Owen leans in, staring at our sister intently. “Aub, we have something to tell you. Ava and her boyfriend are pretty serious about one another, but there’s something else you should know.”
Her mouth drops open before her hands fly up to her lips. “Oh dear God, you’re having a baby!” She continues her never-ending intake of air, and for a moment, I’m afraid she might pass out.
Honestly—a baby? I’m dating the brother of the girl she murdered, and Aubree goes for the fetal gold. Always the optimist.
“No.” I reach over and take up her hand before the guard steps forward, and I’m quick to let go. “Grant and I sort of have a strange history. We’re doing everything we can to overcome it, and that’s a very big part of why I’ve brought him here to meet you.” I glance to Grant, and his eyes are glued to Aubree. That shadow of grief that has followed him for so long actually looks as if it’s receding, replaced with a look of pity for my sister.
“I’m Grant Jones.” He bobs his head with the admission. “I’m Stephanie’s brother.”
Aubree bleeds out all color as she leans hard in her seat. It’s clear Grant’s intro has knocked the wind out of her happy sails. The smile erodes from her lips, and her once lively emerald eyes have clouded over, numb and cold as iron.
“Yes.” She says it so faint, I doubt it was for us to hear. “You have her eyes. I see her there in your face.” Her voice is flat, her eyes strangely fixed on his as if she were hypnotized. Aubree swallows hard as moisture fills her eyes. “You’re dating my baby sister.” She says it catatonic. “Please, don’t hurt her.”
Aubree’s mind immediately went to revenge, but I know that Grant isn’t remotely capable of that. The fact he wants us to wait before we’re together in that special way is exemplary of his character.
“I won’t ever hurt her.” Grant pushes out a pained smile. “I want you to know that I love your sister. I don’t believe there’s another person on the planet I’m destined to be with.” He glances down at his folded hands for a brief moment before searing his gaze over hers. “I also need you to know that—I forgive you.”
Aubree inches back as if he slapped her and, just like that, rivers flow from her eyes. She drops her head into her hands and sobs uncontrollably.
Owen looks to the guard, waiting for approval before he comforts her.
“It’s okay,” my brother whispers. “Grant is the real deal. I promise he’s not playing games with you or Ava. You know I would never allow that.”
Aubree takes a moment to compose herself, her nose slicked, her cheeks still wet with fresh tears.
She pushes out a controlled breath while looking at Grant, studying his features. “Believe it or not, I did like Stephanie.” A hard frown comes and goes as if she’s struggling to keep from sobbing once again and is about to lose the battle. “I lost my mind. I don’t know what happened, who I became. I stepped outside of myself.” She shakes her head nonstop. “I am so very sorry. I realize words are cheap. There are no words, really.”
Grant softens, relaxes in his seat as if those were the very words he longed to hear. “Apology accepted.” And just like that, Aubree’s mouth falls open once again. She’s back where she started with him. Grant is inspiring in every single way. “Now”—he pauses, and the three of us hold our breath—“I’d love it if you wouldn’t mind sharing any good memories of my sister.” He pumps a wry smile. “I miss her.”
“You miss her.” She closes her eyes. “I know. I know you do. I miss those good days we had. I was close to Stephanie at one time, and I remember everything.”
Aubree engages Grant in stories about his sister for the next two hours. In a strange way, the entire visit was a broken kind of beautiful.
The ride back to Hollow Brook late that afternoon is solemn, sincere. Owen offers Grant a heartfelt embrace as he drops us off on The Row. The sky is full and heavy with dark clouds, making it feel far later than it actually is.
“I’ve never had a brother.” Owen pats him on the back. “I’m really glad you’re in our lives.” He looks to me and nods me over. Grant is kind enough to step away and take a seat on the porch.
“Everything okay?” I’m almost afraid to probe.
“Better than okay.” Owen slings his arm around my shoulders. “I never thought I’d say this—hell, I’ve never wanted to say this, but I’m glad you found a great guy. I know the road ahead won’t be easy, but I’m here for you. How about not running from me in the future?”
