Kiss by Kiss (Riggins Brothers #3) - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,34
second choice. He’s choosing me.
“Babe, this is where you say, ‘Yes, Grant.’”
“You’re choosing me?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper.
“Rory, baby, I’ll always choose you.”
He can’t possibly know that. Things change, life changes, but for now, I choose to believe him. I choose him too, and as his lips press to mine, I feel some of the pieces of my shattered heart being put back together.
Kiss by Kiss, I start to feel whole again.
Chapter 13
Grant
“Are you going to leave me in suspense?” I ask her. The smile on her face and the mist of tears in her eyes tells me what I need to know, but I also need to hear her say it. I need the words from her luscious lips.
“Yes.” She nods.
My lips connect with hers, my arms pulling her a little closer, holding her a little tighter. I kiss her like we have all the time in the world, and we do. She’s officially mine. No more wondering if she feels this connection we share—no more worrying that another man will garner her attention. We’re together. For the first time in my adult life, I have a girlfriend, and not just any girlfriend. Aurora. The woman who is perfect for me in every way. Not to mention, she’s a baking genius.
Fucking finally.
She’s mine.
“Come on. I have something for you.” With my hand laced with hers, I guide her to the tent that I set up earlier. Inside there is a propane heater, table, two chairs, and two coolers that hold our dinner and dessert—hopefully keeping them at the correct temperatures. “Sit.” I point to one of the chairs and grab the white box with a red bow around it. “Here.” I hand her the box.
“These…” She points to the vase of roses in the center of the small table. “They’re beautiful.”
I lean in and press my lips to hers. “So are you. Now open the box.” Standing to my full height, I watch as she carefully removes the box and then the lid.
“Grant,” she breathes. Reaching into the box, she pulls out one of the brand-new white skates. “You didn’t have to do this. When you said you brought some skates, I assumed they were a borrowed pair from your mom or one of your sisters-in-law.” She stares down at the new skates like I’ve given her a million dollars.
“No one likes to wear used skates.” What I don’t say is there is nothing that I wouldn’t do for her. Nothing I wouldn’t give her. These skates are just a small token of that.
She looks up at me, her smile lighting up her eyes. “I should have known.”
“What do you say? Feel like skating with me?”
“After all of the work you put into this? How could I say no?” She makes quick work of pulling out both skates and pulling off her boots. “What about you?”
“I have mine.” I point to where they sit behind the coolers. “I didn’t want you to see them and spoil the surprise.”
“It’s really warm in here,” she comments, pulling on the first skate.
“Yeah, this tent, the material’s thick, and it helps that I had Dad crank this up when I got to your place earlier.” I wasn’t sure that this old tent would still hold heat, but Dad assured me it would.
“I can’t believe you did all of this.”
“It’s our first Valentine’s Day together.” I finish tying my skates. “You ready for this?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know.” She laughs. “It’s been years since I’ve been on the ice.”
“I’ve got you.” I offer her my hand, and she doesn’t hesitate to take it and allows me to help her to her feet. “Ready, baby?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
Reaching into my pocket, I hit Play on the playlist that I made for tonight, and the music begins to play from the small outdoor Bluetooth speaker I have set up just outside of the tent. Hand in hand, we make our way to the ice. I step on first and hold my hands out for her, helping to keep her steady.
“Is there anything that you didn’t think of?” she asks, as we begin to slowly skate around the rink.
“Come on now. This is me we’re talking about.” I wink at her, and she laughs.
“You can turn around,” she tells me. “I think I’ve got this.”
“Just like riding a bike. However, I like this,” I say as I continue to hold onto both of her hands, skating backward.