by Megan Noelle
“Stef…” I wasn’t sure if he knew from my expression what was coming.
“Dance with me, Greyson Rose.”
Before I had a chance to respond he took my hand, curled it around the crook of his elbow and led me to the dance floor. One of Stefan’s favorite songs of all-time, began playing the moment we entered the dance floor.
“The Way You Look Tonight, how appropriate, since you are an absolute vision.” He wrapped his arm around my waist and took my hand in his other. Then we moved. It was just the way I imagined it, us dancing together, wrapped in his arms. It was absolute perfection. I gave into the moment as much as I could but as the song neared its end, I knew I couldn’t keep this charade up any longer.
“Stefan, I came here tonight because I have to say goodbye.” The gleam in his eyes never left as my words came out.
“You didn’t come here to say goodbye, Grey.”
“Why would you think that, Stefan? You told me in order for me to say goodbye and for us both to move on I had to say it to your face.”
His hand released mine as he ran his fingers through my curls. “Yes, you do, but you spent the entire evening preparing to come here. You wouldn’t have shown up at a very public work function if your plan was to move on. You had to see me, because you are much like I am. And despite everything else, you can’t just stay away.”
“Stefan, I…I have to stay away.”
He shook his head, pressing his forehead to mine. “Who says? No one has ever understood us the way we get each other. And no one ever will. The only reason I’ve survived this week is the memory of you in my apartment. The smell of you on my pillow, the thought of you in my shower. I will never let you go, Greyson Rose. And I think in spite of people filling your head with every reason to—you’re never going to let go either.”
“Stefan…” I started my protest again but this time he silenced me with his lips over mine.
Standing there on the dance floor in the middle of a crowd of people, he kissed me. That single kiss was all it took to wake me from the fog my mind had been in this past week. As our lips moved together as one, and his hands spread across my back warming my skin by his simple touch. I poured my heart into that single moment and I knew right then that I could never let Stefan go.
He pulled back, smiling. Softly he brushed his nose over mine and sighed. “I am always going to love you.”
Just as I was about to respond back, something near the door caught my attention. I turned and froze. Standing there in the outfit he left for work in, was Richard. He shook his head at the sight and I prayed he didn’t cause a scene right here.
“Stefan, stay here.”
I looked to him and noticed he saw Richard too. “Not a chance, pretty girl.”
Stefan gave a nod to Richard to gain his attention, and pointed to a door across the room near the stage. It looked to be a back door which would at least let us get out without barreling through crowds of Stefan’s clients. Stefan took my hand and walked toward the door with me with Richard close on our tail. Directly through the door was a long hallway but continuing straight ahead another door led us out to the back parking lot.
Stefan released my hand and turned at the sound of Richard’s approach. Before any of us could get a single word out, Richard threw his fist directly at Stefan’s jaw. He stumbled at the blow as I let out a shriek.
“That is for the ongoing affair you have had with my fiancée!” Richard was seething mad, and refused to look at me. I stood stuck in place, unsure of what to do.
Stefan straightened up, and ran his thumb along his lip to wipe away the drop of blood.
“I deserved that, and I’m not going to fight back. If the roles were reversed I would do the exact same thing. I know what it feels like to lose her and even if you beat me into oblivion it still wouldn’t hurt as badly. I should have backed away and respected your relationship, but I just couldn’t do that.”
“No, you could have.” Richard corrected.
“That’s where you’re wrong. I have been miserable every single day without her next to me. And I refuse to spend another moment away from her.”
Richard’s venomous rage leapt forward again to attack but I quickly got in the middle. My body flinched as I threw my hands against Richard’s chest. Stefan’s hands were around my arms to pull me back but Richard managed to stop in time.
“Stop, please! Don’t take this out on him, Richard. It’s me you should be mad at.” He shook his fist free, as if it were burning his hand.
“You said you were done with him.”
“I thought I was.” I admitted.
“Apparently not.” He looked from me to Stefan, shaking his head in absolute disgust.
“Stef, can you please go wait inside for a minute?”
“Nope. But I’ll wait over here at my car.” I watched over my shoulder as Stefan walked the fifty or so feet to his car, and leaned against the hood with his arms crossed over his chest.
Richard scoffed as he stared him down. I pressed my hands against his arms to bring his attention back to me.
“What are you doing here?”
“Well, I got off work and once again I couldn’t find my fiancée at home. This time though I found this invitation on the ground by the door. I figured I’d find you here. I actually came home tonight to tell you that things just won’t work between us.”
“You did?”
He nodded his head, a forlorn expression covered his face. “Yeah, I just…I can’t pretend none of that happened. And we’ve hardly been able to look at each other since that therapy session.”
“You’re right. I’m so incredibly sorry, Richard. I wanted to love you and give you everything.”
“Looks like you already gave away all you had to give.” He said, nodding towards Stefan.
“I did. But, I’m sorry I hurt you. That I lied to you and made you worry and question everything. That was wrong of me.”
“Yeah, it was. Anyway, I don’t want to sit and have it out here. When I first got here I wanted to scream at you for running off with him again. But now that I see you here, with him, I just can’t. Watching the two of you on the dance floor…” Shaking his head he continued. “I fucking hate admitting this, but you just look right together. And I knew there was no reason to fight you on it anymore.”
