Lucky 13 (22 page)

He’s searching my eyes for something. I’m not sure what, but when his devious grin appears, I’m guessing he’s found whatever he was looking for. Then, his lips claim mine. At first his kiss is soft and gentle, as if he’s savoring every second. It turns heated and impatient the longer our lips touch and before I realize what’s happening, we’re moving.

His body is pushing against mine. We move from the sidewalk into the grass. I’m moving backward, Grant’s body pressed against mine in the most delicious way. My back hits a tree, causing us to stop. I pull back, breathing heavily. Grant’s still grinning at me, his eyes sparkling in the glow of the lamp.

“God, I’ve missed you so much.” His words hit deep.

“You have no idea,” I whisper, my voice sounding small and uncertain.

“I was afraid that you wouldn’t come.” I tilt my head, confused by his confession. “I wanted to call you a thousand times to apologize and explain, but I knew I couldn’t. I knew you would be hurt and angry, but I hoped that you would understand. I tried everything to stay, but it wasn’t an option.”

“I wasn’t angry or hurt, Grant. I was sad. I knew what was going on, and in my heart I knew you were safe. What I wanted was one last kiss, a wave, a goodbye. That’s why I was sad. You never even said goodbye.” A single tear trickles down my cheek and Grant catches it before it can fall.

“I’ll never tell you goodbye, Madison.”

“But it’s what I needed.”

Breaking eye contact, Grant looks around, surveying the area. I follow his line of sight and catch movement from the bushes. Waiting a few beats for it to move again, I hold my breath wondering if we are actually alone. When nothing happens, I put my hand under Grant’s chin and turn his attention back to me.

“It doesn’t matter anymore. The past is the past and we are going to focus on the future. Let’s get out of here, though.”

Nodding his head in agreement, Grant takes hold of my hand and gives it a small tug. I let him lead me away from the library and down the winding sidewalk. We move quickly around buildings and through the common areas. My father and I took one tour of the campus before I decided to come here. It’s beautiful, but at night its beauty disappears and is replaced by the cover of darkness, causing it to feel spooky.

A cluster of buildings is in front of us now as Grant pulls us to a stop. I look up at him for an explanation and find him staring at the entrance to the building with apprehension.

“What is it?”

“My dorm.”

“I figured that out already. Why do you look hesitant?”

He doesn’t answer right away. I wait a few seconds, and I’m about to give him reassurance that I want to go inside, when he finally answers me.

“It’s the player’s dorm. I’m going to catch shit for bringing you back here. I don’t care, I just need to mentally prepare and I need for you to promise that you’ll ignore whatever they say to you.”

“Player’s dorm?”

“Yeah. Long story. I’ll tell you when we get inside.”

Ready to hear everything, I tug on his hand, walking backward toward his dorm. Grant follows, a sly grin on his face, as his eyes roam the length of my body. Talking may have to wait.

“Damn, Grant!”

“Who’s the girl?”

“There’s still time to change your mind, beautiful.”

There were more comments shouted into the hall as we walked past. Heads popped out of open doors to see what all the commotion was. Grant received a few apologetic glances, but most of the guys are focused on teasing him. A few even tried to follow us to Grant’s room, offering me a good time. About the time we reach his room, I realize why he was mentally preparing to take me inside. His grip on my hand is causing my fingers to throb it’s so tight. At least he didn’t hit anyone. Tonight at least.

Shutting the door and locking it behind us, you can still hear the cat calls and whistles of a few people. I open and close my hand as soon as Grant lets go, attempting to get the blood flowing again. He slides up next to me, kissing me on the temple before heading to the small fridge in the corner, grabbing two bottles of water.

Handing me one, I crack the top and take a sip. “That was interesting.”

“That’s one word for it. A few of them are going to get theirs during practice on Monday.” Even though he has a smile on his face and his voice is calm, I can still tell how pissed off Grant is. A giggle escapes me, causing Grant’s smile to widen.

“You think this is funny? Just wait until you leave in the morning. They’ll have even more to say, I’m sure.”

