Last Chance - L. P. Dover Page 0,45
loved being spontaneous. We used to go hiking and white water rafting.”
“Looks like we were really active.” I loved going to the mountains and hiking. In college, I had friends at Appalachian State, and I’d always meet them to go hiking around the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Grayson clasped his hand with mine. My body didn’t tingle like it did when Luke touched me. “We were and still are. Do you want to see about getting away for the weekend? We could go to the mountains.”
He looked so hopeful with his big, green eyes and I was about to ruin it. “I can’t.”
His brows furrowed. “Why not?” As soon as he asked it, his smile faded. He knew.
“I told Luke I’d go with him to a party at Chance Harris’ house.”
He stiffened and blew out a slow, angry breath. “I see. I guess it shouldn’t come as a shock.”
“I’m going to tell you the exact same thing I told him . . . spending time with both of you is something I have to do. I know it sucks, but it’s the way it has to be.”
“I know,” he sighed.
“And you might want to spend this time actually talking about us instead of bad-mouthing Luke. I’m trying to get my memories back, not listen to testosterone-induced rants.”
Eyes wide, he opened his mouth to speak, then shut it. We pulled into the parking lot of a laser tag facility and I smiled. I’d always wanted to play, but never gotten the chance; or at least I couldn’t remember if I had.
Grayson shut off his car and faced me. “You’re right, and I’m sorry. It’s just hard to do when one day I had you, and the next, I’m in competition with another man.”
I squeezed his hand and let go. “All you have to do is show me who you really are. Right now, I have no clue.”
He nodded, his eyes blazing with determination. “Tonight, that changes. Ready to get your ass kicked?”
Grinning from ear to ear, I opened the door. “Prepare to lose.”
We played three rounds of laser tag. I lost two and won one. Grayson and I had talked about numerous things, but he’d yet to tell me about our relationship. Every time I asked a question, he’d distract me by pulling me away to an arcade game. I had fun, but something was missing. I wanted stories from our past, about what we did together. At this point, there was nothing.
“What do you want to do now?” Grayson asked. “We could go bowling?”
“What about getting some ice cream and taking a walk in the park?” I suggested.
He shrugged. “We can do that.”
Stowe Park was just a few blocks away and there was an ice cream shop close by. I’d seen it the other day while riding around, getting used to my new SUV. My MINI Cooper had been destroyed in the accident, and I swore I’d never get a small car ever again. I was surprised I’d even lived through getting hit as hard as I did.
Grayson parked his car at the park and we walked over to the ice cream shop. I couldn’t decide what I wanted so I ordered three scoops: vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.
“That’s a first.” He laughed.
I scooped up a bite of chocolate and stuck it in my mouth. “What is?”
He pointed at my cup. “I didn’t know you liked strawberry. I’ve never seen you eat it.”
I shrugged. “I couldn’t decide what I wanted. So, how did you propose to me?” I thought it’d be one of the first things we talked about, but he never brought it up.
He cleared his throat. “It was at the tavern. I thought it would be cool to have all your friends there when I did it, so Summer and I turned it into a surprise party. I climbed up on the bar and asked you to join me.” He chuckled at the memory. “It was the happiest night of my life.”
I glanced down at my bare hand. “Where’s my ring? I figured since we were engaged, I would’ve been wearing it the night of the crash.” I stared at him, hoping to get some kind of reaction.
“You forgot it at my house, after you took a shower.” His gaze met mine and he smiled. “You didn’t want soap to build up in the grooves.”
I was never one to wear rings, so I guess it could be true. Maybe it’d been an excuse so I wouldn’t have to wear it. My