Oh Lord.
Ezra pulls off his sunglasses as the man finds his phone beneath the counter. I don’t even object as I’m tugged into the shot. Ezra snaps a selfie of the three of us before handing the phone back, and then he proceeds to chat the stranger up as if they’re long-lost friends.
Everywhere we go.
“Have a good day now,” the man says a good ten minutes later.
The door jingles as we pass through, and Ezra gives me a grin. “His niece is going to be in for a shock.”
Understatement.
“Hey, Ez?”
“Yeah?”
He stops beside the driver’s side door of his vehicle, his sunglasses sitting atop his ballcap now and his new fur coat far too warm for the temperatures. There’s a smile on his face, his brown eyes crinkled against the sun, and I feel a swell of immense gratitude looking at him.
WherewouldI be without Ezra Gold in my life? If I’d taken another path. If we’d never met.
Would I be nearly as happy as I am now, not knowing half of my heart was elsewhere, waiting for me to come home?
“No matter what,” I finally say, “I love you, too. That will never change.”
The look in his eye is one I know all too well. Fierce, aching devotion.
Chapter 24
Ezra
The planetarium parking lot is surprisingly full when we arrive. There are loads of families walking toward the doors, parents bringing their children to marvel at the stars.
Grayson looks just as excited as the kids, although he’s hiding it well behind a mask of calm. The truth is in his eyes. They glimmer as he looks over at me, the freckles along the bridge of his nose a constellation all his own.
He tries to sound shocked but fails miserably. “Why, a planetarium, Ez? I never would’ve guessed.”
I snort. “You know, for being an actor, you’re terrible at lying. Shall we?”
He finally cracks a smile. “Let’s do it.”
Ballcaps in place, we approach the front door. There’s a banner just inside with this month’s theme.
Grayson raises an eyebrow. “Mythology of the constellations?”
“Guess so. Do you know this stuff?”
He shrugs, the two of us heading toward the line leading into the large theatre. “Maybe a bit? Not sure how much I remember, though. I learned it in high school, which was, what, thirty years ago?”
I gasp. “Keep your voice down, sir. No one needs to know our age.”
The woman in front of us looks back, chuckling to herself. She does a double take when she sees my face, so I give her a wink.
“Jig’s up,” I whisper to Grayson, the two of us nearly to the theatre entrance now. “We’ve been spotted.”
“You know, for being an actor, you’re absolute shit at remaining inconspicuous.”
“I can’t help it if my charisma betrays me,” I say, mock-affronted. “Would you have me tone myself down?”
Despite my clear teasing, Grayson’s expression softens. “No. Never that.”
