Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 64887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64887 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 324(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 216(@300wpm)
My heart feels like it’s expanding to twice its size. “I swear, if I thought you’d say yes, I’d ask you to marry me right now.”
She gasps. “Grayson.”
Fuck. I can’t believe I just said that. What’s wrong with me? The woman is in the middle of giving me a speech about taking things slowly, and I decided now was the right time to bring up marriage?
“Sorry,” I whisper. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
Selena’s face is flushed. She swallows hard. “Was it the truth?”
I take a deep breath. “Yes. Absolutely. If I was sure you’d say yes to me, I’d ask you to marry me right now and run off to City Hall to do the deed this afternoon.”
Thank God, she’s smiling.
“Although, actually, if I’m being completely honest, I wouldn’t need to be sure you’d say yes before asking you. If I thought there was even a sliver of a chance you’d say yes, I’d probably ask you. Better that, than wondering ‘What if?’ When I played Little League as a kid, I always swung for the fences, rather than trying to hit a single.”
She giggles. “And did you ever hit a homer?”
“No. Not once.”
“Aw.”
“Actually, I wound up with the worst batting average on the team. But I kept trying. Every. Fucking. Time.”
Her dark eyes are sparkling. Her cheeks are rosy. She’s thoroughly amused by this anecdote. In fact, everything about her body language tells me she’s feeling particularly enamored with me right now. So, fuck it. On a whim, I decide to swing for the fences, the same way I always did as a kid.
I take her hand. “Selena Diaz, will you marry me?”
Her mouth hangs open, and I know I’ve shocked the living shit out of her.
I squeeze her hand and release her. “This isn’t an ultimatum. You said, ‘No bullshit,’ so I’m merely laying all my cards on the table. One day, I want to have some kind of forever with you. Am I thrilled I finally get to spend the night here with you? Absolutely. It was the best night of my life. Was it amazing to get to meet Drew? Hell yes. Even when he made fun of me. But do I want more at some point? Fuck yes, I do. I want it all. Because I already know you’re The One. Because I love you more than life. Because every night away from you is pure torture.” I grin. “And if I’m being brutally honest with you without holding back, the idea of you doing laundry gives me a raging hard-on.”
She laughs. “Everything I do gives you a raging hard-on.”
“That’s literally my entire point.”
She’s glowing. “Speaking of laundry, I won’t be doing yours. I don’t even do Drew’s anymore. When you stay here, you’ll have to fend for yourself in that department. I’m not your maid or your mommy.”
My heart is pounding. I have to think her negotiating the terms of my overnight stays at her house is a good sign. “Of course, I’ll do my own laundry. You’re my Hot Teacher. My hot MILF. My hot girlfriend. If anyone’s gonna be doing anyone else’s laundry around here, then I’ll be doing yours.”
Selena fans herself. “That was the hottest thing you’ve ever said to me, Grayson-hopper. Amen to that. Keep saying stuff like that to me, and I might start throwing my lace panties at you and begging you to steal them.” As I laugh, she chews on the inside of her cheek, her brown eyes dancing. She asks, “When does the lease expire on your apartment?”
I can’t believe she’s asking me this question. Is she considering asking me to live here with her and Drew after my lease expires? I clear my throat. I can barely breathe. “I renewed the lease a couple months ago. Two or three months ago, I think.”
“For a year?” When I nod, she processes that for a beat. “Okay, love,” she says. “Here’s what I think we should do. For now, we’ll take our relationship slowly, one day at a time, and not think too much about this future of chores and normalcy you’re envisioning. We’ll take some time to get to know each other in a whole new way. You and Drew will get to know each other, too. And we’ll meet each other’s parents. And if, by the time your lease ends, things are still going the way they are now, only better, if we simply can’t stand spending a single night apart by then, and everything still feels natural and right, despite all the new people and boring stuff we’ve brought into our little bubble, then we’ll sit down and talk about you not renewing that lease . . . and living here. Full-time.”
My heart feels like it’s exploding. “That sounds fucking fantastic.”
She exhales with relief. “You’re honestly okay with that timeline?”