by Laura Ann
A flood of sorrow and despair poured into Grace and she felt as if she would drown. At one time she had thought the miracle of love at first sight had been gifted to her, only to find out it was completely one sided. Now she sat with a guy who seemed to hate her, but she couldn’t seem to get her heart to let him go.
“I... have to move,” she muttered, jumping up from her seat. Grabbing her plate, she hurried to put it in the garbage, then turned to survey the room. “There’s got to be someone here to talk to,” she muttered. She was all too aware of Vaughn’s massive presence behind her, but she didn’t turn to speak to him. Her eyes latched onto a lifeline and she grabbed it with both hands. “Lane!” she squealed, running over and throwing her arms around her friend’s neck.
“Oof! Good to see you, Grace,” Lane said in a strangled voice.
“It’s been so long!” Grace said with a laugh, rocking the two of them back and forth. “How have you been?” She finally allowed Lane to breath and stepped an arm’s length away from her. “Oh my gosh, you look gorgeous!” Her eyes drifted to Pierce, Lane’s date. “How have you kept your hands to yourself all evening?” she teased. She knew her reactions were over the top, but all the tension in her muscles seemed to be manifesting itself in excess energy.
“GRACE!” Lane gave her friend the universal, wide-eyed look of every woman who ever wanted someone else to shut up.
Grace laughed and waved Lane’s concerns away. “He knows I’m joking...” she winked at Pierce, “don’t ya, Pierce?”
Pierce grinned widely and grabbed Lane’s hand, pulling her back against his chest. “No teasing necessary. It’s been a practice in self-restraint tonight, that’s for sure.”
Awww... Grace laughed. “You always were a smooth talker, Pierce. Nearly all of us girls were in love with you at one time or another.” Oh my gosh... I have got to get myself under control! I’m never this bold with people!
Vaughn groaned from behind her shoulder. “Geez, Grace. Lay off, huh?”
Grace pinched her lips together and felt her cheeks go hot. Can he not leave me alone for just a minute? Why the heck does he care so much?
Lane’s eyes snapped open, and zeroed in on Vaughn. “Hi,” she said with a smile. “I’m Lane.” She offered her hand.
“Vaughn,” he said with a frown.
“We work together,” Grace said quietly, glancing around to make sure no one else overheard.
“Ah, gotcha.” Lane smiled. “So what do you do, Vaughn? Are you another artist?”
Vaughn snorted and folded his arms. “I’m a carpenter. I work for the art gallery Grace is at, building display tables and custom frames.”
“Wow! That’s really neat!” Lane said in a high pitched tone.
Grace turned to glare at Vaughn. Does he have to sound like such a jerk? Would one night of being nice kill him? She forced her attention away from her date and back to her friend. “How have you been? Social media just isn’t enough to keep up with each other.” She pasted a smile on her face.
Lane returned the gesture. “Good! Busy. The hospital never seems to slow down, ya know?”
Grace nodded quickly. “I wouldn’t exactly know, but I can imagine.”
“Yeah, you’re good with your imagination,” Vaughn muttered so low that Grace almost didn’t hear him.
Hot shame poured through Grace and her eyes fell to the floor. Her breathing grew shallow and rapid and she didn’t know how to handle his attitude. I don’t think I can keep doing this. I’ve come, I supported Lane, now it’s time to go.
Movement caught her eye and she watched Pierce slip an arm around Lane’s shoulder, who melted into his embrace. Hmmm... that doesn’t look fake to me... Grace eyed the two of them suspiciously, but only smiled when Lane raised her eyebrows.
“So, Grace, what are you up to these days? I don’t think Wren has said anything lately,” Pierce asked politely.
Grace gave a small smile and shrugged. “I went to art school, but I’m still trying to find my niche.”
Lane frowned. “I thought you were creating jewelry and selling it. Is that not going well?”
Grace’s eyes darted to Vaughn’s before coming back to Lane. “Yeah, I am. That actually pays the bills just fine.”
Pierce nodded. “That’s great. Not many people can make money at art.”
Vaughn snorted again, but luckily didn’t speak.
