Restoration (18 page)

In the distance she saw another figure running toward her, moving at break-neck speed. This early in the morning, it was uncommon to see many runners out. Most people were getting ready for work or enjoying breakfast with their families.

She raised a hand to wave as he approached and stopped dead in her tracks. Dark, unkempt hair and a tall, thin frame.

“Drew?” she called, breaking back into a run.

His arms went around her as they reached each other. He crushed her to him, breathing hard.

“What are you doing here?” she asked.

“I tried, but I can’t be without you.”

Her eyes widened. “You came all the way here? Why?”

Drew ran a hand through his already wind-blown hair. “Bloody hell, Grace. I came here because I love you.”

Her heart felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest. She had to clear her throat to get past the lump of emotion. “I love you, too.”

Their lips met in a flurry of emotion. She poured all of her pent-up fears and insecurities into the kiss; trying to tell him everything she felt without using words.

She pulled away and stared at him square in the face.

“When did you get here?”

“About an hour ago. I’m staying at the hotel just down the beach there. I saw you run past my window.”

She smiled, her heart feeling lighter than it had in a long time. Taking his hand, they walked back to his hotel room.

“I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Quite right,” he said, dropping a kiss on her forehead.

Chapter 19

Grace woke, feeling a warm body pressed up against her. She sighed and rolled over to see Drew, still asleep, a smile ghosting across his lips. She leaned in and closed the distance between them, softly applying pressure to his gorgeous mouth, memorizing the feel of his smooth lips mixed with heavy stubble. The shadow across his jaw indicated at least three days without shaving. Her gaze ran over his jawline and down toward his chest. His throat moved as he swallowed and began to stir. Her eyes flitted up to his as they opened, blinking slowly and sleepily.

“Hello, my love.” Drew smiled and reached a hand up to brush a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

“Hello, sleepyhead.”

He stretched and stifled a yawn. “What time is it?”

She reached for her phone. “One-thirty.” Her stomach gurgled. “We should eat. Lunch?”

Drew nodded. “Shall we eat in or go out?”

Panic rose in her throat at the thought of taking him out in a town that was so familiar with John.

“Why don’t I order us a pizza? We can spend the day catching up on each other.”

“In bed?” He waggled his eyebrows.

She blushed at the lascivious look in his eyes. “If you want.”

“I always want you.”

She pulled on her clothes and dialed the number for her favorite pizza place. “Pepperoni with olives and pepperoncini good?”

Drew nodded enthusiastically. “Sounds fantastic.”

The pizza took forty-five minutes to arrive. While they waited, Drew entertained her, making up for all the time they’d lost since she’d left.

As they sat on the bed, the pizza box between them, Drew looked giddy, waiting to dive in and grab a slice. He graciously offered the first piece to her and as soon as she had it in hand, he grabbed his own.

“Real American pizza! This is delicious,” Drew said in between mouthfuls.

“Come on, pizza isn’t that different in Braley.”

“Maybe not, but this is the best I’ve had in ages.”

“It’s my favorite place for pizza. We used to go there all the time.”

“We? As in John?”

“Yeah. We were regulars.”

“And you didn’t want them to see you with a new bloke?” Drew’s gaze fell to the pizza box on the bed between them.

“No . . . No . . . That’s not it. I just wanted to keep you to myself.”

Drew nodded.

“In fact, why don’t we go do something touristy before we make the rounds and do the awkward introduction-thing? This place was attached to John and I, it might be best if we ease them into us. I need to prepare them for you.”

“I see.” He licked his lips. “I suppose that makes sense. Where do you fancy going?”

“Well, there’s Colonial Williamsburg, that’s a big part of your country’s history, too. We could also go to D.C. for a few days and see the sights there.”

“Can we do both?”

“Yes, yeah, it’s only three or four hours to get to D.C. from here. We can stop in Williamsburg for lunch and tour Jamestown, and still make it to D.C. by dinner.”

“Brilliant! Tomorrow, then?”

“Tomorrow. I’ll pick you up at ten o’clock . . . notice that’s an actual time, not a random half-descriptive timeframe.”

She quickly dodged the pillow that came flying through the air at her head. She giggled and closed the box of half-eaten pizza before it got all over them. Drew reached out to her and took the box, setting it aside on the floor. He suddenly grew serious as his eyes, dark and endlessly deep, locked onto hers.

