Si j’avais une fleur pour chaque fois que je pensais à toi, je pourrais marcher dans mon jardin pour toujours.

“Oh, Grant. It’s beautiful. The words, and the picture. I think I’m going to cry.” I ran my finger over the words, reading them aloud in English. “‘If I had a flower for every time I thought of you…I could walk through my garden forever.’ That’s Lord Tennyson, right? It’s one of my favorites from him. Thank you so much, it’s perfect. I love it.”

I kissed him again, long and hard, hoping all the emotion I felt for him came through in that kiss. This simple gift was the most thoughtful one I’d ever received, and I couldn’t wait to put it on my nightstand so it would be the first thing I saw every day when I woke up. Grant would be my first thought.

As Grant wrapped his arms around me, I sighed contentedly. “Dream come true,” I whispered.

“What’s that?”

I shook my head and stepped out of his arms. “Nothing. Just thinking back.” The horn blasted again and I set the picture on the table. “C’mon, we should go.”

After I locked the house behind me, we walked hand-in-hand down the stairs. The girls squee’d when they saw me. “Okay, tell us what was in the box. He’s been taunting us the whole car ride.”

I looked up at Grant, smiling, and gave his hand a final squeeze before he slid into the driver’s seat and buckled in. “I’ll show you tomorrow.”

Trish scoffed. “Well, at least tell us what it was!”

“I’ll tell you this. It’s the best present I’ve ever received. Ever.”

I left it at that, plugging in my iPod and tuning it to my favorite playlist, but Grant hit pause.

“Hey, do you mind if someone else joins us tonight? It’s my friend JT. You probably remember him as the IT guy who drooled and probably tried to hit on you every time you saw him.”

I laughed. “Of course he can come.”

Grant turned away from my street and drove a few blocks, parking in front of a small green house with cream trim. As soon as the car stopped, the front door flew open, and JT stepped onto the porch.

“Don’t wait up, Ma!” he yelled. “And I put my laundry by the washer for you. Don’t forget to iron my work shirts this time!”

I rolled my eyes, but Ava and Trish couldn’t hold back their laughter.

“Is this guy for real?”

Grant sighed. “Unfortunately, yes. But he’s a great guy. Just has some growing up to do. Okay, a lot of growing up to do.”

JT opened the back door and slid in, whistling as he looked at Trish and Ava. “Well, hello ladies! Aren’t you looking lovely tonight?” He threw an arm around Trish. “Lookin’ good enough to eat,” he teased, wagging his eyebrows at her.

Trish laughed. “Wow, slow down, cowboy. Maybe you should start with introducing yourself before making sexual advances. Just a thought.”

I turned to look at them in the backseat. To his credit, JT seemed to be blushing and embarrassed. “My sincerest apologies. It is an honor to make your acquaintance, beautiful lady. My name is JT, and I am a Pisces. I love daytime soap operas and chocolate truffles.”

Trish stifled a giggle. “Well, JT, it’s fantastic to meet you. My name is Trish. I’m an Aries. I enjoy Texas Hold ‘Em, and peach pie.”

She held out her hand, but instead of shaking it, he laid a gentle kiss on her knuckles. “See that, we’re practically besties. Now can I continue with the sexual advances?”

He scooted another inch closer to Trish, who giggled, apparently enjoying his attentions. Grant rolled his eyes and began to open his mouth, but I stopped him with a hand on his knee.

“Let him go,” I whispered. “Trust me, Trish will keep him in line. And she can give it as well as she can take it.”

“Well, then,” JT chimed in. “I would love to see all this giving and taking later tonight.”

Trish winked at him. “Let’s start with a drink first, okay, Pretty Boy?”

Since Grant and JT were the only ones of age, we didn’t do much drinking, but we did dance the night away. We went to several different clubs that played everything from club mix to country and even one with reggae. I danced until I was sure I’d never walk again and my hair was plastered to me, soaked with sweat. My blisters even had blisters, but I was having so much fun, I didn’t want it to end.

We finally made it home just after four in the morning. I was dead on my feet and ready to crash. I gave Grant a half-asleep kiss before crawling out of the car. Ava was snoring away in the backseat, and Trish was cuddled up with JT. They were a crazy duo, but somehow they were kinda perfect for each other.

I put my head on Grant’s shoulder. “You sure you don’t wanna come in and sleep here? I promise to behave—just cuddling.”

“Tempting, very tempting.” Grant whispered so he didn’t wake any of them. “But your parents are home, and I have to get these guys home.”

“Eh, leave ‘em,” I teased. “Trust me, they’ve slept in worse. And Trish seems quite content right where she is.”

“Good night, beautiful girl.”

I gave him one final kiss. “Good night.”

I stayed, watching him pull away before I headed inside my house, fighting off yet another yawn. I somehow had the sense to leave a note on the kitchen island letting my parents know I got in super late and to let me sleep in before making my way to my bedroom.

I peeled out of my clothes, pulling on Grant’s crew T-shirt that I refused to give back before scrubbing off all my makeup with a warm washcloth. I finally climbed into bed, throwing the covers off my still-overheated body. I plugged my phone into the charger after I texted Grant to make sure he got home okay but never heard back.

My eyelids were too heavy to keep open, and I drifted off to sleep.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 888