“Speak, London, before I murder you with my bare hands.”
“Whoa. Feisty. Today I got a call from Grayson. He wanted to know Trevor’s details so he could pay off the debt. He picked me up from my place and we went to his, got on the computer, and transferred all the money to him. Then he called and spoke to Trevor, making sure he was going to leave us alone.”
“He paid the debt?” I ask, blinking slowly.
“Yes. So that’s why I was there. Trust me, Grayson doesn’t want me, or anyone else,” she says, lying back on my bed and making herself comfortable.
“Well, shit,” I say. Looks like I have some apologizing to do. “I’ll go over and talk to him tomorrow.”
“No need,” she says, smirking. “He’s in the car waiting for you.”
I turn to stare at her.
“What? How else do you think I got here?”
Ignoring her, I get up and walk to the front door, and then outside. As London said, Grayson is sitting in his car, staring down at something, his phone I think. He lifts his head when I open the passenger’s door.
“Hey,” I say, closing the door after me. “I’m sorry about before.”
“If you would have let me talk…”
“I know. I’m sorry,” I repeat.
He starts the car. “Where are we going?” I ask.
“My house,” he says. “Is that okay?”
“Yeah, that’s fine.” I stare at his handsome profile as he drives. He looks the same, albeit a little scruffier, but it looks good on him. Then again, I think anything looks good on him.
I stare out the window, trying to organise my thoughts. The ride is silent, so I turn on the radio. Grayson reaches out and hesitantly puts his hand on my thigh, giving it a little squeeze before removing it.
When we enter his house, I take a seat and gently bite my lip, wondering what to say; how to explain myself.
“I hope you weren’t mad at your sister. I brought her here because she doesn’t have a laptop,” he says, leaning his elbows in his thighs.
I clear my throat. “She explained it to me. I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions.”
“It’s okay,” he says.
“Thank you for dealing with Trevor. No one has really taken care of me before, and I really appreciate it, Gray.”
“It was nothing. Don’t mention it,” he says, leaning back against the couch.
“It wasn’t nothing. That was a lot of money, and I promise you, I will figure out a way to pay you back,” I tell him, clasping my hands together.
“Paris,” he says, shaking his head. “I don’t want the money back. I don’t give a shit about money—I just want you. I want you to forgive me, and I want us to start over.”
“It’s not that easy, is it?” I whisper.
“It is to me. I love you—no matter what. My first priority is you. I don’t want to be without you anymore. It’s not an option,” he says, misery etched on his face.
“Grayson,” I sigh.
“I fell in love with you after I found out the truth. I know you’re upset, but listen to me; London and I only had one night together. I wasn’t in love with her, or anything like that. I fell in love with you, Paris. I fell in love with you after I knew the truth.”
I think about what he’s saying. I get that he fell for me. He and London didn’t even talk to each other; they just had sex. Something about her must have drawn him back since he wanted more though. Am I overthinking this? He did tell me he loved me after he found out the truth, but it still hurts. I know he loves me. He hasn’t even looked twice at London in that way.
“What was going through your mind when you left?” I ask, needed to know this.
“I guess I was wondering if it would be easier to end things like that, than explain myself,” he says.
I’m not going to lie, that hurts. However I’m glad that he told me the truth. The truth can hurt but lies do more damage.
“I will give you time, if that’s what you need. But please don’t shut me out or stop me from seeing you. We can go slowly, build up the trust between us again. I’m fighting, Paris. I’m f**king fighting here, and I need you to fight with me,” he says, gripping the ends of his hair in frustration.
I swallow, my mouth suddenly parched. “Trust isn’t going to come easy.”
“I know, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes. Are you?” he asks, drawing me onto his lap and circling me in his arms. “Do you know how much I’ve missed you? It felt like I was missing a f**king limb or something. What have you done to me?”
I lay my head back on his shoulder. “Why does love hurt so much?”
“I guess anything worth something doesn’t come without a price,” he says into my neck, kissing me there. His hands wander lower.
“I thought we were taking it slow?” I admonish, gently slapping his hand away.
“Ouch,” he says, chuckling. “Slow it is. Guess I’ll be having a cold shower after this.”
I scoff. “Trying to guilt trip me, are you?”
He starts laughing, his head thrown back in abandonment. “No, babe. Let’s do this the right way. From the beginning. In fact, would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow night?”
I pretend to consider it. “I guess so,” I say with a straight face.
“You guess so, huh?” he repeats, tickling me under my ribs.