“Come back with me?” he asked.

“I can’t, Drew.”

“Please? We can make it work. I’m sure you can find a new job in Braley.”

“There’s a very real possibility that I’ll get called back to Braley in the next month. I’ve got to wait this out.”

He nodded and ran a hand through his hair. “Right, right. I’m sorry, it’s just driving me mad not being with you. I feel like our time’s being wasted.”

His statement struck a chord deep inside her. She wondered what she was doing and if she
was
wasting her life, waiting for something to happen. She could just go with Drew and be happy with him. Could she be happy without a job? A career? She wasn’t sure if that was something she could just give up.

“Drew, I love you. But I can’t give up my career. I’ve worked so hard for this.”

He tugged at his earlobe. “I’m sorry. I’m a git for even asking you. I’ve just never felt this way about anyone. Not even Sarah.”

Her heart flipped at the admission. She reached out and took the hand worrying at his ear. “I feel the same. We just need to wait this out. Soon, we’ll know one way or the other what’s happening.”

She kissed him then, a light brush of lips at first, then a teasing of her tongue just along his lower lip. He reached his hand around to cup the back of her head and pull her closer to him, his answering roughness making her eager for more.

As their tongues entwined, she became aware of his free hand deftly unbuttoning her shirt. She arched into him in encouragement, her hand snaking down to his hips. Her phone buzzed annoyingly on the nightstand, but she actively ignored it, consciously increasing her focus on Drew. It buzzed again, and again, and again. The incessant blinking screen and clattering continually diverted her focus.

“Do you need to get that?” he asked softly, his forehead pressed against hers.

She heaved a sigh. “Yes. No one knows where I am. I might be thirty-three years old, but don’t tell my mother that.”

Drew’s smile was weak and didn’t reach his eyes.

“Oh, Drew. I’m sorry. That was a stupid thing to say.”

“Don’t be daft. Go on, call your mum.”

Her mom answered in the middle of the first ring. Grace rolled her eyes and laughed inwardly.

“Grace? What happened?”

“Mom, calm down. I’m fine.”

Her mom breathed an obvious sigh of relief. “Where have you been? You went for a run and didn’t come back. I thought something must have happened to you!”

“I ran into someone I know. We’ve been spending some time together.”

“You should have at least called me,” she huffed.

“I’m a grown up.”

“I don’t care. You’re living in my house. I need to know if you’re going to be gone.”

“All right, I’m sorry. I’m coming home soon, but we’re going to D.C. for a few days. We’ll be leaving in the morning.”

“Who is
we
?”

“Drew. He surprised me with a visit.”

Her mom inhaled sharply. “I see.”

“I’ll be home soon.”

“I think you’d better bring him to the house for dinner.”

“What?”

“Yes. Six o’clock?”

“Um, I guess. I’ll check.”

“See you both then.”

The line clicked as her mother hung up the phone. She winced and her heart flipped at the look on Drew’s face.

“All right?” He eyed her suspiciously.

“How do you feel about meeting my parents?”

Drew raised his eyebrows in surprise.

She rushed around the room gathering her belongings with her heart pounding in her chest. Her plan to get Drew away from her hometown and out of sight of curious eyes was quickly unraveling.

“I’ll pick you up at five-thirty?” she asked, pressing a kiss to his lips as she glanced at the clock. “I’ve got a few things to take care of before dinner.”

Drew’s expression was full of amusement at her fluttering and distracted actions. He chuckled lightly as she waved to him from the door to his room.

Dinner was in just under two hours and Grace was stressed
. Her mom was calm—cool as a cucumber in fact—and Grace resented her for it. She’d spent the last hour scouring the house for anything that depicted John.

Five years would accumulate a lot of pictures in any family, but in her mom’s case, there were hundreds all over the house. The mantle was practically a
Grace shrine
; growing up, school dances, and then John. She collected all the pictures she was able to find and put them away in the hall closet.

As she surveyed the house, she noticed with a pang how barren it looked in comparison to what she was used to seeing. John’s smiling face, so like Drew’s, was the bright spot in every picture that featured him.

“Grace, will you please calm down?” Her mom chastised her as she put her world-famous lasagna in the oven. “You got everything. I’ll explain to Dad while you go get Drew.”

“I’m just so worried he’s going to find out about John somehow,” Grace said, worry creasing her brow and causing her to pick her cuticles.