“I won’t. I promise.” I wince. “But there’s one more secret I’ve been keeping from you. Don’t get mad.”
His eyes cloud with worry. “I swear I won’t, Ava. Please know that you can trust me.” The hurt exuding from my brother tears my heart out.
“I pledged Kappa G. I get a bed next fall.” I back up an inch, just waiting for the blowout.
Owen nods as if accepting this on some level. His gaze fixes on some invisible horizon just beyond me before he comes to. “Are they good people?”
“Yeah, they’re the best. I wouldn’t hang around if they weren’t.”
He pinches his eyes shut a moment. “Then I’m happy for you.” He pulls me into a strong embrace, and I take in the familiar scent of his cologne. Owen has always held the scent of home. He is my home. “You know I’ll support whatever you do. I trust you. You have me completely in every single way. I’m not going anywhere. Don’t be afraid to be honest with me. I would never want that.”
I touch my finger to his nose and smile. “Now that you’ve let go of the leash, you’ll be seeing a lot more of me.”
“Will you be around on Wednesday?”
“My birthday?” I bat my lashes up at him. “Of course.”
“Great. What do you have planned?”
“No plans. I’m easy.”
“Perfect. Meet Piper and me at the Black Bear about five for dinner?”
“Sounds like a party.” I press a quick peck to his cheek. “You’re a really special brother to me.”
“I’m your only brother.”
“I guess that makes you extra special.”
“I love you, kiddo.” He gives my hair a quick tug. “I guess it does.” Owen hops back into his truck and takes off down the street.
Grant comes up and wraps his arms around me. “He hasn’t rearranged my face yet, so I guess it’s a good sign.”
“Are you kidding?” I look at him from over my shoulder. “He’s saving that for when my chastity belt goes missing.”
A groan comes from deep inside of him.
“Hey, I know.” I exaggerate the words in a playful manner. “How about we pry that thing off right now?”
Grant melts into me with a lust-driven look in his eyes. His entire affect brightens at the thought. “How about we go to one more place before we make that happen?”
I can’t help but frown at his efforts to stave me off. “Okay, but just one.”
Grant piles us into his truck and drives through Hollow Brook, past the trails that lead to the Witch’s Cauldron, past the stretch of town I once called home, right past my old high school with all of its painful memories of never belonging, never wanting to stay.
Grant made me promise not to ask where he was taking me, just to trust him, and that we wouldn’t be long. A part of me wonders if he’s taking me to meet his parents. I know they live in The Hills. I really was looking forward to meeting them at Thanksgiving more than I was the turkey, and that’s saying a lot since I happen to be a fan of the oversized bird.
A huge greenbelt comes up on the left, and for a moment, I think it’s a park I’ve never been to and then it hits me. The large silver sign overhead reads Hollow Brook Cemetery as it bridges a set of oversized gates, and we pull on through before he comes to a stop. Grant reaches over and kisses the back of my hand, tears already glittering in his eyes.
“You let me meet your sister, Ava—I would love for you to meet mine.”
I offer a reassuring squeeze to his hand. “I??
?m honored to.”
The heavy dark clouds overhead with their ominous threat press down on us, and I wonder if their menacing presence is an omen of some kind. Aubree and Grant may have reached a level of forgiveness, but how could Stephanie ever forgive my family? She’s not even here to entertain the idea.
Grant drives us up a winding road before pulling over along a hillside. He helps me out and walks us over to a giant heart-shaped piece of land where the gravestones dance in the evening light as the last of the sun shines down on them.
“Right here.” Grant drops to his knees, and I join him there. He touches his hand to a slab of black granite that has the words Stephanie Nicole Jones, Loving daughter and sister. Gone too soon etched in stone.
She’s gone too soon because of Aubree, and this alone causes me to lose it. Tears come in violent jags as I bury my face in my hands. Grant takes me in his arms and rocks me, but for the briefest of moments, not even Grant can console me.
“It’s okay. I promise.” He presses a searing kiss to my temple. “I didn’t bring you here to hurt you. This is where I come to see her, to speak with her—to just be near her.”