Grace forced herself not to react, but inside she was torn between hatred and guilt.
“I’m glad to see you’re following your dreams, Grace.” Lane stepped out of Pierce’s hold and took her friend’s hand. “You deserve it.”
“Only people willing to put themselves on the line deserve to make it,” Vaughn shot out.
“Hey,” Pierce said, his hands out. “Let’s just cool it, huh? No one is trying to pick a fight.”
Grace rolled her eyes, done with Vaughn’s behavior. “Whatever,” she huffed. “I think I’m ready to dance, see ya later!” She wiggled her fingers over her shoulder and strutted to the dance floor.
She discovered several of her friends in a circle, moving to the beat. “I can have fun tonight without the black cloud behind me. He can just go make himself sick on cream puffs for all I care,” Grace muttered.
“Grace!”
“Hey, Girlie!”
Grace smiled and embraced Faye and Britt. “Hi, Ladies! Mind if I join in the fun?” She felt her hips begin to keep the beat, unable to help the movement of her body. Grace closed her eyes to better enjoy the moment, not caring where her date or her friend’s dates were.
He’s not worth your worry, Grace Monson. Just let it go and tomorrow everything will be back to normal.
VAUGHN WALKED RIGHT off the dance floor and made sure he stopped under a vent. He was desperate for some air movement, even if the air blowing out was warmer than he would have liked.
It was easy to see that Grace was ticked at him, and truth be told, he couldn’t blame her. He was being an absolute neanderthal. He tugged on his bow tie. “Stupid noose.” Without another thought, he yanked it off and stuffed it in his pocket.
Without his permission, his eyes drifted back to Grace’s moving form and he found himself undoing the top two buttons of the shirt as well. “How did it get so hot in here?” he growled to himself.
“Trouble in paradise?” a masculine voice called from the shadows behind him.
Vaughn jerked his head toward the sound. “And this would be your business why?”
The voice chuckled, before stepping forward. “James,” he said, offering his hand.
Vaughn frowned, but reached out as well. “Vaughn.”
“Looks like our women ditched us.” James tilted his head toward the dancing group.
“Oh, yeah.” Vaughn shifted uncomfortably. “She wanted to dance with the girls for awhile.”
“In other words, she wanted to get away from you.”
Vaughn shot the guy next to him a dark look. “Are you always this candid? I don’t even know you.”
James chuckled again. “Candid might be the nicest way I’ve heard it described.” He pursed his lips. “Blunt. Outspoken. Words like jerk or other colorful descriptions might have passed through my ears.”
Vaughn grunted and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“You gonna fix it?”
Vaughn’s eyes widened and he made a face. “Really? What business is it of yours?”
“It’s not.” James smiled. “I’m just curious.”
Vaughn sighed and tugged at his hair again. “I don’t know. I shouldn’t.”
The smirk on James’ face finally faded. “You shouldn’t? That doesn’t sound good.”
“It’s not.”
“Huh.”
Vaughn was grateful the stranger didn’t push any more. He was already at his wits end for the night. He was terrified if they stayed much longer, he wouldn’t be able to keep from doing something really dumb, like pulling her into his arms and kissing her. She might not let y
ou take her in your arms. You’ve been a total pain in the butt. One of these days you’ll hurt her feelings to the point that she won’t forgive you. His heart ached at the thought.
“Looks like we’re up.” James shoulder bumped him.
“What?” Vaughn looked around.
“It’s a slow song, Man. The women aren’t going to dance it themselves.” James gave Vaughn a cheery salute and sauntered to the dance floor.
“Oh, man...” Vaughn watched James pull a purple-haired woman into a tight embrace and begin swaying to the music. The other girl with Grace was also swept away by a man, leaving Grace standing by herself.
She shifted her weight uncomfortably, glancing around, but not finding him. Vaughn’s heart began to hammer. “I can’t do it,” he muttered. However, when Grace’s face fell and she ducked her head to slink off the floor, his heart broke in half. “No. Just no.”
Taking long, determined strides, Vaughn headed straight for the woman who unknowingly held his heart in her hands. Without a word, he grabbed her waist and spun the two of them until they settled onto the wooden floor.
