by Zoe York
He’d make that up to her this morning. Let her ride his face and spend some quality time with her nipples, get her going good.
But she slept right until breakfast, and then disappeared to the Arts and Crafts building. Grady challenged Wyatt to a workout, and got his ass kicked because Wyatt hadn’t been drinking all night.
By lunch, his mood from the day before had returned with a vengeance. He skipped lunch and headed back to the cabin, where he stretched out and read twenty pages he didn’t really see in a book he’d lost interest in.
When the door creaked open, he didn’t look up.
“I brought you a sandwich,” Priya said quietly. “I bribed the kitchen and they found you some roast turkey breast. And there are two brownies.”
“You didn’t need to do that,” he muttered, putting the book down. “Thank you.”
She sat on the other side of the bed and fluffed her red sundress after she handed over the brown paper bag. “Do you want me to go?”
“No.” He didn’t know what he wanted. It was probably time to admit that, although the idea made him feel vaguely ill. He dug into the sandwich instead, and after he ate it, they split the brownies.
“Have you ever wanted something—or someone—that didn’t fit in your life?”
He thought it had been a decent opener, but from the alarmed look she shot him, he knew it was the opposite of that.
She worked her jaw from side to side. “Uh…yeah. You.”
He deserved that. He nodded. “That was how I felt last year. When we met, it was like a jolt out of the blue. I didn’t know what to do with how much I wanted you.”
“Sorry for the inconvenience,” she muttered, and he swallowed his protest. This wasn’t easy to say. He didn’t know why he’d thought it would be.
“How much I wanted you grew after we said goodbye,” he admitted. “I watched you on TV every chance I got. Which wasn’t that often, because as you guessed yesterday, it was a shitty tour. Some of them are. This one was the worst I’d been on, and then two SEALs on the next team coming in were injured, and I was asked to stay longer. An extra four months, in the end. And the only way I could survive that and do my job was to shut everything out.”
“I didn’t have any claim to you.” She said it carefully, because they both knew he’d hurt her. She’d wanted one. Hell, he’d wanted her to stake one.
He still did. But wanting something didn’t just magically make the barriers in the way disappear.
“Maybe you were right when you said this wouldn’t work.”
“I said that before we slept together again.”
“I know. And I don’t regret that. But now…”
“But now that it’s the end of the week, and real life is on the other side of our last early bedtime, you don’t think you can handle the thing that you came here to convince me to try?”
When she put it like that, he didn’t come off too well. “I’ll always want to be your friend.”
Her eyes glittered as she shoved off the bed. “I don’t want to be your friend. Maybe I don’t like you very much right now.”
“I realize that.”
She searched his face, her mouth twisting into a disappointed frown. Then she nodded. “Right. You realize that. Ha. Okay, well, I’m going to go find somewhere else to sleep tonight, because you moved into my fucking cabin. You’re unbelievable, Grady. Really something fucking else. Have a nice fucking life.”
Chapter 13
Priya bolted for the door, and Grady wanted to throw up.
He scrambled after her, but the door slapped shut before he reached it.
That wasn’t how he wanted to have that conversation. It was upside down and backward. He should have led with how much he valued her friendship.
And she’d have said the same thing.
There wasn’t an easy way to do this. It had been the right call, no matter how awkward it was.
He knew it—in his head, at least. His chest was disturbingly tight, though.
Because this is fucked up and wrong, that’s why. Tight with panic that you’ve lost her. Again. Once was bad enough. Two strikes? He didn’t have another chance.
He paced away from the door.
Fucking hell.
He turned to race after her. They’d figure this out, his heart suggested desperately. He wasn’t sure how. Cross-country romance in between deployments? The chances of that working were slim to fucking none. He froze with his fingers wrapped tight around the doorknob.
His vision crossed as he glared at the screen door. The bit of wispy, nothing mesh that stood between him and Priya.
Wispy nothing.
That summed up how he felt about his fears now that he’d opened his big fat mouth and said all the wrong things.
He should have told her—
A flash of red grabbed his attention in his blurry field of vision.
Red.
Priya. His chest tightened further as he refocused his eyes just in time to see her bound up the stairs to the cabin.
“Oh my God,” she growled at him through the screen door. “You are such a colossal ass.”
“Yes.”
“Why would you say all of that?”
“Because I’m scared shitless that I can’t have you.”
“You have me.”
“I want all of you.”
She gave him a wide-eyed, confused look. “Okay.”
“Because I love you.” Her mouth dropped open and he turned the handle, stepping out onto the porch to join her. “I should have a better lead up to that. But I feel sick that we fought, and worse that you left. Still do, even though you came back to yell at me more—which I’m grateful for. That’s good. I was frozen there, Priya. I let doubt consume me, and I never do that. I act decisively. I have to, or people will—”
She threw herself into his arms and he caught her as her mouth landed on his, cutting off his words. She kissed him like she was still mad at him, all fire and fight. But she kissed him like she loved him, too, and maybe she was mad at him because she loved him.
