Page 61 of Grace
“But why?” she breathes.
“I want you, Grace. I don’t care what my ex-wife says. Her opinion and Sebastian’s opinion don’t define me and don’timpact what I feel about you,” I say as my hand slips behind her neck. “I’ll prove that tonight.”
“Okay,” she whispers.
“Perfect.”
twenty-seven
Grace
Isquirm as I sit in the upscale restaurant with Daniel, my gaze traveling around the room. This is a modern, yet luxurious place with low lighting, actual candles and real flowers on the table, and hushed conversation.
Daniel got us a seat by a wall after being kind enough to take me home so I could change.
Reaching back, I let my hair out of the twist I’ve had it in all day so it cascades over my shoulder in slinky half-curls, and I take a peek at the menu. I don’t know what wine to pick and there aren’t many food options, but choosing the right thing seems difficult, like Daniel’s testing me to see if we can be more than fuck buddies.
“Darling,” Daniel says gently, his hand tugging the menu down. He looks at me with the candlelight licking at his gorgeous face. “Have you been avoiding me today?”
My throat tightens in response. I open, then close my mouth. “Not really. Did I miss something you asked me to do?”
“We both know that you’re effective at work and we both know that’s not what I mean,” he says with a shake of his head to the waiter who crawled closer.
I take a shaking breath and tighten my grip on the menu. Daniel cocks his head to the side. “Tell me, Grace. When we were at your house, I was serious. I want you to be able to tell me everything, whether I like it or not.”
“I heard… I heard your conversation with your ex-wife,” I finally say. “I just… I don’t know. I heard that, then you avoided me all night, and I understand that. I do. I mean with your son, all our coworkers around, your ex, but then you didn’t text me and so it’s made me question some things I thought I knew.”
Daniel watches me, and I stare back. Our wine is poured, and the strong scent invades my nose.
I sigh and close the menu. “Can you order for me?” I ask Daniel, my voice soft as my mind remains in turmoil.
He nods, and without breaking his stare, he says we both will have the steak, a salad, and some fries. The waiter shakes his head and tries to point at the menu, probably trying to tell Daniel they don’t have simple fries here, but he won’t listen as he pushes the menu to the waiter, and slowly, the man retreats.
“Just like our first meal together,” Daniel says, a smile tugging on his lips, and mine follows.
“Tell me, Grace, what’s on your mind.”
“Are we just… sexual?” I ask in a whisper.
The corner of his mouth quirks up. “It’s cute that you whispered that.” He leans forward, gripping his wine glass between his fingers before he speaks again. “I don’t want us to be just sex.” He takes a long sip of wine. “This is acomplicatedsituation.”
I take a deep breath. “Yes, it is,” I agree.
“And if it were just sex, I could have someone who’s less complicated,” Daniel says, but his other hand moves to mine. “Idon’t want that. If having you means accepting the complicated, I can and will, Grace. And I want to know you. I want to know every thought in your head, every opinion you have. I want to be there for you when you need me.”
I gape at him and take a small sip from my wine. “Okay, ask.”
He shifts in his seat and starts simple. “Favorite memories as a kid?”
I softly laugh. “That’s an easy one. You can already guess that one, I suppose.”
“Cooking with your mother,” he fills in.
“It was the only moment we were truly bonding, where I didn’t feel like I needed to hide. I could just be me.”
His brows twitch. “Why did you ever want to hide or think you needed to?”
I swallow. “Well… my father… he wasn’t around much, and when he was, he was so overworked and stressed out, or at least that’s what my mom told me, but it actually meant he couldn’t handle much and got angry pretty quickly. So eventually, I tried to be as quiet as possible, not daring to make any trouble and to stay within the lines.” Tears burn my eyes as I hear my own words back, reminding how I became this quiet, timid person.