Grant’s words sting so acutely, escalating my grief to heights I have never felt before. Grant cannot see her. He can’t speak with her. And he can never be near her, at least not the way he wishes. Aubree landed his sister in an entirely different plane of existence, and I can’t bear the pain.
“Let’s go, Ava.” He dots a kiss to my cheek. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“No.” I will myself to regain control, but the tears still manage to run, quick and silent. “I’m here. I want to do this. I want to be a part of your world, Grant. And for the last several years, this has been a very real part of your world.”
“It has, and thank you for staying.” He pulls me close as the two of us look to Stephanie’s gravestone with a marked sadness. “Steph, this is the girl I told you about. She’s beautiful, and she’s all mine.” He sighs hard, compressing his chest with emotional agony. “I know you’re happy with this. I want to thank you for that. And I also want to thank you for seating her at my table that day.” He offers a quick wink my way. “I’d like to think you had a very strong hand in steering the two of us together. I love you. And I love that the memory of your kindness allowed me to forgive everyone, including the girl who took your life.”
My body bucks with grief as he says those last words. Grant and I spend the next hour sitting by Stephanie’s grave as he shares stories of his beloved sister. I cry, laugh, and enjoy every last one of them.
Grant helps me up as we say our goodbyes and head for his truck.
“I hope you don’t think it was too morbid.” He winces. “I sort of seem to need this. I try to do it a few times a month at least.”
“Not morbid—beautiful. And would you mind if I tag along?” My heart gives a few loud thuds as if expecting a rejection.
“I would love it if you came with me.” Grant presses his lips to mine just as a sea of wet kisses falls from the sky.
“Is this?” I stare dumbfounded at the tiny white crystals lying frozen in the palm of my hand. “Snow!”
Grant and I hold our hands out and marvel, gathering it greedily as if it were manna from heaven.
“First snow of the season.” Grant blows the powder off his hand like he was making a wish. “This is from Steph.” His brows knit at the thought. “She wants you here, Ava. This is her way of saying she loves you.”
“She loves me?” I melt at the thought. “I love her—and I love you.” I cross my wrists behind his neck and pull him in.
“I love you, too, Ava.” Grant and I seal our love together with a kiss under the magical night sky in all of its frozen splendor.
“What’s the surprise?” I ask as Grant drives us past Hollow Brook and my stomach expels with a thousand sexed-up butterflies. Technically, I know what the surprise is. Once we got home from the cemetery, Grant asked if I could pack an overnight bag for an impromptu trip. I only know three things about this last minute getaway: it involves an overnight stay with the boy I love, it most definitely involves the permanent removal of my chastity belt, and last and perhaps the sweetest of them all, I get to wake up in the arms of this boy who transformed my world into a thing of beauty.
“It’s a surprise.” He shrugs as if there were no other explanation. Soon enough, road signs for Lake Avalanche dot the vicinity, and I practically shriek with excitement. We drive another excruciating hour until we finally come upon a gorgeous property that sits on the lake, and it’s the most beautiful log cabin I have ever seen.
“Well done, Jones.” I beam as he leads us up the steep stairwell. A tiny homey sign reads The Happy Squirrel Retreat. It’s so cute and comical it takes everything in me not to snap a picture of it and send it to Lucky and Harper. With my luck, and nervous fingers, I’d probably send it to Owen instead. Never mind that. I’ll snap one on the way out for posterity. Grant fumbles with the key and blocks the entrance before I can barrel in past him.
“This is Lawson’s mom’s place.” He leans in and pecks a quick kiss to my lips. “It’s ours for the next few days.” He gives that crooked grin I can’t resist. “I swear to you, there is nothing we have to do here outside of gorging on PB and J sandwiches and playing board games.” His thumb brushes against my cheek. “I just want to spend some time alone with you.”
“Food and board games? Those just happen to be two things I can do without for the next few days.”
Grant belts out a laugh as he picks me up. “Come here.” His lips find mine as he carries me over the threshold. It’s beautiful inside, glamorous in every way with its white shag rug in the living room, its expansive vaulted ceilings, the fireplace that stretches to the sky. An entire wall of windows allows for a lakefront view, and the water, the shadowed pines—it’s breathtaking beyond measure. It’s also just as cold in here as it is outside, and I can’t stop my teeth from chattering.