My laughing ceases immediately at the thought of walking out of here in the morning. “Um—”

“Don’t stress about it. We’ll figure something out. You could just stay in here forever. I’m fine with that.”

Grant takes a step toward me, taking my water bottle out of my hand and setting it on the dresser next to us. His lips softly begin to caress mine and all thoughts of leaving his room are gone. His arms wrap around me, pulling me in as close as he can. I’m lost in him, ready to rip his clothes off and remove the final barrier between us when a knock on the door startles me and I jump slightly. Grant laughs before unwrapping me from his arms and going to answer the door.

“Yeah,” I hear him say as he pulls the door open a crack.

“Coach is on the floor.”

“Shit! Thanks, man.”

Shutting the door, Grant turns toward me with a worried look on his face. “We need to hide you.”

“Seriously? Why?”

“Because if my coach finds you in here, then he’s going to bench me.” Grant looks around as he speaks, searching for a place for me to hide.

We decide on the closet. He hasn’t unpacked his stuff yet so I get in the closet and duck down. Grant stacks a few extra boxes in an attempt to better conceal me. I hear a knock on the door as my purse comes flying over the boxes, landing on my head with a thump.

“What are you up to in here with the door closed?”

“Nothing, sir. I just got in and was about to change.”

“You know the rules. I would hate to bench you because of your lady friend.”

I inhale sharply, covering my mouth to silence the noise.

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

“Rest up, Gipson.”

A sigh of relief escapes me as I hear the door latch and the lock slide into place. Standing, Grant removes the boxes he placed in front of me one by one until I can climb out of the closet.

“So, I take it we’re caught,” I ask, taking a seat on his bed.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

“Do you think he’s going to bench you?”

“Nah. I have a feeling it’s going to be fine. He was smiling at me and staring at the closet the entire time.”

I let the conversation fade into the background as I take Grant’s hand and turn toward him. I have questions that I want to be answered. No matter what he says, my feelings for him won’t change.

“So, Grant Gipson … tell me about yourself.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything.”

Chapter 21

The road Grant traveled to get here makes an amazing story. If I didn’t know about his past, I would think he was pulling my leg. He’s still the same person he’s always been, only stronger.

After finding out about his father, Grant and Lucy sheltered at the Foundation until their bus left that afternoon. I missed them by a matter of minutes when I went to the Foundation looking for Lucy. They headed straight to Raleigh, knowing that his father was still in New Bern, caught a plane to Texas and drove to Colorado. By the time they finally arrived in Winter Park, everything was all set up for them. The diner was in the process of being remodeled and the movers had their stuff unloaded into their new house.

After a long debate with his mother, Lucy finally called the Raleigh police department. She filed a complaint with the Chief of Police, telling them who she really was and all about her husband. Grant said that after they investigated his father for a few weeks, they found that he had been searching for them using law enforcement resources and on the public’s dollar. He was stripped of his badge and sentenced to spend time in jail.

After the investigation was over, Grant begged his mother to let him talk to one of the scouts that had come to watch him so that he could still have a shot at playing in college. It was a battle, but she finally caved when he told her that he wanted to stay close to home.

Breaking the contract his mother signed with the Foundation, Grant explained everything to the scout. He was sympathetic to Grant’s situation and, knowing that Grant would exceed expectations on the field, made a call to the coaches. Grant was rewarded with a private tryout that earned him the starting backup position.

“I only have one question,” I say as Grant finishes.

“Only one?” he asks amused.

“For now.” I pause, my stomach turning. “How did you know that I would be here?”

“I may have done a little recon.”

“You may have?” Pushing him slightly for avoiding my question, Grant rolls onto his back, pulling me on top of him.

“Yeah. I may have called a friend to find out where you decided to go to college.”

Chester. That’s why he told me to take care of him. It all makes sense now. If he called him, though, why didn’t he call me?

“Why didn’t you call me?”

“Two reasons.” Impatiently waiting for him to continue, I lie on top of him and try to enjoy where we are right now. “First, Chester is part of the program so I knew that I could talk to him.”

