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“Well, I have a lot of sets.”
“Which is your favorite?” I ask.
“Millennium Falcon, hands down. Seven thousand, five hundred forty-one bricks of pure joy.”
I giggle as I nod. “Interesting. How long does it take you to build those seven thousand bricks?”
“In the offseason, I can do it over two days.”
“Do you build when you’re in season?” I ask.
“Absolutely. Yes. It’s the calm before the storm each week, but my time is limited, so I usually go with smaller sets. There’s just something so satisfying about creating something out of a bunch of interlocking plastic pieces.” He shrugs. “It takes me out of whatever’s going on in the real world and lets me focus on something else for a while.”
“I get that,” I murmur. More than he even realizes. “What do you need to escape from in the real world?” My voice is soft as I ask the hard question.
He twists his lips a little, but he doesn’t remove his hand from where it’s nestled in mine. “Getting cheated on and losing my job in the same month.” He sighs. “I took apart and rebuilt the Millennium Falcon set four times when I moved to San Diego.”
I squeeze his hand. I wish I could’ve been there with him through all that turmoil.
“But look at you now. New job in San Diego, and you’re married.” I glance down at the simple gold band encircling the ring finger on my left hand. I haven’t removed it since I put it on, and I don’t intend to.
He leans his head on my shoulder, and there’s something so sweet about it. I turn and press a kiss to the top of his head, and I lean my cheek where I planted the kiss.
We stay like that for a bit, and something about sitting on a plane as he confesses secrets to me makes me feel even closer to him than we were before.
Eventually, we land. We get our luggage, and we head to my car in the long-term parking lot. I was on target when I said it’d be after nine by the time we got back to the vineyard. It’s nine thirty-seven when I pull into the little space where I leave my car behind my bungalow.
Lights are on in Amelia’s bungalow but not in Drew’s. The estate is dark, though, and I’m certain Nana and Dad are already asleep.
I lead the way to my front door, and I flick on the light as I let Spencer in. He sets his suitcase and mine by the door as he glances around the place, taking in the simple tan couch, the brown recliner I fall asleep in most nights, and the white furniture. Bookcases line the walls around my television, and they’re filled with all sorts of books—mostly spicy romance, some women’s fiction, with a few self-help books and marketing titles sprinkled in, and, of course, a handful of thrillers just for fun.
But the centerpiece taking up one of the center sections of my bookshelves is what Spencer first zeroes in on. He walks over toward it to make sure his eyes aren’t playing tricks on him, and they aren’t.
“Holy shit, Gracie. The Millennium Falcon?” His jaw is practically dropped to the floor as he turns toward me.
I can’t help my smile. “It took me more than two days, but it’s a staple in every avid Lego Master’s arsenal, don’t you think?”
He’s frozen to his place for a beat, but then he strides over toward me. He hooks an arm around my waist and pulls me into him. “Every new discovery I make about you has me falling deeper, Newman. You know that?”
My eyes widen at his admission. I knew we were having feelings for each other, but his words are so much more than just feelings.
Still, my sassy pants are on. “It’s Nash now,” I correct him, and I move to my tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips.
Damn if I’m not falling in deeper every second myself.
Chapter 33: Spencer Nash
Give It to Me
Five Days After the Wedding
The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them, and in typical Gracie fashion, she eases the tension with humor.
There’s just something about this woman that has me tied up in knots. I think back to when I was falling for Amelia, and it wasn’t like this.
Looking back, there was badgering—from her end. There was convincing. There were irritations.
But I brushed them aside because that felt different, too. But it never felt like this.
