Inhale, Exhale - By Sarah M. Ross Page 0,61

saw him as the anti-Christian (which he was), but also as someone who, no matter what it meant for him, had my best interests at heart. The three of them were always in cahoots now, which sort of made me nervous. Ava and Trish on their own could be deadly, but add in Grant’s twisted genius—we’re talking apocalyptic.

One of the schemes the three of them planned was a do-over birthday celebration. We decided to have it a week after my real birthday (since I didn’t want to look like an extra from The Walking Dead or something in all the pictures, or face uncomfortable looks from people all night) and to celebrate with a night of dancing in Savannah.

Now I sat at my vanity, fingering through the ringlets of curls and generously applying concealer to my face. Grant was sweet enough to pick up Ava and Trish, and they were all heading here shortly.

After pinning back half my hair, pulling my long bangs through so they swept behind my ear and leaving the bottom loose, I was about ready. I tried on three-quarters of my wardrobe, but finally decided on a white eyelet sundress with tiny spaghetti straps and a black satin ribbon that sat just below the bust line, cinching my waist. I paired it with my favorite red pumps and switched out the necessities from my purse for the night—lipstick, cell phone, license—into a small wristlet.

It was exactly seven when I heard Grant pull up. I rushed downstairs and threw open the door, excited about the evening and the chance to make up for the disastrous birthday from the week before.

“Wow, you look absolutely stunning,” he greeted me, taking my hand and kissing it before lifting it above his head so I could twirl around. “You put them all to shame.”

My smile spread from ear to ear. “And you, sir, are looking very dapper yourself.” He was decked out in a black linen shirt and a pair of jeans that framed his mouth-watering ass perfectly. I tore my attention away from the delectable sight of him before my willpower dissolved. “Where are the girls?”

He smiled wickedly. “They stayed in the car so I could do this.” He placed a hand on the small of my back and wrapped the other around my shoulders before dipping me back and kissing me. It started out slow, but built into something that left me breathless and me wanting more.

“Oh, wow.” I wrapped my arms around him as he righted me again and gave me another small kiss. “Now that’s the way to start a night out on the town.”

He leaned in and nibbled on my ear. “God, I can’t get enough of you. Let’s ditch those two and have a night in, just the two of us.”

Oh, that offer was tempting. But Trish and Ava were already honking the horn.

“Hey, you two! We’re supposed to be vertical dancing tonight, not horizontal! So get out here,” Trish yelled from the driveway.

“Ugh! You know she’s not going to stop until we do.”

He sighed, nodding. “If we must. But before we go I have something for you.” He pulled out a small box, which was wrapped with a tiny silver ribbon.

“Oh, Grant. You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“It’s nothing big, but it reminded me of you, and I wanted you to have it.”

I pulled the ribbon and opened the lid of the box. Inside sat a four-by-six frame, clear so you could see both sides. Inside the frame sat a small postcard with a picture of the Eiffel Tower taken in the spring at a distance. In the foreground of the photo were hundreds of blooming flowers and trees. When I turned it over, he had written in French:

Si j’avais une fleur pour chaque fois que je pensais à toi, je pourrais marcher dans mon jardin pour toujours.

“Oh, Grant. It’s beautiful. The words, and the picture. I think I’m going to cry.” I ran my finger over the words, reading them aloud in English. “‘If I had a flower for every time I thought of you…I could walk through my garden forever.’ That’s Lord Tennyson, right? It’s one of my favorites from him. Thank you so much, it’s perfect. I love it.”

I kissed him again, long and hard, hoping all the emotion I felt for him came through in that kiss. This simple gift was the most thoughtful one I’d ever received, and I couldn’t wait to put it on my nightstand so