He smiles again, wider this time. “Yeah. You’re a force of nature, Kali. You’re like a tornado in the best sense of the word. You lift people up and spin them around so that they can find their way in the world. You have this unique ability to make everyone around you feel good. Including me. I want to be with you, Kali. I want to prove to you how much I care. I want to be a safe haven for you where you can tell me how you really feel whether you’re happy or sad, frustrated or mad. If you let me, I’ll show you how serious I am about you. I’ll protect your heart so that it’s never hurt again.”
I swallow hard, almost afraid to speak. “But what about your job—”
He gently takes my hands between both of his large ones and presses them to his chest. Through the tee, I can feel his heart beating steadily beneath my palms. “My job is to know the law and to use it to defend those who require my services, and I’ll continue to do that. But I need you beside me, Kali. I’ve never felt anything like how I feel for you. When people Google me, I hope they see my name attached to yours because of what you’re doing with your fame, not because youarefamous. I would be the luckiest man in the world if I was with you.”
Tears fill my eyes, but this time they’re not tears of sadness, but of happiness. I smile up at him. “When I’m with you, Grayson, nothing else matters. I don’t care about my fame or the pressure I face to be perfect all the time. I feel like I can just be myself.” I take a deep, nervous breath. “Do you really want to give us a try?”
He nods, his gaze searching mine. “More than anything. These past weeks have been hell without you. I’ve never met someone who makes me feel like I’m home when I’m with them until I met you.”
The tears in my eyes spill onto my cheeks and he pulls me against his strong chest to brush them away. I cling to him, feeling his heart beating like a battering ram against his ribs now. In his embrace, I feel safe and secure and cherished. He made a mistake when he walked away from me the same way I made one when I didn’t tell him who I really am. But I won’t ever repeat that mistake again and something tells me that he won’t, either. I know I can trust him never to hurt me or break my heart again. I feel it in my soul.
“I want to be with you, too,” I say softly into his ear. “When I met you, you made me feel like I was simply an ordinary girl again. You looked at me and just saw Kali, the woman, someone you shared burgers and fries with that night we went out.. That means more to me than I can ever put into words.”
He cups my face, brushing my hair back, and gazes into my eyes. “I’ll look at you like that forever because to me, youarethe woman I shared burgers and fries with that night, my beautiful Kali.”
“Grayson…” I whisper, my eyes fluttering closed as he bends his head to kiss me.
When our mouths finally meet, an explosion of fireworks and butterflies and dynamite burst inside of me all at once. His lips are velvety smooth and warm, and I melt against him with a sigh. He crushes me to his chest, his strong arms circling me tight. My fingers find their way into his silky hair as his tongue dances with mine.
It’s the kind of kiss that has me feeling like a rocket blasting into space.
Everything else fades to the background when I’m in his arms. This earth-shattering kiss is surely the first of many, and I’m already dying for another—and another after that.
When we finally come up for air—though whether it’s a few minutes or an hour later, I’m not entirely sure—everyone in the stadium is cheering, kids and adults alike. Sutton and Liv are at the forefront, jumping up and down and squealing wildly.
Grayson and I laugh, grinning at one another, and I go up on tiptoe to kiss him again.
“Sometimes,” I whisper against his delicious lips, “I guess the worst mistakes can lead to the most beautiful blessings.”
EPILOGUE
“Hurry up, guys!” Sutton calls from the studio. “I posted that we’re going live in two minutes on Insta!”
“Two minutes?” Liv yelps, something crashing as she hurries to get the ring lights on and the cameras in place.
From where Grayson and I stand outside in the hallway, I tilt my head back, my arms going around his neck.
“You sure you’re ready for this?” I ask softly.
Grayson grins down at me. The tip of his nose brushes mine as his fingers sweep through my long, blond hair. We spent all morning playing on the beach with George, who was currently fast asleep in his comfy blue bed.
“We’ve been dating for more than six months,” he replies, giving me a playful kiss on the tip of my nose. “I think it’s past time you introduce me to your Glammers.”
I couldn’t agree more. I just wanted to give him the chance to back out if he changed his mind.
I laugh. “There’s just one more thing before we go in there.”
Before he can ask what it is, I go up on the tips of my toes and steal yet another sweet kiss from the man of my dreams.
Every day since we made it official in front of everyone at Fostering Tomorrow has been better than the one before it. If I thought my life was a dream before meeting Grayson, then I’m living in absolute paradise now.
Grayson has been successfully working his way up the rungs of his firm’s ladder while also helping the girls and I iron out some of our more intricate contracts. His knowledge has proved indispensable, as has his generosity in helping us. We’ve even hooked him up with some other local charities and foundations in town which has his name spreading through the legal world like wildfire. He’s already been highlighted as an up-and-coming lawyer in several publications and on various websites. In fact, he’s so well-known now that people are practically begging for his representation. He received so much recognition that even his parents reached out to him. They apologized for their behavior, and though Grayson was a little hesitant about rebuilding those bridges, he said that I gave him the strength to do it. We have dinner with them once a week now, and they’re as delightful as their son, once you get to know them.
As for Glossed & Glammed, our brand has been similarly booming.
Our work with Fostering Tomorrow gained national attention and Laura constantly sends me updates on how many wonderful milestones their charity is hitting. I can’t wait to use my platform to continue helping everyone I can—with my wonderful man at my side, of course.
“Thirty seconds!” Sutton hollers.
