Anything You Say: An Enemies to Lovers Standalone Romance
Page 20
“The pendant is an olive branch. It sort of symbolizes your company, since you worked with nonprofits. I thought you might want to keep a reminder with you,” he said.
“It’s perfect,” she said, holding it up. “I can’t wait to wear it every day.”
“Let me see,” Grace’s mother said. Grace passed her the box.
She took it and examined the necklace through her bifocals. “Oh my, that’s beautiful, Zach. Good choice.” He smiled. Always good to score a point with the mom.
It felt odd to have something so wholesome to do on Christmas Day. Even before Derek went off the rails, they never had a real Christmas celebration. The two of them would go to a fancy steak house in the city and order expensive bottles of champagne. They weren’t really the gift-exchanging type. And as kids, well, let’s just say Santa was never real in their house.
Tonight, he and Grace were supposed to meet Derek for dinner in the city. They were going to the diner their mom used to take them for their birthday in Flatbush. Less pressure than the steak house, and he wasn’t drinking champagne anymore anyways. He was nervous to see Derek. They’d seen each other a couple of times since the summer, tentatively polite and ready to flee at any moment, like deer. Derek said he was in treatment, which Zach would believe when he saw. Derek did seem slightly more with it than usual when they’d last met up. At the very least less belligerent.
What he was most nervous about was Grace and Derek meeting each other for real. Grace hadn’t seen him since he tricked her into giving him Zach’s address. Not the best first impression. He hoped she could see the person he used to be. He desperately hoped she would like him.
Grace, incredible as she was, welcomed Zach back into her life with open arms. The level of trust had deepened between them and it had the delightful side effect of making sex even better. They had tried more new, crazy things, and it had been a resounding success. In fact, last night after her parents went to sleep, he fucked her in her childhood bed with a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. He went slow because she warned him her dad was a light sleeper and her parents’ bedroom was right next to hers. Goddamn, was it hot. When she came, she bit his hand so hard there was still a mark there in the morning. He put a Band-Aid over it, and when Grace’s mother asked, he told her it was a paper cut. Her parents were some seriously attentive people.
He was no longer stumbling forward on a trajectory toward self-destruction, and he had Grace to thank for it. And if it took fucking her brains out every night to let her know just how much it meant to him, he’d gladly keep repaying her forever.
There was just one last thing now. The real ring box from Tiffany, which was safely tucked in his jacket pocket upstairs. That was for tonight when they were alone at his place, where the two hundred candles and rose petals and dessert were waiting.
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About the Author
Do it for the story.
That’s my motto. Say yes to that thing you’re unsure of, because bold decisions make the best stories.
It’s worked out so far (ask about the time in Miami with the French guys).
I’m Chloe Finch, an author based in New York. I write romance that revolves around the sexy lives of adventurous, ambitious women and the bad boys they can’t stay away from.
Follow along with my adventures and stay up to date on the latest stories at my website, bychloefinch.com.