Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 66205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 331(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
“Uncle Gray, this is for you!” Ryder ran over and handed him a cookie with green frosting and thankfully no sprinkles.
“That’s so sweet of you, buddy. Thank you.” He bit into it and looked closer at the tray, curious as to why they all were shaped like the Eiffel Tower. There must’ve been more exciting shapes for kids.
Damn, it was actually really good too. But when Elise was involved, that was a given.
“Any minute now,” Ryan murmured.
Gray quirked a brow and finished his cookie. “What?”
For some reason, that made everyone at the table chuckle.
Darius dipped a plain cookie in his coffee and could not look more amused.
“Dude,” Abel said.
Gray glanced at the cookies again.
Suspicion finally crept in. It was an awfully specific cookie-cutter shape.
“Oh my God, this cake,” someone moaned a few tables over.
All the cookies were in the shape of the Eiffel Tower.
He snuck a glance at Darius. Are you serious?
This was no joking matter.
“Theeere we go,” Elise sang.
Were they— “Are we going to Paris?” Gray blurted out.
“As long as you’re quicker to catch a flight than a drift,” Ryan joked.
Gray didn’t even look his way. He stared at Darius, who finally inclined his head.
“I thought we could do a weekend in London on the way home too,” Darius said.
“Oh my God.” Gray felt his whole face light up, and he couldn’t freaking believe it. “Holy shit, baby. Paris.” And London! “I was banking on Victoria!”
“Yeah, when you said that—” Darius snorted and shook his head. “That’s a weekend getaway, knucklehead. For our honeymoon, we’re going all out. I have a list of all the tourist traps and rom-com spots.”
Gray pinched his lips, still in disbelief. He blinked past the sudden sting in his eyes. On Monday, they were heading to fucking France. In Europe. He’d never been anywhere near Europe before.
“Shall we toast to a fantastic wedding?” Ryan lifted his glass of champagne. Where had that even come fr—oh, they were serving it now. “We’re looking forward to the pictures, but keep the sex tape to yourselves.”
“I mean…” Angel trailed off.
Gray laughed thickly and squeezed the hell out of Darius’s arm. He was absolutely filled with so many emotions that he couldn’t sit still, and he felt the strongest urge to bury his face where no one could see the heat on his cheeks.
“To one of the best days of my life.” Darius took a sip of his coffee before he hugged Gray to him. “You and me in Paris, knucklehead.”
“I can’t wrap my head around it.” Gray sniffled, glad Darius’s arms provided shelter, and he realized this was about so much more than the location.
It was the stereotype. Paris, London, Rome, Aruba, Hawaii… Those were places you heard about people going for their honeymoons. It didn’t have to be Europe or away from the continental US either; it could be Key West or New York or any other popular place where newlyweds went. And Gray would be one of those people.
He’d once lost faith in ever seeing his twenty-first birthday. Now he’d soon be the guy who could say, “Oh yeah, great city. My husband and I went there on our honeymoon.”
He’d reclaimed his life. His sense of normalcy.
Darius squeezed him a little harder, probably knowing exactly where Gray’s mind had gone.
“I love you, Gray.”
Gray nodded once and subtly wiped his eyes. “I love you too. So much.”
Sweet Jesus, he was gonna go nuts buying souvenirs for everyone.
EPILOGUE
What’re you doing out here?
Robbing me of sleep, that’s what. You know I sleep restlessly without you next to me.
Punk.
I wrap the duvet around my shoulders and step out onto the terrace.
It’s not too cold here, just pretty windy. So why you’re standing by the railing wearing nothing but skivvies is beyond me.
It’s a nice view of Paris, though. In the darkness, it’s a glittering blanket. Faint sounds from the traffic ten stories below.
You sense my presence shortly before I wrap the duvet around you too, and I bring you close to my body.
“Can’t sleep?” I kiss your neck.
You shiver and exhale. “My mind’s going a mile a minute.” You hold up my field notes, the notebook I gave you at the ceremony. “Let me start by saying, I want you to draw more.”
I smile against your skin.
“Is this what you do when you have nothing to do at work?” you ask. “You draw stuff? I mean, you sketched the new chicken coop and then built it. You sketched my freaking suit from Abel and Madigan’s wedding. Cassidy’s hand gripping your finger. Our rings. The porch… Screws and goddamn mason jars.”
I chuckle as you turn in my embrace and peer up at me.
“I think I drew an apple too,” I say, “next to my confession about really loving your tight little ass.”
“There was an apple on that page?” you tease.
I dip down and kiss your nose.