“No, you listen. I think I fell for you somewhere between that damn Las Vegas elevator and you picking up my little sister from the airport. My feelings hit me over the head when we were in that Goddamn blow-up maze at the company picnic, but I didn’t know what to do, what to say…”
Sophie’s mind reeled. “But…my job…and you don’t want to get married…”
“Forget all that,” he said desperately. “You know I’m new at this. Bad at it. And I’ll continue to mess everything up. But you have to give me a chance.”
Don’t weaken, Sophie. Turn away.
She didn’t move.
“You have to,” he said, his voice breaking. “You can leave Brayburn. Or stay. Come to Maui, or not. I don’t care. But you can’t leave me. Please don’t leave me.”
“No,” she said, her voice breaking. “I won’t. I can’t.”
His arms closed around her tightly, and she realized how much these past weeks had cost him. And her.
“What you said about Jessica—”
Sophie closed her eyes in pain and put a hand over his mouth. “Don’t. I never should have said it.”
“Then you think I’m someone worth liking?”
“Not exactly…” she said coyly.
“Loving?” he asked, voice hopeful.
“Perhaps.”
“Tell me.”
“Tell you what?” she teased.
“Sophie.” He rested his forehead on hers.
“I love you,” she said with a wobbly smile. She framed his face with her hands. “I love that you barely know how to smile, and that you care about your siblings more than you possibly know how to express. I love that you totally cheat at Monopoly, and that you hit on your secretaries like a common pervert.”
The relief in his eyes had her crying all over again.
“Just one question, Ms. Dalton,” he said, resting his forehead against hers.
“Yes, Mr. Wyatt?”
“How much is this going to cost me? I’ve come to learn that you’re a very high-end call girl.”
Sophie pinched him. “Doesn’t matter. I’m worth it.”
She felt him smile against her temple. “Yes, you are.”
EPILOGUE
I called the restaurant to let them know we’ll be a little late,” Sophie said, hanging up the hotel phone.
Gray wiggled his eyebrows. “We could be a little later. Make time for some afternoon delight?”
“You already got a little afternoon delight! Twice. And don’t call it that.”
He shrugged as he added a gray tie to his gray suit.
Sophie smiled and shook her head at the monochromatic ensemble. There were some things that couldn’t be changed, even in the course of a seven-month relationship. Gray’s wardrobe was proving to be one of them.
But the important things had changed.
Gray was still CEO of Brayburn Luxuries. His new assistant was a tiny, stern woman named Ida who refused to address him as anything other than Mr. Wyatt, no matter how many times he asked her to use his first name. Ida had also removed all of Sophie’s bright decorating choices and replaced them with soothing taupe and ivory accents. Gray’s office was now nothing but a bunch of boring neutrals. Exactly as he liked it.
Sophie was on her way to getting her teaching degree. She hadn’t decided on a subject or a grade level yet, but as soon as Gray had suggested she’d make a great teacher, she’d known immediately that it was the right fit. It would be a long road getting there, but Sophie had finally found a career path that excited her and that she was proud of.
She still had a couple years of school ahead, but she already ached for the first day of teaching with a bunch of expectant faces looking up to her. Of course, they’d probably have to call her Ms. Dalton. Good thing she was used to that by now.
As for her parents…they were trying. They’d even thrown her a congratulatory party when she’d been accepted to Seattle University’s teaching program. Of course, her father hadn’t been able to resist the briefest of lectures on how small teachers’ salaries were, and her mother had given Sophie’s short skirt a panicked look. But overall they were learning to let her be her.
Brynn too had been supportive of the changes in Sophie’s life, although if Sophie’s life was finally getting on track, her older sister’s seemed to be teetering on the edge of…well Sophie wasn’t sure what exactly. It wasn’t like Brynn had joined a commune or bought a Harley or pierced her belly button, but in the past few months there had been something vaguely off about Brynn. A restless impatience that Sophie had never seen before. She’d tried talking to her sister about it, but Brynn had feigned ignorance. Sophie itched to dig deeper, but she knew firsthand how it felt to have someone meddle in your life, so she was trying to let her sister have her space.
“What’s with the frown?” Gray asked, tugging at a blonde curl.
Sophie shook off her concern. “Nothing. Just musing.”
“There will be no musing in Vegas,” Gray said. “Here, I’ve got a surprise for you.”
She raised an eyebrow as Gray began digging through his suitcase. She never thought she’d hear the word “surprise” come out of Grayson Wyatt’s mouth.
He turned around with a boyish grin, and Sophie let out a horrified laugh as she saw what he held in his hands.