Page 129 of Gravity

“Yeah, I know, and you probably shouldn’t be eating donuts yet either.”

“I won’t tell if you don’t.”

“Deal. But just make sure you don’t have any more after that one.”

I won’t be able to anyway. My diet has change since my operation, and I feel fuller faster as my body gets used to working without a spleen. “I won’t.”

He kisses my head. “You heard from Asher today?”

“Not yet, but he’s coming over to see Mom later.”

After Asher and I had talked at great length the other day, he’d admitted that he doesn’t feel he has mourned for Dad yet. Masked by the alcohol and poor decisions, he’s yet to accept that Pop has finally gone, and with him not being here for the funeral, he’s finding things a lot more difficult to process. With that burden on his shoulders alone, it’s much more important to get his head sorted. Once we had started to fix the troubles between the two of us, he’d then gone out to make amends with Grayson. They’d talked for some time and are slowly getting their friendship back on track. Now my heart is full of warmth and feeling stronger than it has been in a long time. There is still a long road ahead for all of us but together, we can all rebuild what we’ve lost.

“I’m glad he’s keeping his promise to keep in touch with everyone. It will help him heal faster I think.”

“Same. There’s still a long way to go for everyone to get back to where we all were. But we’ll get there.”

“I hope so. Pop would want that.”

“Which reminds me,” he says licking his fingers clean. “I didn’t just get donuts to lift your spirits.”

“You didn’t?”

“Nope.”

Leaning down to collect the bag from the floor that I hadn’t noticed, my hearts skips when he pulls out a tube of bubbles. Not having had my daily dose of bubbles in a while to keep the smile on my face, my eyes fill.

He really does think of everything.

“Grayson, I’ve just got my emotions under control and you start me off again.”

“Baby, you can cry around me as much as you want if it makes you feel better. You’re still coming to terms with so much.”

I sniff back my tears, not wanting to cry any more than I have since being home. “I’m still trying to work out what I did to deserve you.”

“You didn’t do anything, Nora. I fell hard for the person that you are and that will never change. No matter what life throws at us.”

God, I love this man more each day.

“Tell me everything is going to be okay,” I whisper, placing my hand over his heart.

“I don’t have to because you know it will.”

“I love you to the universe and back, Mr. Bennett.”

“I love you beyond that, Shortcake.”

Leaning forward, he kisses me with a passion that has my body and heart dancing. If there is any feeling bigger than love, then that is what I feel right now. Everything about this man takes my breath away. I knew that one day Grayson Bennett would be my forever. What I didn’t know was that he would become so much more and fill my heart with a love I never knew existed. The connection between us had been too great to ignore. Our souls had spoken and pulled us together with the force of gravity.

He is my best friend, my king, and the unconditional love of my life.

Epilogue

Grayson

One year later…

“Holy shit. This never gets old.” I smile, the thrill of what I’m experiencing filling my body.