Grant starts a fire, and I pull a blanket from off the sofa and lay it down in front of the roaring flames.
“I’ve got the heat on, too,” he assures, getting down on his knees with me. “But it’ll take some time to warm this place up.”
“Then we should probably make our own heat. Come here, you.” I pull him toward me and lift off his sweatshirt. That dirty frat boy grin of his blooms a mile wide. My stomach bottoms out in a roller coaster of a free fall—something that I used to think was so cliché, and here it’s real, and feels damn good, too.
Then I see it and a breath hitches in my throat, but I can’t seem to give it. It’s impossible to breathe, to move.
“It’s okay.” Grant takes my fingers and guides them to his heated flesh. Printed out in a beautiful script font is Stephanie’s name written across his chest. “Jet did it for me last summer.”
“It’s very nice.” I bump my fingertips over the letters, trying to control my breathing. I feel sidelined, and I don’t know why. “This is so very special.” I shake my head. “You are the best brother. You know that?”
“I haven’t heard that in a long time, but thank you.”
“It’s true.” I edge in closer to him until my hands relax over his shoulders. “I can testify to that myself.”
He winces. “Maybe no little sister references tonight.”
“Oh, but it can be so fun,” I tease before grimacing. “But I agree. Instead, maybe we can focus on ways to keep warm.” A thought comes to me. “You wouldn’t happen to have protection, would you?” I’m pretty sure Aubree’s prenatal enthusiasm would quickly wane if I were actually with child. Not to mention Owen might take the opportunity to rearrange Grant’s beautiful face and bone structure. Honestly, at this point, he might just be looking for excuses. He knows that Grant and I are serious, that we’re in love. I’ll never be able to look my brother in the eye after tonight.
Grant pulls one out of his wallet and holds it up to the light. “And I may have brought reinf
orcements just in case a few more were needed.”
“Forward thinking—I like that about you.”
His lids hood over as the moment grows serious. “I like everything about you, Ava.” Grant pulls my sweater off and pulls me close until his skin sears over mine. “I love you.” He lands a gentle kiss over my lips and lingers, leaving me aching for his hands to touch me. There’s something about the cool air hitting my flesh, the titillating factor of what tonight might hold, what it will hold, that lights up my senses.
“Oh, wow,” I groan as his heated skin brushes over mine. “This feels incredible.”
“You’re easy to please.” He pumps a dry smile that quickly fades to nothing. “I’m sorry.” He blinks back. “I would never make fun of you. I would never hurt you in any way.” Grant holds up his hands as if surrendering to the fact. I can tell he’s ready to walk on eggshells with the virgin in the room.
I bite down on my lip, laughter already bubbling in my throat. “Just this once, I give you permission to hurt me a little.” I pull Grant down on top of me and feel the heft of his body over mine as we share a tender kiss. His warm tongue dances over mine, and I’m sunk. My entire body feels faint with this beautiful boy on top of me—with his bare heated skin adhering to mine like a fire line. His hands rake up and down my sides as his thumbs rub soft circles over my bra. A panic level of excitement hits me, and I’m already almost at my zenith with this boy. Every breath comes to me faster, every inch of my skin enlivens with want, so thirsty to drink him down. I want this with Grant, and I never want it to end.
Grant and I may not make sense to other people, not on paper, but together we just fit. We’re simply meant to be.
Grant and I strip off our clothes as if they were about to combust. In truth, we’re about to combust, about to detonate, about to loosen our defenses and go nuclear on one another in the most beautiful way. I’ve waited for this moment all my life, thought of how it might be, where it might be. I’ve entertained cheesy locales in my mind, a public restroom, a frat boy’s bedroom, the back of some old beat-up car—but here in front of a roaring fire on a warm blanket with the boy I love—in a cabin fit for dignitaries with a lakefront view—it’s more than I could have asked for. Grant is more than I could have asked for.