"What exactly happened in that elevator?"
"Grace happened," he said with a sigh.
A puzzled expression filled her face as she laughed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Damon chewed a bite of the delicious cinnamon roll as he searched for the words to explain what he experienced in the elevator with Grace. It felt as though someone stepped into the room and flipped on a light, illuminating his life in a whole new way. He hadn't realized how dim the room had become, but now, he felt like something was missing in his life.
He almost burst out laughing at how crazy the thoughts in his head sounded.
Finally, he shrugged. "I don't know. We were trapped for an hour, but it felt like only a few minutes. She's claustrophobic, so she was kind of anxious. I drew her into conversation to help her stay calm, and we just hit off." He laughed as he put another bite in his mouth and chewed before continuing. "She's smart and kind of sassy. But she's also selfless and brave."
"Wow, she made quite an impact on you." A twinkle lit his mom's eyes as the corners of her mouth turned up. "But Damon, tread lightly where she's concerned. She's going through too much right now for you to toy with her emotions. Especially since you'll be leaving in a couple weeks."
"I know." A sinking sensation hit his stomach, stealing what was left of his appetite even though he'd barely touched his cinnamon roll.
He'd thought about that a lot during the drive home. He wanted to get to know Grace, but he was deploying soon, and he wasn't the type to love 'em and leave em', like Romero. But for the first time ever, he could picture himself settling down and building a life with a woman.
A woman like Grace.
It sounded ridiculous since he'd only just met her, but there was something about her that wouldn't let him walk away without seeing if there was a future for them.
CHAPTER 4
Grace knocked on the Young's front door then walked in. She felt weird doing that, but Paige and her parents insisted she was family now, and that meant she didn't need to knock.
"Grace, is that you?" Paige called from the back of the house.
"Yep." Grace walked into the dining room to find Paige and her mother, Hope, sitting at the large cherry wood dining table littered with lists, place cards, and centerpieces intended for the wedding luncheon.
Gabe, looking utterly overwhelmed, sat off to the side as though he feared getting in the way.
"Did you make it over to Iris's house this morning?" Paige asked.
"Yes, and the dress only needs a few minor tweaks to make it fit perfectly. She said she can have it ready by Tuesday."
"Good." Paige pulled a list toward her and made a check mark. "One less thing to worry about. Hopefully Riley doesn't outgrow her dress before the wedding."
"I thought she went with an empire waist so it would be sure to fit," Hope said.
"She did, but you saw her last week. I think her tummy has grown more than anticipated over the last month."
"I'm sure it'll be fine." Hope waved a hand. "You have other, more important, things to worry about." She pointed to a poster board and a bunch of colored circles. "Namely, the arrangement of the tables and who is sitting where?"
"I know, I?—"
A knock on the door interrupted Paige. The knock was followed by a booming but familiar voice that sent a little shiver down Grace's spine. "Where's my favorite cousin?"
"Damon!" Paige let out a squeal and sprang to her feet.
The two met in the hallway outside the dining room. A shirtless Damon swept Paige off her feet and twirled her around.
"Eew. You're all sweaty!" Paige cried as she smacked his shoulder. "Put me down."
"Sorry." Damon dropped Paige and pulled a khaki T-shirt from the waistband of his black shorts. He quickly tugged it over his head, but not before Grace got a glimpse of dog tags against a muscular chest, well-defined abs, and a tattoo on his shoulder of an eagle and the American flag.
She had been dreading this moment ever since Robert said Damon was his cousin, but she hadn't expected it to arrive so soon. She hardly slept last night, because she was too busy chastising herself for kissing a stranger in the elevator. She should have known better. Flirting with danger—or in this case, a stranger—always had consequences.
She was glad he wasn't the stalker she thought he was, but she was still a little too freaked out to appreciate the sweetness of his gesture. Did he know who she was the whole time they were in the elevator? Or did he figure it out later? Did he mean to scare the stuffing out of her as a joke?