The tightness in his chest twisted, going from fear to possessiveness in an instant.
She was his.
His to lose, if he wasn’t careful.
His to cherish, God damn it.
His to fight with, and figure shit out with, too.
His.
Ah, he was a lucky colossal ass.
“I want to meet your parents,” he whispered fiercely. “Let them know you met a boy at camp.”
“A man,” she murmured as she pressed her face into his neck. “I met a man. And it’s complicated.”
Not as complicated as he’d thought. It wasn’t that having a fight clicked everything into perspective…but it was a little like that. Layered with a shift in perspective on the last year.
He hadn’t been numb to missing her. He’d been numb because he missed her. Because he’d missed out on a chance to date her and get to know her.
Then he’d had that chance this week. Demanded it, even.
And he almost bungled it up.
He squeezed her tighter.
“I want to date you, too.”
“We might be passed the whole ‘get to know you’ movie and dinner night type of thing.”
“There’s a lot I still need to learn about you.”
“You’ve figured out a lot of it. I’m a stressed-out workaholic with a demanding job and an even more demanding travel schedule.”
“Yet another thing we have in common,” he murmured. “We’ll figure it out. I can put in for a transfer to the east coast.”
“I can do the same for the west coast.”
“Maybe we should stagger those requests so we don’t end up flipping the problem on its end.”
She laughed, and his heart practically sighed in relief. Oh, thank God she was laughing at him.
“I know it’s not going to be easy. But I was an idiot to think it was impossible.”
“That’s my f
ault. I gave you that idea. I thought it was impossible, too. Last night…” Her voice caught. “I thought that was the last time we might be together.”
“No.” Not while he was drunk and handsy. Not that he ever wanted them to have a last time together. The thought made him feel like his chest was ripping open.
“That’s when I realized I love you, too.”
He picked her up and spun her around in a circle. Then he carried her into their cabin. No asterisk on that now. It was definitely theirs, and he had plans for their last night in it—for this year.
There was a wedding next year, after all.
Chapter 14
Christmas
San Diego, California
Grady stepped back and admired his new smoker in action. Two more hours and he’d have the perfect Christmas turkey. Two days early, because he wanted to have a ridiculous turkey feast before Priya and her parents arrived.
She’d suggested they could fly out on Christmas Day, arriving after he’d had a chance to do the traditional morning stuff with his mother.
His mother wouldn’t hear of it, bless her WASP-y soul. “How do Sikhs celebrate Christmas?” she’d asked earnestly.
“They don’t, Mom.”
“I’m sure I saw some men in turbans in the parade last year.”
He’d rolled his eyes lovingly. “I’m sure you did, too. That’s different. That’s a community thing. I’m telling you that the Mattus have never celebrated Christmas in a serious way. It’s just not a thing for them, and please don’t make this weird.”
“I would never.”
You already are. “I know you mean well and you are excited to meet them. And they are looking forward to meeting you, too.”
“Tell them to come out before Christmas. It will be fine.”
Priya had said the same thing, and he believed her, so he forced himself to relax.
A knock sounded on his gate, then it swung open. Wyatt and Tegan came in carrying beer and wine.
“Welcome,” he said, shaking Wyatt’s hand and giving Tegan a one-armed hug. “How were the stores?”
“Busy. Heads up, your mother and—“
Before Wyatt could finish that thought, his mom burst through the gate, her hands in the air. “Hello! Surprise!”
Surprise indeed, because behind her was Priya—and behind his love were an older man and a woman, clearly her parents.
Grady strode toward them, hands outstretched for Priya.
She squeezed her fingers around his as he stopped in front of her. “Hi.”
“Hey,” he said.
Can I kiss you in front of your parents? he asked with his eyes. She pushed up on her toes and brushed her lips against his.
“This is a surprise,” he murmured as she rocked back.
“Your mother’s idea,” she whispered through a smile.
“Of course it was.” He cleared his throat and stepped past her to offer her father his hand. “Sanjay, nice to see you again.” Next was a hug for her mother. “How was your flight, Harpreet? Did my mother accompany you on it as well?”
Nina Mills just laughed, and he gave her a quick hug, too. “What did you do?”
“Merry Christmas, my darling.”
“Mmm-hmm. I’ve just cooked a giant turkey, Mom. I can offer my guests mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner.”
Harpreet laughed, too. “We like green beans. But actually, your mother asked us what we like on the way, and we stopped at the store for some groceries.”
Priya stepped between them and Grady wrapped his arms around her to keep from throttling his mother. Also, hugging Priya was the best, and they didn’t get to do it that often. Soon, though. She was taking a leave of absence from the news network to work on a documentary about the border between Tijuana and San Diego, and would be living with him full-time until the end of the summer.
After that, they’d re-assess where they wanted to live. Together. After five months of long-distance, they both knew they wanted more time under the same roof.
“Grady, why don’t you help Priya’s father with their bags?” His mother gave him a gentle shove as she took Harpreet’s hand. “And now that I’m not driving, I’m going to give Harpreet—did I say that right?—my full attention.”
