Mom: We’re back in town. Hope everything is okay?
I can’t help but smile.
Me: All is great. Does Dad still have his chicken costume?
Mom: Yes, why?
She’s going to die with laughter when she finds out my plans for it. Greyson said he’ll do anything to prove how much he loves me, and soon he’ll get his chance. It’ll be the perfect payback and the media will get what they want.
Me: I’ll tell you everything tomorrow morning when I come to pick it up.
Greyson is nowhere to be found when I come out of my bedroom, but I end up seeing him through the kitchen window, sitting by the pool on one of the lounge chairs.
I can’t help but stare at him. The guy is insane. All of my friends at the hospital are going to talk about his little stunt forever. They loved him. The crazy thing is they think we’re actually married. Then again, it feels right. I don’t mind playing along.
I open the door and he glances back at me, smiling as I approach him. “Hey,” he says. “It’s a nice night.” The stars are out and it’s a little humid, but the slight wind makes it perfect. I sit down in my lounge chair and face him. He spreads his legs and places his hands behind my knees to pull me closer. “Thank you for letting me stay here tonight.” The lights around the pool twinkle in his eyes.
My lips pull back into a smile. “I couldn’t let you go home after what you did today. I think all the nurses on my floor are in love with you.”
He slides his hands up and down my thighs. “There’s only one nurse I care about.”
My brows lift. “That’s good. You can prove it to the world tomorrow too.”
He chuckles and pulls me over to his chair. “Oh yeah? How am I to do that?”
I lay beside him and rest my head on my elbow so I can look at him. “I have a plan. Just be ready to go first thing tomorrow morning.” Leaning down, I kiss him and giggle. “We have to make a pit stop at my parents’ house. There’s something I need.”
He groans. “Do I even want to know what it is?”
“You’ll find out tomorrow,” I say with a laugh. “Just be prepared for anything.”
Greyson cups my cheek with his hand, his expression serious. “What are we going to do, Leah? I know we haven’t been together long, but I don’t want to go back to Raleigh without knowing what we are to each other.”
“What do you want us to be?” I know what I want in my heart. It may be impulsive and crazy, but I can’t see it any other way. I love him. Heart racing, I wait for him to answer.
He leans up and kisses me. “You know what I want. I want us to be together. For real. None of this fake marriage shit. It doesn’t have to be right now, but eventually, I want you to truly be mine. To be my wife.”
The butterflies in my stomach swirl around inside me. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. I lean into his touch. “We could always plan another wedding and invite our family and friends? Until then, we could keep on pretending. I kind of like being your wife.”
His other hand comes up to my face. “And I love hearing you say it. I’ll do whatever you want.”
I straddle his waist and rock my hips against his. “Now we just need to decide the living situation.”
Groaning, he bites his bottom lip and grips onto my waist, pushing his cock into me. “You’re torturing me to get your way, aren’t you?”
“Is it working?”
He nods quickly. “Oh yeah. But you don’t have to do that. I am more than happy to move to Charlotte. I told you, I’d do anything for you.”
Slowly, I slide off of him and reach for his hand. “Good. Now let’s go inside. We have a lot of makeup sex to get to. Tomorrow, the world will get their first glimpse of Mr. and Mrs. Greyson Jennings.”
He jumps up and picks me up in his arms. “Sounds fucking perfect to me.”
The chicken costume is in a giant bag in the back of Greyson’s trunk and he has no clue what’s in it. My parents had brought our golf clubs back with them so they saved us a trip back to Charleston. Luckily, my dad was nice to Greyson when we stopped by. Of course, my father will always think no one is good enough for me. That’s a dad for you. But hopefully, after today, he’ll see how much Greyson loves me and how much I love him. I told them to get to the course soon so they can hear mine and Greyson’s first interview. I’m hoping it’ll ease the tension between Bryan and Greyson. My brother is my best friend. I don’t need his blessing to be with Greyson, but I do want them to get alone one day.