“Let’s enjoy our lunch and this weather,” I tell her, reaching for my glass of wine.
She looks at me, and something crosses her face. Relief? Happiness? Both? She smiles and also reaches for her glass of wine.
“To no end dates,” I tell her and hold my glass out toward her to toast our new arrangement.
“To day by day,” she says in response and taps the rim of her glass to mine.
It’s not exactly what I wanted, but I’ll fucking take it if it means Gracie will be by my side while we figure this out. Now it’s her smiling, and fuck if my heart doesn’t beat wildly in my chest in return.
Over the next hour, we finish lunch, polishing off the wine. Then we lie on the blanket, her head on my chest as we look up at the sky. The sprinkling of clouds cleared and we’re left with a beautiful sunny New York City day. Warm enough to enjoy being outside, but cool enough to not be miserable.
“I could do this every day,” she says quietly, running her hands gently over the blades of grass.
“Me too,” I answer her, running my fingers through her long, soft hair. She turns her head to look at me and I can’t help but stare into her beautiful hazel eyes.
“Thank you.” Her lips turn up at the corners slightly and I love that it’s close to a smile. It’s nice to see her at ease and not a bundle of stress.
“For what?”
“This.”
I take it she means the relaxing afternoon. I push myself up to sitting, keeping her head resting in my lap. I bend over and lightly brush my lips over hers.
“You’re welcome,” I say against her lips.
We spend the rest of the afternoon walking through the park, renting a boat and floating through the lake. The view of New York City from a small row boat in the center of a lake in Central Park is something everyone needs to experience. I’ve never seen Gracie’s smile so large and so genuine. I may have snapped an unsuspecting picture of her while she took in the views.
Back at the Four Seasons, I see Gracie grab her large bag from the closet.
“What are you doing?” I ask as she pulls clothes from the hangers and folds them carefully before putting them in her bag.
“It’s Monday night and I’m going home. I have to work tomorrow.” She looks up at me and smiles that mischievous smile I’ve become all too familiar with.
I let out a long sigh. “It’s Monday night, we’re going to have dinner here before going to bed, and I have to work tomorrow too.” I meet her at the entrance to the closet and take the bag from her hands.
She sighs loudly in return and reaches for her bag. “You don’t get to make every decision for me,” she says stubbornly as we tug the bag back and forth between us.
“I know this,” I tell her, tugging the bag a bit harder and out of her grasp.
“Drew!” she warns, reaching for the bag that I hide behind my back. “Give me my bag.”
“Stay with me. We’re going to the same place tomorrow,” I remind her. “It just makes sense you stay here and we go to work together.”
She snorts. Loudly. “Yeah, that’s going to go over really well. You bought our company on Friday, I bedded you over the weekend, and we show up hand-in-hand on Tuesday? Can you even imagine what that would look like, let alone what people will say?”
“Quite honestly, Gracie, I don’t give a fuck. I began bedding you before I bought the company, not knowing that you were an employee of said company. Our relationship started before my ownership.”
“You don’t understand.” She closes her eyes, as if losing patience with me. “I need this job. I need the support of my co-workers to help me be successful. If they know we’re…” She pauses. “…doing this, they’re going to lose all respect for me.”
“There is nothing wrong with this,” I promise, trying not to sound irritated. “We’ll keep it out of the office if that makes you more comfortable.”
“It will make me more comfortable to go home tonight, sleep in my own bed, and show up at the office on my own tomorrow morning.”
Now I’m the one sighing in defeat. “Fine.” My tone is short and childish. I have to accept her feelings and honor them. While I don’t like it because I want her here with me tonight, I have to remember this is a partnership; we both give and we both take. She wins tonight. Begrudgingly, I hand her the bag and she takes it, never pulling her eyes away from me.
“Thank you,” she says sweetly and continues to put her clothes in the bag.
“But I’ll be escorting you home,” I insist.
She shakes her head in disapproval. “I can take the train, Drew. I do it all the time.”
“Not anymore,” I muster through gritted teeth. I surrendered when she wanted to go home. I’m not bending on this.
She zips her bag, dropping it to her feet as she steps over it and wraps her arms around my waist, pulling me into a hug. Burying her face in my neck, she squeezes me tightly. A hug I can’t help but savor. I wrap my arms around her, holding her just as tightly in return.
She presses a soft kiss to my lips, then reaches up to rub my dimple. Her finger traces the small crease and she smiles.
“You come back here tomorrow night,” I tell her. It’s not a question, it’s a demand. I pull her closer to me, already missing her.
“Wednesday night,” she mumbles against my chest.
Gracie’s stubbornness is going to be the damn death of me.
Twelve
As Tony pulls up to my building, I reach for the door handle, but Drew reaches across me, stopping me before pulling my hand into his.
“Stay with me tonight,” he pleads.
This man is incorrigible and frustrating, and so goddamn sweet, my heart flutters in my chest, but I can’t. I won’t. I need tonight to clear my head. I need to be by myself for a few hours to settle into everything that’s happened over the last five days.
“Drew,” I let out a longsuffering sigh, “we’re at my place. I’ll see you in the office tomorrow.” I lean in and press a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth.
He exhales and presses his forehead to mine. “You’re right. One night apart won’t kill us. But you’re staying with me tomorrow night.” He flashes that mischievous grin of his at me. He’s right, one night won’t kill us, and honestly, with how fast everything is happening, I need the space.
“We’ll see,” I tell him and wrangle my hand out of his grasp. As I open the door and slide out, I feel Drew right behind me. “Stay here; I’ll be fine,” I tell him, but he shakes his head.
Tony pops the trunk of the Town Car and Drew grabs my bag, slamming the trunk closed when he’s done. “The only way I’m leaving you tonight is if I walk you to your door and I know you’re safely inside.” He carries my bag in his right hand and grabs my hand possessively with his left. “Lead the way,” he urges me.
“Do I need to remind you I’ve lived here for two years, I go out all the time, and surprise,” I wave my hands in the air in mock surprise, “I’m still alive!” He rolls his eyes at me and I fumble with my keys when I get to the main doors. No doorman here to greet us, only the scent of a musty one-hundred-and-ten-year-old building. We walk the narrow stairs, Drew following closely behind me because we wouldn’t fit side-by-side up the staircase. When we get to my apartment door, I slide my key into the old door and shove it open.