"Because he's leaving in a little over a week."
"And you're worried about making a long-distance relationship work?"
Grace nodded, but that was only part of what held her back. The other part was fear of rejection.
"It will take work for sure, but there are plenty of couples who make long distance relationships work." Mom patted Grace's hand. "If you can stick with each other through deployment, you can weather anything together."
"What if...what if he doesn't want anything to do with me when he finds out..."
"You’re worried how Damon will react to your past?" Mom's voice was gentle. "Only one way to find out, Mija. I know it hurt terribly when Alan broke up with you after finding out about your baby, but not every man is like Alan, Mija."
Maybe not, but what if Damon was?
After she was raped and the incessant bullying she endured in high school, Grace had dated very little. Then when she finallyfell in love and was in a committed relationship she thought would last forever, she still struggled to tell Alan everything.
Not only did he accuse her of not being the person he thought she was and keeping secrets from him, he also thought she was wrong to give her baby up for adoption.
She’d stopped dating for years after that.
Things felt different with Damon, but she still feared he’d walk away if he knew everything. She wasn’t ready to open herself up for that kind of pain again.
That concern continued to echo inside her head as she got ready to go to Riley and Daniel's house. She was half tempted to tell Damon she would meet him there, rather than have him pick her up. But if she did that, she wouldn't get the chance to ask him why he was trying to get to know her mom.
Which is exactly what she did the moment she closed the front door behind them when Damon came to pick her up.
"I thought we could walk?—"
"Why did you visit?—"
They both spoke at once.
Damon motioned to her. "Go ahead."
"No, you first, please. My question will likely lead to a lengthy discussion."
"Sounds serious." His right eyebrow arched, then he motioned toward the sidewalk. "I thought we could walk to Daniel and Riley's. Their rental house is only a couple blocks away."
"That's fine." Grace fell into step beside him. "Why did you visit my mom today?"
His head jerked back in surprise and his footsteps faltered. "Because I know you hate leaving her alone."
Her heart fluttered at his sweet gesture, but her eyes narrowed on him. "I thought you were going to help your mom paint today."
"I did." His head bobbed in a nod. "She had something come up this morning, so I visited your mom while I waited for my mom to get home with the paint. Then we painted the guest bedroom this afternoon." He gave her a piercing look. "Does it bother you that I want to get to know your mom better?"
Grace gave a little shrug and looked away. "Of course not."
But it did bother her. He was becoming too ingrained in her life. She didn’t want him to see how much she liked him.
"Good, because I enjoy visiting with your mom. I'd like to do it again soon." He grabbed her hand and tugged her to a stop, turning her to face him. "I'd like to get to know you better too, Grace."
The husky tone of his voice sent a pleasant shiver rippling down her spine despite the heat of the late August evening. Her heart jumped in her chest as her pulse shifted from first to fifth gear, skipping the gears in between. Every beat seemed to reverberate through her body as a swarming sensation swept through her stomach.
What is he saying?
Last Saturday, he suggested they be friends, but every time she was with him, she got the feeling he wanted more. Although the idea ofmorewith Damon excited her, it was all moving too fast.
Damon stepped closer, his hand tightening around hers, as his gaze dipped to her lips.
