip at the curves of my breasts. I moaned softly as he captured one of my nipples between his lips. His tongue swirled around the peak. Bliss coiled through me. My hand wandered below his waist, closing around his hard, thick length. His fingers found their way to my folds. We teased and played like old times. Gray knew how I loved to be touched. He knew my body well. He had been my first kiss. My first everything, after all.

Soon, we were both panting, sweating, and turned on beyond measure. My eyes went wide when Gray pushed inside me. A gasp escaped my lungs at the sweet, sweet stretch. Then, he began to move, and I practically saw stars. His gaze met mine and lingered through the rise and peak of our pleasure. He didn't fuck me. He loved me. Slowly. Thoroughly. Soulfully. Every stroke, every thrust, every look, every touch, felt purposeful, poignant, and so fucking perfect.

Needless to say, I never made it to my doctor's appointment that day.

***

Gray didn't go home that night.

He didn't go home the following day, either.

He simply stuck around my apartment with Stevie and me.

For a whole week.

I loved having him with us, of course. He clicked right into our lives like a missing puzzle piece. But I knew the two of us needed to talk about what we were becoming—a real family.

Were we dating now?

Was he planning to move in?

I needed answers.

That morning, over breakfast, I decided to broach the subject, "Gray?"

He eyed me over the rim of his coffee cup. "Uh-oh. I know that look. Am I in trouble?"

I grin sheepishly, "No, but..."

Gray pops an eyebrow. "But?"

"I was hoping that we might be able to have a little talk about... us."

"What about us?" he asked softly.

I blurted out, "I just wanted to know where you think this is all headed?"

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Gracie... I've been sleeping in your bed every night. We have a baby together. I think we've already arrived at where we're meant to be."

Fair enough.

I grinned. "I guess you make some valid points."

He grinned back. "You know it."

"Um, so..."

"Hmm?"

"I noticed that you've been living here for a week. No pressure, of course," I asked with some hesitation, "but did you want to move in with... us?"

He gave a pause. "Actually..."

"Yes?"

"I was thinking that you and Stevie should move in with me. It could save us a lot of money on rent. Plus, my house is bigger than your apartment, and I've been working my ass off with all the renovations. My place feels like a real home now."

Happiness bloomed in my chest. "You mean it?"

"Of course," Gray murmured, "I want to give you everything, Gracie. You and Stevie deserve the world."

I slipped in not-so-slyly, "Does this mean that you're signing up to be my boyfriend?"

Gray laughed. "I guess so..."

I pouted. "You don't sound very gung-ho about it."

His eyes found mine. They shone with love. "That's because I don't plan on staying your boyfriend."

My breath caught. "You mean..."

He winked at me. "Let's just say—it might be time to send Val some pictures of what you'd like to wear on your ring finger. I'll be getting in touch with her soon."

Holy moly.

Was Gray actually planning to propose to me?

My eyes rounded out in shock. "You... wanna get married?"

"Don't you?" he asked quietly. "It's what you've always dreamed about, right?"

I gave him a worried look. "Yeah, but... is it what you want? I always thought that the idea of marriage wasn't really your thing?"

And I'd never force Gray into something as serious as marriage if he didn't want it.

A pensive crease settled between his brow.

"I mean, marriage wasn't something I really believed in for a long time," Gray admitted, "because of how shitty things worked out for my parents. But I've since changed my mind."

"How come?" I inquired with an intent expression.

Gray hesitated for a moment. "After we found out the truth about Lydia and Stevie, I was really... angry. At first, I felt as though your sister had stolen you from me. She destroyed the trust we had in one another. I was... devastated. I thought I might've lost you forever over something I didn't even do."

My heart ached. "Oh, Gray..."

His jaw set. "But then I realized something. I realized that—I never actually had you. Because I wasn't ready to be your boyfriend back then, let alone your husband, and, least of all, a father. We would've never worked out because I was still too fucked up. I couldn't be the man you needed me to be. In a way, this whole nightmare that your sister put us through turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Stevie showed me that I had what it took to become a good father. That I have it in me to be different from my dad. She brought you back into my life and forced us to confront ourselves in a way that actually changed us for the better."

My mouth parted in awe. Gray's insight resonated with me on every level. So much so that it made my heart swell in agreement.

I offered him a wistful look. "I suppose everything that happened to you and me was very necessary. Even though it was so painful and fucked up."

Gray sighed, "I think so, unfortunately. You and I would've been too stubborn to change if we didn't have something so drastic to kick our asses into gear."

"In retrospect," I mused, "I don't think I was ready to be with you, either. I thought I knew what I wanted in life when, in reality, I was too blinded by my fears and insecurities to see the truth."

"You think so?"

I nodded and grimaced. "I loved the version of you that existed from our childhood, and I was so fixated on the fact you didn't love me back that I failed to love you in the way you needed to be loved."

Gray gave me long, lingering stare. "I guess our love changed over time. It took us a while to figure our shit out, but we did it, Gracie. We did it."

"You know what I think?"

"What's that?"

"Stevie is our gift. She gave us the strength and courage to grow into who needed to become. For her and for each other."

"Thank God for our baby girl."

I echoed his sentiment, "Thank God for Stevie."

I smiled then, feeling a bit teary-eyed and sniffly, and reached across the table to clasp Gray's hand.

He gave me an affectionate squeeze. "The universe has kept us waiting long enough. We deserve our happy ending, don't you think?"

I couldn't have agreed more.

"Absolutely," I whispered, feeling happier than I had ever been.

Except I knew that this wasn't our ending.

This was our beginning.