CHAPTER 32
Grace sat at her kitchen table telling herself she should be studying, but she couldn't stop wishing Damon would call. She was trying to let him set the pace of their developing relationship, but she was eager to get back to where they were before he deployed.
That may not be possible.
Damon was fighting too many demons that may never let him rest. He was making progress, though. She could see it in his face and the relaxed set of his shoulders. He still reacted to loud noises and jumped at sudden movement, but not as strongly as he used to.
She was just glad he hadn’t pushed her away again. They'd talked frequently on the phone over the past four weeks and hung out several times, including Sunday dinners with his family and playing games with Charity and Clive.
If Grace had her way, they would spend every evening together, but Damon meant it when he said he needed to take things slowly.
Her phone rang on the table beside her, making her jump. She grinned when she spotted his name. "Hello?"
"Hey, beautiful."
Grace's heart beat a little harder in her chest. She loved the reverence in his voice when he called her that.
"Hey, handsome."
"Are you busy?"
"Well, I'm supposed to be studying..."
"Judging by your tone, I'm guessing it's not going well." Grace heard the amusement in his voice.
"Not exactly."
"My mom just left on another date with Clive. I asked her if you were coming over to keep me company and guess what she said?"
Damon and his brothers were still adjusting to their mom having a boyfriend, but Clive was a great guy, and Charity was incredibly happy. So were Faith and Dwight.
"What?"
"She told me I was a big boy, and I could find my own dates."
"She's right." Grace grinned again.
"So, I was wondering if I could come over. I need to get out ofthishouse. We could take Lily for a walk since the weather is nice today, then we can...watch a movie or something."
"Sounds like a great plan."
"Great. I should probably put on something other than sweatpants, so I'll be over in twenty minutes."
Most men could change clothes in five minutes, but it took Damon longer to do simple tasks like that now. He rarely complained though.
"See you soon."
They ended the call, and Grace darted to the bathroom to run a brush through her hair and apply a little mascara. Then, hoping they might share a few kisses, she brushed her teeth and put on lip gloss.
After tidying up the living room, she pulled a pan of frozen enchiladas from the freezer—she was still learning to cook for one person—and threw them in the oven. They'd take a while to thaw and bake, but hopefully Damon would stick around all evening.
The doorbell rang as she finished giving the counters a quick wipe down. Unable to hold back a smile, she opened the door to find Damon standing there with a bouquet of red roses.
"Well, this looks familiar." Grace cocked her head to the side. "But you're missing your Aunt Faith."
"No, I am not." He insisted. "Even if she wasn't with Dwight, I wouldn't let her crash my date." He stepped through the door. "And these are for you this time."
"Thank you." She accepted the beautiful flowers and leaned in for a kiss that was much too brief.
