Grant's house began to feel more like a home with his sister in it. He was happier than I had ever seen him, chuckling with Lily, holding my hand, eating in between their joking words. The once cold and lifeless house was now filled with warmth and laughter. I could tell he felt it too.
"No, no. You're telling it all wrong." Grant's laughter filtered between his words.
Lily retaliated by continuing her story. "So he is stuck on the fence, his pants completely caught on the barbed wire." She gasped for air in her laughter, hardly able to finish the story. "And I am over here too scared to tell Mom and Dad that Grant is hanging from a fence that I told him to climb so—"
Grant interrupts her. "So she left me hanging there for fifteen minutes." I was smiling so hard my cheeks hurt, and tears were springing from my eyes. Lily had been telling me embarrassing baby Grant stories for the last two hours. I couldn't have been happier anywhere, and I had no doubt in my mind wherever this went between the two of us, Grant would always be in my heart.
After dinner, I began cleaning dishes and clearing off the table. Lily and Grant both told me not to worry about it, but I told them they should spend some time together. Watching the two of them made me think of who Grant was before he grew to be this cold, stand-offish man.
Just when I was almost done drying the plates, Lily came behind me and began grabbing the dishes as well.
She whispered softly, "Thank you for coming tonight. I know it wasn't easy on him." I turned my head back to the living room to see it empty.
"He's a good guy, I'm glad to be his…friend." The word friend was the last way I wanted to describe Grant, but I had no intentions of hashing out our complicated relationship with his sister.
Lily turned her head and gave me a knowing look. "Be patient with him. He'll come around."
I wanted to push harder on the subject, but I heard the front door open and Grant came back inside.
"You ready to go, Hart? I know it's getting past your bedtime." His poking fun at my early sleep habits had become a fun gag for him, but he knew me well enough to know by nine p.m. I was ready to cuddle up and go to bed.
I said my goodbyes to Lily, and as I hugged her, she whispered in my ear, "Don't give up on him."
I smiled at her and nodded. Grant might not know what he wanted with me, but he wanted something, and whatever that was I would take it.
The drive back to my place was filled with our smiles and laughter as we recollected the evening. His good mood made me almost euphoric, and I felt myself falling for him deeper as each minute passed. His light touches throughout the evening had me wired and wanting more. Clearly, Beau was right about the dress, as all-night Grant would find an excuse to have his hands on me. Whether it was putting a piece of hair behind my ear, handing me silverware and letting his hand linger, or brushing circles on my inner thigh underneath the table. Wherever we were, if we were together, he was touching me.
The entire drive home was spent with his hand on my leg, starting close to my knee and rubbing affectionate circles on me lovingly. It was a comfort that I found myself slipping into so easily.
Grant followed me inside, his hand wrapped in mine. We both nodded to Al, who gave me a grin and guided us to the elevator. The minute the gap between the elevator doors shut, Grant's lips were on mine. His hand reached in my hair, tangling the long brown strands between his rough fingers. I leaned against him, feeling like I had a piece of cake that I waited for during the whole dinner. I finally had the man I had been pining after all alone, and the last thing I was going to do was overthink now.
He mumbled against my lips. "Driving me crazy all night. You're trouble, Ms. Hart." I grinned against his mouth, feeling happier now than I had in a long time. Before I could reply, the elevator dinged.
The elevator doors opened up, and there stood an older woman. "Oh. Oh my, I am so sorry," she apologized as though she waltzed into our private room. My cheeks heated up and I peeled myself off of Grant.
"So sorry, ma'am." I was mortified. I reached up to brush my hair down and straighten my dress.
Grant pulled his lips into his teeth, holding back a laugh and I smacked his chest. The older woman chuckled and wobbled her way into the elevator with us. "I remember those days. Just wait till you two have a couple of little ones running around. You'll miss these times."
I just gave a toothless grin back to her and Grant's face faded back to his straight-mouthed blank stare. The air felt as though it had been sucked out of the elevator. I felt the panic to get out as quickly as I could.
By the time we reached my door, we were both silent. The slight mention of children always seemed to put Grant in a daze and he would immediately shut down.
"June, I just-" He paused himself just before he was going to give me whatever other excuse he had for us not being together. I didn't care to hear any more excuses and I knew my worth enough to know I didn't deserve to be tossed aside.
I simply kissed him on the cheek, stepped in by myself, and left the night where we were.