“Please tell me you’ll be okay.” I loved this man. He was a wonderful person, he had been my rock for so long and he deserved so much better than me. My love for Stefan ran deep. There was apparently nothing that could change that, but that never meant I wanted to hurt Richard in the process.
“I’ll be fine eventually. The asshole is right, it is really hard getting over you. I’ve experienced only a little bit of that feeling this week. But I’ll feel much better knowing you’re at least going to be safe and with someone who loves you.”
“Please call if you need anything.” Richard nodded, and before I let him walk away I threw my arms around him. I knew tonight I would be preparing for a goodbye, except it had been with a completely different guy. Richard pulled away and pressed one final kiss to my head.
“Be happy, Grey.”
“You too, Richard.”
He gave a parting wave to me and walked back through the way we came. I turned to face Stefan and finally, I saw him as mine. There were no more barriers. No more ‘ifs’ or ‘maybes’ or anything else. It was just me and him.
My legs walked across the gravel as quickly as I could to get to the man I had been searching for all along.
“You better not be coming over here to tell me goodbye anymore. I wasn’t a big fan of that parting hug by the way. And—“
I cut him off completely as I closed the last inches of space and sealed my mouth over his. His arms squeezed me tight and lifted me from the ground while our lips stayed together. I peeled my mouth from his and smiled down into his face. Tears filled my eyes, but for the first time in so long, they were happy ones.
“I love you, Stefa
n Harrison. And I’m ready to come home.”
His jaw tensed as wetness began accumulating at the brim of his eyes. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for you to say that, Greyson Rose.”
“Well good, because I married my soulmate when I was 18 years old, and I’m tired of living a life without him.”
“Baby, you don’t need to worry about a thing. I will never let you go again.”
“Do you promise?”
“Always, baby. Always and forever.”
Kristy Davidson—Oh my darling Aussie. What would I have done without you? When I asked if anyone was interested in beta reading, and you responded, I thought nothing more about it. I hoped you liked my work but it didn’t take long for our friendship to grow from there. You have kept me inspired, motivated, and let’s be honest here—you’ve kept me sane! You are one amazing woman and I am so unbelievably happy that you are now a part of my life. Oh, and hopefully I didn’t drive you too crazy because you’re stuck with me now, darling. I love youuu!! Xoxox…Love from your Tinysoda ;)
Kari March—My darling Kari! You never cease to amaze me! Each and every day I am thankful for our friendship! I’m so sorry for my countless requests but I just want you to know how much everything you do for me means. You’re my rockstar, Kari!! Love you Lady!!! *MUAH*
Jude Ouvrard—I seriously don’t have the words to express how grateful I am to have a friend like you. You are always there to help me, support me, and promote me. You are an incredible person, and I want you to know that I am always here for you. Thank you so much for all that you do! Love you!! Xoxo!
Tracy McKay—I love you! I really don’t know how else to start this other than saying that! You are my first bookie friend and you will always be. I love that you never stop believing in me, and because of that, I have learned to believe in myself. I can’t wait to someday see your pretty face and slightly maul you! LOVE YOU!
Jane Barron—I know life has been tough and your availability has changed. But every word of encouragement you’ve given me has meant the world. I will never be able to thank you enough for taking on this crazy challenge of a novel for me! I hope you love the final product! Xoxo!
Rachel Hicks & Jenni Carlene—You two have been dedicated and loyal followers of mine since my very first book. I may not always respond to every post, every mention, or every comment, but I see them all. That is why when I needed someone to step in and give me that final thumbs up—I chose you ladies. People like you are the reason I will never stop writing. Your love, and your support show through in every way imaginable. I love you both! Xoxo!
Jessica Westover—Oh my Boo! I’ve missed our talks but I still love you much! And I can’t wait till I can squeeze you tight! Love you always!! *MUAH*
Lee Lardy—Sometimes I forget how much you have truly done for me. You have been there to support me from the start and even if you didn’t understand all I was babbling on about—you were still there. It means more than you could ever know to have you in my life. Thank you for all that you do for me and just know that I am always there if you need me. I love you Leelabee!
Stephanie Powell—I’ve missed your presence in my day-to-day life but I haven’t forgot about you! You are one of my darling friends and I cherish every single thing you’ve done for me. Thank you for everything!
*Special Mention*
I would like to thank ALL of my Bunnies! You ladies have seriously made me tear up on countless occasions. I cherish all the support you give me and I will always love you all!
<3
*Book Credits*
This is a list of factual places, companies, etc. that I have used within my book. It is not my intention to take anything that belongs to another and I do not want to take creative liberty over the following list:
Victoria’s Secret, Massachusetts General Hospital, A.A. Milne-Winnie the Pooh quote, Boston Burger Company, Samuel Adams Beer, American Crew Fiber Molding Cream, XM Radio, Disney’s Sleeping Beauty movie reference.
Song Mentions of:
Martina McBride- “A Broken Wing”
Edwin McCain- “I’ll Be”
“The Way You Look Tonight”
*Watch Out for the Companion Novel*
Told in Stefan’s Point Of View
Coming 2014