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Chapter Eighteen
Rose took Gray’s hand the second the valet helped her out of the car. The wind kicked up and caught the ends of her black and white scarf skirt, blowing it back against her legs. She pressed her free hand between her thighs to keep it from blowing up and giving everyone a show.
Gray chuckled. “I love the skirt.”
“It seems to have a mind of its own.” Thankfully they walked under the portico outside the seaside restaurant and it blocked the wind.
Gray held the door open for her to step into the restaurant and her nerves kicked up. He stopped a few feet from the hostess and held up her hand in his. “What’s wrong?”
She loosened her death grip and frowned. “Sorry. I’m nervous.”
“Why?”
She met his earnest gaze. “You know why.”
He pressed the back of her hand to his chest. “It’s going to be fine.”
“Are you sure? Because you hardly said anything to me inthe car, except that you liked my mom, and Poppy looked stunning.”
“I almost didn’t recognize her from yesterday to today. It’s like I met two different people.”
“You did. Lost Poppy and coming-out-of-her-cocoon Poppy.”
Gray glanced into the dining area, then back at her, with an uneasy look.
She grimaced. “I really don’t want you or Maggie to feel uncomfortable tonight, or ever, when we’re all together.”
He shrugged but didn’t pull off casual. “I’m fine. It’s just dinner.”
“Gray.” She wanted to believe him, but ever since she told him, it felt like he was holding back in a way. He spoiled her with the flowers, said all the right things, held her hand, kissed her, but it still worried her that after dinner last night, he drove her straight home, gave her a chaste and sweet kiss at the door, and left.
“It’s just...” He looked away.
Her heart sank. “You can’t do this, can you?”
His head whipped back to her. “What? It’s just dinner.”
“No.” She shook her head, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. “You can’t do us.”
He drew her close and kissed her like his life depended on it. She sank into the kiss and him, letting everything he put into it fill her up and make her believe he had no intention of letting her go.
He ended the kiss with a sweet press of his lips to hers,then stared down into her eyes. “You and me is easy. I see you, I think about you, everything feels good. But you’re right, I stalled out last night after dinner. I wanted to take you to my hotel and make love to you all night and instead I backed off because of something you did that had nothing to do with us. I spent all morning trying to distract myself with business calls. But I barely paid attention to them because I was talking myself out of tracking you down to rectify my mistake. We didn’t know each other when you met Marc. You had no idea we’d meet later. But you’re right, this is weird, so I’m just going to acknowledge that and get through this night with us all knowing, and let it be odd and strained or whatever so we can move on.”
“Okay. Let’s go be weird together.” She laughed with him when he smiled down at her.
“Sounds like a plan.” He took her hand, led her over to the hostess, and said, “Gray Pearson.”
“The other Mr. Pearson and his guest are already seated. Follow me.”
It occurred to Rose that if she married Gray, she and Maggie would both be Mrs. Pearson.
“What?” Gray asked, side-eyeing her as they followed the hostess toward the wall of glass windows overlooking the Pacific Ocean. “You’re smiling about something.”
“It just occurred to me that you and Marc are both Mr. Pearson and Maggie will be Mrs. Pearson.”
He stopped a few feet from the table where Maggie andMarc stared at them, and turned to her like he’d read her mind about his wife being Mrs. Pearson, too, and smiled. “It has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”
She stared at him, falling into the depths of his blue-green eyes and the assurance there that he liked it a lot. “Yes. It does.”
