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)
I send Grayson a heart emoji, and the next thing I know, he’s striding out of the back door of the house, across the patio, and straight toward me. When he reaches me, he wordlessly takes me into his arms and kisses me passionately, which causes everyone around us to cheer and clap.
“Whoa,” I whisper when he releases my lips. “That was quite a kiss.”
“Come with me,” he commands. Without explaining himself, he takes my hand and leads me to the DJ booth, where he asks the guy to turn off the music and hand him a mic.
“Hey, everyone,” Grayson says to the party, as I stand next to him, trembling with anticipation. “Thanks so much for coming today.”
The crowd shouts, “Happy birthday, Grayson!” and “We love you, Grayson!”
“I want to thank Selena for throwing me this shindig. It’s my first-ever birthday party, and the ten-year-old inside me has been shouting ‘This is so sick!’ all day long.”
As everyone laughs, I look for Drew in the crowd to make sure he’s here to witness whatever is about to happen, and I’m thrilled to see my son is now out of the pool and standing nearby, his face awash with pure joy. I look at my father and catch his eye, and his smile is wide and beaming. I glance at Grayson’s mother, and she also looks absolutely delighted.
“Selena,” Grayson says, prompting me to return my gaze to him. “There’s something I want to ask you.” His Adam’s apple bobs. “Something I’ve been dreaming about asking you, since the first moment I saw you—because that’s when I first fell head over heels in love with you.”
The crowd titters lightly with anticipation.
“You make me happier than I knew was possible,” Grayson says. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too,” I manage to say, even though there’s a lump in my throat.
Without further ado, Grayson sinks to his knee before me and, to my shock, holds up a closed ring box. Why didn’t I expect this diehard romantic to get me a ring? I should have known.
As the crowd gasps at the obvious implications of Grayson’s posture, he looks up at me with teary eyes and says, “My love. My life. My pulchritudinous goddess. Selena Diaz, will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”
“Yes!” I shout enthusiastically, at which point Grayson opens the lid of the box to reveal a dazzling, princess-cut diamond ring inside. It’s a sparkler that so damned stunning, it causes me to scream. “Grayson McKnight!” I shriek. “What have you done?”
As the crowd cheers and applauds, Grayson rises, slides the ring on my finger, and pulls me into a kiss. After releasing my lips, Grayson nuzzles my nose and whispers, “Happy birthday to me.”
“The ring, Grayson,” I blurt, my head spinning. “It’s too much. Too expensive.”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it. I love you. But it’s too much.”
“I can afford it, just fine,” he assures me. “All that matters is that you love it and you’ll be proud to wear it.”
“So proud,” I choke out through my brimming emotion. “I love you. Oh my God.”
We’re suddenly surrounded by all the people we love most in the world. Even Daisy has joined the congratulatory swarm, offering a wagging tail and lots of kisses.
As Grayson and I accept hugs, kisses, and congratulations, the caterer wheels out the cake and starts passing around champagne for a toast. When everyone has a glass of some sort, Grayson brings the microphone to his lips again.
“Before we cut the cake,” he says, “I want to thank a few important people. First off, to my mom. Thanks for making the trip down here today and for welcoming Selena into our family.” We blow Grayson’s mother kisses and take sips in her honor, and she looks tickled pink. Next up, Grayson finds my father in the crowd and raises his glass again. “To Selena’s father. Pops. Thank you for welcoming me into your family. I promise I’ll always take the best care of your daughter.” After the men exchange smiles and waves and I’ve blown my father a multitude of kisses, we drink to my father, along with the crowd. Next, Grayson finds Drew’s smiling face. “Drew. I love you, kid. You’re wise beyond your years. Funny as hell. And a damned amazing Dungeon Master.” When the crowd titters, Grayson adds, “That’s a reference to a game called Dungeons & Dragons. Not BDSM.”
Everyone howls with laughter, including me.
“Oh, Grayson,” I murmur, feeling myself blush.
“Anyway,” Grayson says, returning his gaze to Drew. “I sadly missed your first word. Your first step. But I’m not going to miss out on anything else, from this day forward. To Drew!”
After the crowd joins Grayson and me in raising their glasses to Drew, I take the microphone. “Drew was actually the one who made me see that the age gap between Grayson and me didn’t matter,” I say. “He told me to live my life and love out in the open without apology. And he was right. That’s the only way to live. Thank you, Drew. You’ve been warm and welcoming to Grayson from day one and a true blessing to me since the day you were born. I love you so much.”