Gracie leaned forward and hugged Jeremy. “I’m sorry to put you in this position. They’re your friends too. I just needed to come by and talk to Michelle.”
He hugged her back and stroked her hair soothingly. “You’re always welcome here, Gracie. Michelle and I love you. Nothing will change that.”
“Of course not,” Michelle said firmly.
“I should get home,” Gracie said as she pulled away from Jeremy.
“You’re not going home in your condition,” Jeremy said. “You look exhausted. It’s four o’clock in the morning. You can crash on the couch and go home after you’ve rested.”
“I’m too tired to argue,” Gracie said.
Michelle stood up. “I’ll get you some pillows and a blanket. We’ll talk more in the morning when you’re feeling better.”
“Thanks, Chelle. I don’t know what I’d do without you guys.”
Michelle hugged her again then hurried toward the closet down the hall. She returned a few minutes later with the linens.
Gracie took them gratefully and made a comfortable spot on the couch. Jeremy and Michelle said their goodnights and disappeared into their bedroom.
Gracie sank wearily onto the couch and pulled the covers up to her chin. Dummy, dummy, dummy. She closed her eyes. She was even too tired to further castigate herself.
Chapter Thirteen
Luke pulled up to Jeremy and Michelle’s house and parked beside Gracie’s car. The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon when he mounted the steps to the front porch.
Before he could knock, Jeremy opened the door and motioned for him to be quiet. He followed Jeremy inside and saw Gracie sound asleep on the couch.
“She’s wiped out,” Jeremy whispered. “She was pretty upset when she got here.”
Luke raked a hand through his hair and swore under his breath. What a mess. His gaze drifted back to Gracie, drinking in her appearance. He’d been so goddamn worried when she’d tore off in his truck. He and Wes had driven the entire way home afraid they’d find her wrecked on the side of the road.
“I’m going back to bed with my wife,” Jeremy said. “I don’t know what all is going on between you and Gracie, but I know she’s hurting.”
“Thanks for calling me,” Luke said softly.
“No problem. I know how worried you were about her.”
Luke watched as Jeremy left the room and then he went to kneel beside the couch where Gracie lay. His chest tightened when he saw the evidence of her tears. Tenderly, he stroked her hair away from her cheek then he leaned forward and kissed her lips.
God, he didn’t like to see her hurting. He never had. She had a way of twisting him up on the inside that no other woman had ever managed to do.
He hated to wake her up. God knew she could use the sleep. So could he. But they had to talk. He had to make her understand.
“Gracie,” he whispered. “Gracie, sweetheart, wake up.”
She stirred, twisting her head slightly, a frown marring her face. Then she opened her gorgeous eyes and looked at him in confusion. Hurt filled her gaze, and he felt like someone sucker-punched him.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered.
He stroked his hand over her face, wanting to touch her, reassure himself that she was really okay.
“We need to talk, Gracie.”
She nibbled at her bottom lip then slowly nodded. “I know,” she said quietly.
“Will you come with me?” he asked. “I don’t want to hash everything out here with Jeremy and Michelle in the next room, and I don’t imagine you want to either.”
She pushed herself up on her elbow and struggled to sit up. He curled his hands around her waist and helped her upright.
“Okay,” she agreed.
He breathed a sigh of relief. He’d overcome the first obstacle. Getting her to listen. Now he just hoped he’d be successful in all he had to convince her of.
She stood up, a little shaky on her feet, and he reached out to steady her, but she stepped away. He collected her jacket and held it open for her.
She walked ahead of him out the door, and he carefully closed it behind them. He hurried for his truck, knowing she’d be cold.
He started the engine and turned the heat on high before backing out of the driveway. They didn’t speak as he drove toward his house. He didn’t know whether to be grateful she wasn’t yelling at him or worried that she was so quiet.
A few minutes later, he parked in his garage and looked over at her. “Come in so we can talk?”
Gracie stared at Luke for a long moment. He did look worried about her, and she hated that she’d acted so stupidly. She was still embarrassed as hell, but she’d just made things worse by running.
She finally nodded and opened the truck door to climb out. Luke waited for her in front of the truck and ushered her inside.
He had a gorgeous house. He’d moved into a spec house he’d built when he started developing the neighborhood. She’d always thought it too big for him, but it would be perfect for a family.