What? I never would have guessed that he was part of the program. I’ll have to ask more about that later, but right now I want to know his second reason. “And …”

“I wanted this to be special. I needed to know that you still wanted to be part of my life. If you had moved on or weren’t looking for me, it would have broken me. I never stopped loving you, Madison. I needed Chester to confirm it for me so I knew I was making the right decision.”

“You doubted me, us, this?” I ask, motioning between us.

“Never. I knew that you would always love me, but I was afraid that I may have broken you a little when I left.”

“You did,” I confess, memories of the day following his departure still fresh in my mind.

“I know. Chester told me everything.”

“Basically you were spying on me then.”

“If you want to look at it like that.”

“Why didn’t you call if you knew that I was looking for you? I searched everywhere. I used every resource I could to try and find you. It took forever. You could have saved me the trouble.”

Smiling at me, Grant shakes his head but doesn’t say a word.

“That’s not an answer, Grant. I need answers,” I plead, slightly annoyed.

“How did you feel when you found me?”

“Happy. Relieved. Excited.” Thinking back to the moment I knew I had found him, I try to remember exactly how I felt.

“If I had called, how would you have felt?”

“The same, only less exhausted and frustrated after looking for you for months and months.”

“Fair point. Look at it from my perspective, though. You found me. You loved me enough to search until you found me. Every time you thought you found me and fell short, you kept going. Your determination is amazing, Madison. To know that you never stopped loving me is the greatest feeling. It’s the same way I felt when I found you sitting in the gazebo after all those years.”

He has a point. If nothing else, I’ve proved to him how much I love him by searching for him and not stopping until I found him.

“I love you, Grant. No matter how we got here, I’m glad that we’re here, together,” I say, just to confirm what he already knows.

“I love you too, Madison. I always have and I always will.” Kissing me softly on the lips, Grant rolls on top of me, pulling away and looking deep in my eyes. “Do you know what today is?”

“Saturday?” I’m confused about the shift in conversation.

“Actually, it’s Sunday now.” I look over at the clock on his bedside table to see that it’s after midnight. “It’s our anniversary.”

“What?”

“Six years ago today I laid eyes on you for the first time. We shared our first kiss, held hands for the first time, and began this crazy journey to find each other.”

My heart is pounding in my chest. Moments that I had once forgotten are clear as day in my mind now. I remember the first time I saw on him, talking to him about my mother, and having lunch. It feels like a lifetime ago.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

I jump, the noise startling me. Grant laughs so I smack him in the chest. He’s more defined than I remember. Images of Grant’s body flood my memory, causing my cheeks to heat up. The last time I got a good glimpse of what’s hiding under his shirt was too long ago.

“Get up birthday boy!” Voices yell for Grant.

“Is it your birthday?” I ask, confused.

“Yep. I met you the day I turned thirteen. You were like a gift that I didn’t even know I was getting. Will you be my present again?” A devious grin appears on Grant’s face as he crawls backward off of me.

After laughing uncontrollably for an hour while the rest of the team embarrassed Grant, he finally closes the door, shutting his teammates out. I can still hear them singing as they travel back to their rooms. Once the dorm goes silent, Grant and I crawl into bed together. He holds me tight as I curl into him. His arms wrapped round me makes me feel like I’m home again.

“Madison,” Grant whispers in my ear.

“Yes?”

“You never answered my question.” I know what question he’s referring to, but I don’t answer him. “Will. You. Be. My. Present?” Punctuating each word, Grant asks me again.

“Always,” I reply, turning in his arms.

My father is flying in today which makes me nervous. It’s been over three months since I’ve seen him and even longer since we’ve spent a holiday together. Grant rubs his hand up and down my back as I nervously wait for him to arrive. People flood the baggage claim area, pushing through the crowd to gather their luggage and get out of the airport. His plane landed almost twenty minutes ago, so he should be here any moment.