Grady gestured toward the gate as he heard his mother making the introductions with Wyatt and Tegan.
“My apologies for the surprise arrival,” Sanjay said as they walked around to the front of the house. “Your mother and Priya agreed it would be…fun.”
Grady laughed. “Right. I can see them agreeing that it would be…fun. Does this mean that you are out here for a few more days than planned?”
“In California, yes, but I’ve promised my wife a quick getaway to Napa. We will leave Priya here, so you can discuss with her your plans for getting married before she moves in.”
Grady tripped over his feet. “Excuse me? I mean, yes, sir.”
“That is your intention, right? To marry my daughter?”
“Yes. Yes, sir.” He stopped and looked the older man square in the eye. “I already have a ring to give her. I was going to ask on New Year’s Eve.”
Sanjay gave him a faint smile. “She will like that.”
Grady rubbed his chest as his heart re-started. “I hope so.”
“Maybe don’t tell her I said anything.”
“Of course not, sir.”
“And you may call me Sanjay again.” Priya’s father laughed, a rich, warm chuckle, and he clapped Grady on the shoulder.
“Thank you, sir.” He opened the back of his mother’s SUV. Three suitcases were neatly stacked on the left-hand side, and on the right was a box full of brightly wrapped Christmas presents. The one on top had an oversized gift tag that read Harpreet. “So…it looks like my mother bought you all Christmas presents. I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize. She’s thrilled to have guests for the holidays.” Sanjay grabbed the top suitcase and lifted it out with a small grunt. “We didn’t come empty-handed, either. We’re happy to be here. And grateful for the sunshine.”
“I ordered that special for you.”
Sanjay laughed. “You can carry the other two suitcases.”
“Yes, sir.”
Grady couldn’t be too disgruntled with his mother for secretly planning more time with his future in-laws—because after dinner, she also deftly invited them to stay at her place for their first night in California so they could do some early sight-seeing with her “without waking up Priya and Grady.”
“Did your mother just arrange for us to have alone time?” Priya murmured as she leaned into his side.
Grady waved at his mom’s retreating car. “I don’t want to think too carefully about that, but yeah.”
Back inside, they found Wyatt and Tegan loading the dishwasher.
“Hey, you’re guests,” Priya protested. “Let us do that.”
“We’re almost done. Pour another glass of wine,” Wyatt said over his shoulder.
Grady tapped Tegan on the shoulder. “Tap out. You get the wine with Priya, and I’ll make sure Wyatt puts everything in the right spot.”
He had, of course, and once the dishwasher was running, they just had two pots to scrub up before they joined the women in the living room.
“Do you want a beer? Or a glass of wine?”
Wyatt leaned around the corner. “How much wine is left?”
“We just opened a new bottle,” Tegan called out.
“Give me a glass, then,” he said with a laugh. “It’s a good thing we walked over.”
Grady fetched two glasses from the cupboard. He didn’t even need to walk the six blocks that his friends did.
It took them an hour to debrief on the unexpected family dinner. Priya confessed that Nina had called her a month earlier and asked if she’d already booked the tickets, and if Grady’s concerns about Christmas were warranted.
“I was being considerate,” he said, holding up his hand. “For the record.”
“I know,” she said fondly. “But I’m well-trained to do whatever makes a mother happy, and my parents were thrilled by the idea of a longer trip. We didn’t want to stress you out.”
“Plus the look on your face was worth it,” Wyatt added. “Priceless.”
Grady didn’t bother to deny he’d been surprised. “Worth any momentary awkwardness to have Priya here for three more days than planned.”
“And on that unnecessarily sappy note, we’ll take our leave,” Tegan said with a wink.
Priya blew a raspberry. “Time-out, crazy lady. You and Wyatt were making heart-eyes at each other in the summer.”
Grady nodded his support. “True story. We had to run away.”
“Whatever.” Tegan beamed at them. “You ran away and fell in love. Totally worth it. Sappy for the win.”
“Get out of here,” Grady said gruffly. He was in a sappy mood, and they needed to be gone for what he wanted to happen next.
They saw their friends to the door, then collapsed on the couch again.
It was time to fess up. He turned to Priya. “I had a conversation with your father this afternoon.”
She groaned. “What did he say?”
“He wanted to know what my intentions were toward his daughter.”
“Wow, that’s not awkward at all.”
“I honestly wasn’t expecting it, but he was happy with my answer.”
“So it wasn’t filthy.”
“No.” He tugged her into his lap. “I do have filthy intentions, though. I haven’t tasted you in five very long weeks, so be prepared to be stripped down to nothing in a few minutes.”
“Deal.” Her eyes sparkled, and his heart skipped. Now was the right moment to do this. With her splayed out on his lap, his fingers tangled in hers, at the end of an amazing day with their family and best friends.
“I told him…” He trailed off and just looked at her for a second. Really looked, and loved, and said a silent thank you to whatever higher power let him back into her life. “I want to marry you. I want you to be my wife, Priya. I want to be your husband, and make promises to you in front of our parents.”