She sighed and directed her thoughts away from a family Luke may or may not have in the future.
Luke guided her into the living room and gestured for her to sit down on the couch. She perched on the edge, just wishing they could get the awkwardness over. She needed to beg forgiveness for being such a dipshit, and maybe, just maybe, they could one day go back to being friends again.
He stood a few feet away, looking uncomfortable. Poor guy probably didn’t know what the hell to say in the face of her assumptions. He was probably trying to figure out a way to let her down easy.
She sighed again. “Look, Luke, I’m sorry.”
He looked startled by her apology. He started to speak but she held a hand up. “Let me finish please. She looked down at her hands and sucked in a few steadying breaths. Then she looked back up at him.
“I overreacted. I know that. And I made some assumptions I had no business making. It’s just that I wish you’d been level with me from the get-go. Just told me what you’d planned. You didn’t have to go through the whole charade of getting close to me. I thought…” She took another deep breath, willing herself not to crack. “I thought you were coming to care for me as more than a friend and that this weekend was a natural progression of that relationship. Silly, I know, but not knowing that you’d overheard my conversation and made plans to surprise me, well, it’s the only con
clusion I could draw.”
He stared at her, mouth open. Then his eyes sparked. He was angry. Hell.
He strode over to where she sat on the couch and knelt down in front of her.
“Luke, I—”
“Gracie, shut up,” he said fiercely.
She blinked in surprise.
He blew out his breath in an angry puff then he yanked her to him, kissing her roughly, passionately. She had no time to react, and she was too shocked to do so.
He pulled away from her and collected her hands in his. “Gracie, I love you.”
Her mouth fell open. “But—”
“Not a word,” he said, his eyes still flashing angrily. “I swear I don’t know where you get some of those fool-headed notions of yours. I’m so tempted to turn you over my knee and spank your ass.”
Her cheeks warmed as she remembered him doing precisely that.
“This week has been the best week of my life, Gracie. And you’re the reason for that. Yeah, I overheard your conversation with Michelle. And yeah, it made me see you in a new light. It made me realize how much we had in common and how stupid I was for never seeing it, for never asking you out.
“Yes, I wanted to give you a weekend you’d never forget, but I also want to give you a lifetime of those weekends. You and me, tearing up the sheets, eating each other alive. Gracie, when I’m with you, I swear I don’t even think straight. The chemistry between us is off the charts. But more than that, you’re my best friend. I love you. I think I’ve always loved you, and I want to spend my life with you. There’s no one I have a better time with. No one who understands me like you do.
“I fucked up. I should have told you I heard you and Michelle talking, but honest to God, it never even occurred to me that things could go so terribly wrong. I planned to spend the weekend making all your fantasies come true and then I was going to get down on my knees and beg you to make mine come true by marrying me.”
Gracie stared at him in shock. Her mouth fell open and tears spilled over onto her cheeks.
“You love me?” she whispered.
“After a speech like that, can you doubt it?” he asked.
She laughed and put her hand up to cup his cheek. “Oh, Luke, I was such an idiot. I was so afraid. I’d fallen so hard for you, and in that moment, I was so afraid you didn’t feel the same.”
He gathered her in his arms and held on tight. “I’m sorry I hurt you, Gracie. I’d never do anything to hurt you on purpose.”
She hugged him back, trying to blink away the tears that streaked down her cheeks. Relief and euphoria like she’d never known rolled through her system.
He pulled slightly away and kissed her. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her so tenderly, so full of love that it was hard to hold the tears at bay.
“Will you marry me, Gracie?”
“Yes. Yes!”
She threw her arms around him again and peppered his cheek and neck with kisses.
The door leading from the garage to the kitchen slammed and Luke whirled around. Gracie saw Wes standing in the doorway to the living room, concern etched on his face.
“Gracie, are you all right?” he asked anxiously.
She looked at Luke and, at his nod, stood up and walked over to Wes.
“I’m fine, Wes. I’m sorry for blowing up like I did.”
“Ah hell, Gracie, no need to apologize.”
He walked forward and wrapped his arms around her. He squeezed her tight and stroked a hand through her hair.
“I’m sorry if we hurt you, girl. I’d cut off my right arm before doing anything to hurt you.”
He drew away and kissed her warmly on the lips. He let his tongue mingle with