I’m starting to wonder where he is when I catch sight of him. Standing and waving, my father smiles in my direction. Grant stands as he approaches, catching my father off guard. I decided not to tell him about Grant. I told him I was seeing someone and that we were going to have Thanksgiving dinner with his family. I wasn’t sure he would come if he knew that it was Grant.

My father wraps his arms around me, hugging me tight.

“Grant,” he says, extending his hand as I pull away from him. “It’s nice to see you again, son.”

“You too, sir. Thanks for coming.”

Confused by their cordial interaction, I look from one to the other as they both stare at me. Someone has to tell me what’s happening here. Instead of explaining, they both smile at me.

“Ready to go?” Grant asks, taking my hand.

“Um, sure.”

The drive to Winter Park is filled with light conversation. There are so many questions that I want to ask both of them, but not while they’re in the same room. The fact that they’re talking to each other like they’ve done it a million times before has my skin crawling. Something is up and I want to know what it is.

By the time we pull into Lucy’s driveway, I’m eager to get Grant alone. As soon as we’re in the door, Grant calls for his mother, announcing our arrival. She comes around the corner as she wipes her hands on her apron, a huge smile on her face.

“Michael,” she exclaims, surprise on her face, stopping dead in her tracks. “What are you doing here?”

Of course she knows my father. Why wouldn’t she?

“Lucy,” my father whispers, barely loud enough for me to hear.

“You know each other,” I state, confirming the obvious.

“Yeah, we used to,” my father replies, moving toward Lucy, never taking his eyes off of her. “We met a long time ago.”

“I haven’t seen you in years.” Lucy’s glowing, her hands shaking as they grip her apron.

“It’s been a long time.” My father is standing in front of Lucy, looking directly in her eyes.

I see what he sees. It’s the same look I imagine I’ve given Grant a time or two; the same look I’m sure was in my eyes outside the library after seeing him again for the first time in months. It’s the look of unconditional love. Things are about to get weird.

“I think Grant and I are going to go talk for a while,” I announce, pulling Grant by the hand down the hall without waiting for a response from either of them.

Once we’re behind closed doors, I turn to find Grant smiling at me.

“Thank was weird. How do they know each other?”

He takes a step toward me and I step back, bumping the back of my legs against his bed.

“They’re occupied and we’re alone. I can think of other things I’d rather do than talk about our parents. Can you?”

Pulling him down on top of me, I let the events of the day leave my mind and focus on the feel of his lips against mine. I hear Lucy call us for dinner a while later, forcing us to come up for air. Grant groans, pushing himself off of me and pulling his shirt back on. I fix my hair and smooth my clothes back down, attempting to look presentable in front of our parents. They’re not stupid so I’m sure they will assume something was going on, but I also don’t need to confirm their suspicions.

When we reach the dining room, we find Lucy and my father sitting next to each other, engrossed in conversation. I watch as my father holds her hand, running his thumb over her knuckles as they talk. They don’t hear us come in, so I clear my throat. Turning their attention to us, neither attempts to let go of the other or hide the fact that they’re holding hands.

After saying grace, conversation comes to a halt. I look at Grant, nodding toward their clasp hands and give him a look. I want him to ask so that I don’t have to. He shakes his head at me, so I give him the stink eye.

“So, how do you know my father, Lucy?”

“We met a long time ago, when he was in town for a while.” If she were a cartoon, Lucy would have hearts in her eyes right now.

“When?” I probe.

“While you were in the hospital, Madison.” My father’s confession catches me off guard. I’m shocked. He never mentioned meeting someone. I always thought that he was by my side the entire time, waiting for me to wake up.

“So, you started dating while I was in a coma?” I can hear the anger building in my voice, so I take a deep breath and try to reign it in.

“No. In fact, we only saw each other that once and it was almost a year before we saw each other again. I was given an assignment in New Bern and stayed at your grandma’s while I was in town. Lucy ended up coming over to see your grandma at some point and we hit it off. Well, after I apologized for being an ass to her at the hospital.”

“Where was I during all this time?”

“You were in school. It was only a week long assignment. I believe you stay at a friend’s house for the week if I remember right.”