Her mom slapped at her hand. “Stop that! I know you want to tell him on your own, but the longer he’s here, the greater the risk.”

She nodded and stepped around her mom to help her with the peach cobbler she was planning for dessert.

“John loved your cobbler.”

“Of course he did, it’s delicious.”

“Remember that time you made a pear one? He was so annoyed! He hated pears.”

Her mom laughed at the memory. “His face was priceless.”

“I thought he was going to throw up.”

“You should’ve told me he hated pears.”

“You’d never make anything but peach, so I didn’t think about it.”

They laughed together, the atmosphere of the room lightening as they relived some of the best memories with John. Before long, it was time to pick up Drew. Butterflies danced in her stomach as she walked to the car. Her mom promised her she would warn her dad off of the John-topic and she sincerely hoped that he’d get the message. The last thing she wanted was for him to find out from someone else. She knew her mom was right; the longer she waited, the greater the risk of being ousted.

The old truck rumbled steadily as she drove to the hotel. Her stomach clenched at the thought of telling Drew everything. She went over various scenarios in her head; over dinner in the nation’s capital, in the car on the way back, tonight after dinner. None of the situations were exceptionally unrealistic, but she couldn’t bring herself to choose. She was so afraid he would run from her, be disgusted with the massive amount of messed-up baggage she brought with her. She decided to wait until after their D.C. visit to tell him. That would give her more time to figure out what to say and how to do it. It would also help her prove just how much she loved him.

He was waiting outside when she pulled up and her heart stuttered at the sight of him. Leaning casually against the door to his room, he looked up from under the fringe of hair falling into his eyes. A deep-blue sweater showed from under his heavy military-style pea coat, which he wore unbuttoned despite the chill in the air. Her gaze couldn’t help but drift to his hips where his relaxed jeans rested comfortably. She let out a sigh, recalling the feel of those jeans on her fingers as she’d worked her way under the waistband and into his boxers earlier that day.

His eyes connected with hers and she felt a thrill of anticipation shoot through her. He grinned as he pushed off the door and came around to the passenger side of the truck.

“Look at this bloody great thing!” he exclaimed, taking in the truck.

“It’s my dad’s.”

“It’s a monster. I’d never picture you driving something like this, but you look so sexy behind the wheel.” He leaned in and cupped her cheek with his large palm. “Come here to me,” he whispered as he drew close and crushed his lips to hers.

His thumb moved gently against her cheek as he pulled her closer to him. She sighed against his mouth and opened to his tongue, the fire between them building from a slow burn to a bright and strong flame.

“Drew, we need to go.”

“Mmm, I think we need to stay.” He nuzzled into her neck and traced his tongue over the hollow at her throat.

“I’ve only been gone a few hours.” She blushed as she pushed him away half-heartedly.

“As far as I’m concerned, Miss McConnell, that’s time wasted.”

He leaned in and pressed his forehead to hers. “I need you. Every part of you. I don’t want to be away from you any longer.”

Tingles raced up and down her body at the roughness in his voice. There was an urgency—a need, laced with desperation. She wanted to wrap up in him and forget everything else. Forget the accident at the site, forget that her parents were waiting for them, and forget the people in this town who wouldn’t understand Drew’s resemblance to John.

His lips burned a trail across her jaw, landing just below her ear. He lingered there, tasting her, letting his breath feather over her sensitive skin.

A knock on her window jolted her focus from Drew’s busy lips.

“Shit!” she swore as Drew sat up and composed himself.

She rolled down her window to see Marcus Dawson, an old friend from high school, staring slack-jawed at her.

“Grace? I thought that was you. You doing all right?” He eyed Drew suspiciously and did a double take as he recognized him. “What the fuck?”

“I’m fine, Marcus. Thanks. Gotta go.” She rolled up the window and started the truck. It roared to life and she backed out of the parking lot without another word.

The drive was awkward and silent. She was nervous and tense as she rounded the corner to her parents’ neighborhood.

“This is nice,” Drew said as he looked around at the manicured lawns and large lots of the gated community.

“Definitely different from Braley,” she said with a chuckle.

“Completely.”

She pulled into the driveway and killed the engine, taking Drew’s hand in hers and squeezing.

“I’m sorry for my mom. She’s . . . inquisitive.”

Drew raised an eyebrow.

“Ready?”