“Whoa!” Grace grabbed his shoulders to steady herself. Her smile lit up her whole face. “I didn’t think you were still here.”
“Yep.” Vaughn couldn’t think of anything else to say. He was completely tongue tied as Grace stepped a little closer and slid her hands to the back of his neck. He wanted to close his eyes and soak in the ecstasy of her touch. He was on the brink of losing control and wasn’t sure if he had the strength to stay strong.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I know you don’t like spending time with me and I know tonight has been hard for you, but I’m grateful you came anyway.”
Vaughn snorted. “Grateful I came? Why? I’ve been horrible all evening.”
A sad smile crept across Grace’s beautiful face. “I know. But I also know there’s another side to you. I don’t know what I did wrong to make you hate me so much, but it would be hard on anyone to have to pretend to like the one person they despise.”
Vaughn groaned and dropped his forehead to hers. “Grace,” he rasped, guilt pouring through him with every beat of his heart. “You haven’t done anything wrong. It was all me. It’s my problem, not yours.”
“Ah, the age old ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ line. That totally makes me believe you.”
Her tone was teasing, but Vaughn could hear the tremble in her voice. What he didn’t know was if it was because of him or because she was hurting. He took a deep breath, enjoying her flowery smell and couldn’t help but pull her a little tighter into his body. “Believe me, Grace. You’re darn near perfect. This whole situation sucks and it has absolutely nothing to do with you.”
She paused before whispering, “Why, Vaughn? Why did you pull away? I thought—”
“Hey, Man!”
Vaughn and Grace both jerked their heads up to see the grinning face of James and his date.
James jerked his chin upward. “Better make use of it while you can.”
Vaughn glanced up and jerked when he saw a sprig of mistletoe above he and Grace. Looking down, he saw that Grace was just as surprised as he was. When her eyes finally landed on his, they were wide and full of longing.
Vaughn’s breathing grew rapid as he thought of the consequences of giving in. But her parted lips and pleading eyes proved too much for his self control. “Just this once,” he murmured as he lowered his head. “It’s just one night, right?”
“Right,” Grace breathed right before their lips touched.
CHAPTER 5
Grace was utterly and completely lost. Vaughn’s lips were like a drug and it had only taken one hit for her to be addicted. When he didn’t pull back right away, Grace gave into her impulses and allowed her fingers to crawl toward the ends of his hair.
Oooh... it’s just as soft as I imagined. She felt a tremble go through him as she played with the strands and she struggled to keep a satisfied smirk from her face.
“Alright, Kids,” an elderly voice said with a laugh. “Let’s save it for the wedding, huh?”
Vaughn pulled back with a jerk, his eyes wide and his chest heaving.
Blinking rapidly to bring herself back to the present, Grace turned, only to gasp when she saw Pastor Larsen standing next to them. “Wedding?” she asked dumbly.
Pastor Larsen’s eyebrows shot up and he gave his wife an amused look. “Well, rumor has it you two are engaged, so I would assume that would mean a wedding eventually.”
A loud gasp had Grace turning. Faye had her hands to her mouth, a shocked look on her face. Crud! Guess Camille wasn’t nearly as discreet as she said she would be. Why am I not surprised? Grace sighed, hanging her head.
A large, warm hand slid along her back. “Sorry, Sir,” Vaughn said easily. “It’s hard to keep my hands to myself sometimes.”
Pastor Larsen laughed and held out his hand. “Pastor Larsen. I watched this young lady grow up into the lovely woman she is.” He winked at Grace. “And you are?”
“Vaughn Moreno,” he said with a smile. “And I appreciate the lovely woman she’s become.”
“Oh, you are a charmer,” Mrs. Larsen said with a titter. She looked at Grace. “Hang onto that one, Honey.”
Grace tried to smile, but it felt more like a grimace. When Vaughn squeezed her side, it only made her feel worse. Me and my big mouth. I’m a horrible, lying person and now I’ve drug Vaughn into it. Even forced him to kiss me when he didn’t really want to.
Her lips tingled as she thought of the kiss. It had been the stuff of dreams, but now reality was crashing in around her. Vaughn wanted nothing to do with her, she was lying to all her friends and family and her heart was irreparably damaged. Tears stung the back of her eyes and she bit her lip hard to keep them at bay.
“It was nice to meet you Pastor, Mrs. Larsen,” Vaughn said with a smile. “I’m gonna take Grace to cool off for a bit, but I’m sure we’ll be able to chat later.”
“You be sure and watch yourself,” the Pastor said with a smile while wagging a finger. “Don’t go too far from other people.”
Vaughn chuckled. “No, Sir. We’ll be careful.”
Grace didn’t protest as Vaughn took her hand and led her out of the room and into the cold, night air. Snowflakes were drifting lazily to the ground, but Grace felt numb.
“Geez, Grace,” Vaughn growled, rubbing his hands up and down his face. “This feels like it’s getting more complicated than it should.”
Without warning, giggles started to bubble out of Grace’s lips. She didn’t know why she was laughing, there was absolutely nothing funny about their situation, yet she couldn’t seem to stop the inappropriate amusement.
Vaughn looked at her sideways. “Why are you laughing? Are you alright?”
Grace shook her head and threw up her arms. “No! I’m not alright!” Her laughter abruptly cut off. “I just spent the last couple of hours giving into my temper and playing dirty with my high school nemesis, creating a lie that has taken on a life of its own, which has now led me to lying to my friends, family and pastor!” she screeched. “No I’m not alright! And the worst part?” Her eyes were filled with tears as she turned them to Vaughn’s shocked face. “I pulled you into it. I brought you here against your will, pretended you were my fiancé, again against your will, and just now you kissed me against—”
“I didn’t kiss you against my will,” Vaughn shot out.
Grace took in a shuddering breath and brought trembling fingers to her mouth. “Why, Vaughn? Why is this all happening?” She choked back a sob, not caring that tears were now streaming down her face and ruining the makeup she had spent so much time putting on. “Why did you turn away from me? Why do you hate me? Why did you agree to come? Why did you kiss me? Why, why, why?” Putting her face in her hands, Grace finally allowed herself break down. She couldn’t catch her breath as her heartache manifested itself into hot tears of shame and despair.
“Grace,” Vaughn groaned, pulling h
er against his chest. “Don’t do this to me,” he whispered into her hair, before pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“I-I’m sorry,” she stuttered out. “I can’t seem to hold it back any longer.”
His warm, callused hands ran up and down her back in a soothing pattern. “It’s not your fault, Baby,” he murmured. “It’s mine.” He sighed heavily. “I should have just explained everything from the beginning instead of yanking you around.”
Grace lifted her tear-stained face to look at him. “What do you mean?”
Vaughn gave her a sad smile, then reached in his pocket for a handkerchief. “Here. Use this to wipe your face.”
Grace gave a mocking chuckle as she cleaned herself up. “Sorry. I’m sure this is exactly what every man wants to have happen on his date. For the girl to break down into a raging, hormonal psycho with puffy eyes and a runny nose.”
Her eyes shot up when his hand cupped her cheek. “It doesn’t matter what emotions are on your face, Grace. You’re still beautiful.” Slowly, he leaned in, tenderly kissing her forehead.
“I don’t understand,” she said hoarsely.
Vaughn nodded. “I know.” He looked around and found a bench. “Here. Sit and I’ll tell you everything. I should have from the beginning anyway.”
Grace let him lead her to the seat, and accepted his suit jacket when he draped it over her shoulders.
“Wouldn’t want you to get cold,” he muttered, adjusting the collar.
“Thank you.”
Vaughn nodded and took a deep breath.
IT’S TIME, MAN. JUST give it to her straight. She’ll understand. He blew out a breath between his lips and leaned forward to put his elbows on his knees. “So... I guess I need to go back a few years,” he said softly. “When I was sixteen, I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.”
Grace gasped loudly, but Vaughn didn’t dare look at her, knowing he would lose his nerve to keep talking. He didn’t share his story with very many people, but this was different. This was the woman he was in love with and he couldn’t lie to her any longer.