Chapter 60 Grace Nash

A Chance to Make This Right

Five Months After the Wedding

"What are you doing here?" His voice is cautious as those five words fall from his mouth in the form of a question.

I glance at Asher beside him, and the moment he spots me, he takes a step backward onto the elevator. He waves at me, but he doesn't otherwise say a word—not even goodbye to his own brother—as the doors slide shut and the elevator carries him down.

Spencer holds out a hand and helps me rise to a stand.

"Can we talk?" I ask. I slip my arms around him for a hug, and my God , does it feel good here. It feels right . It feels like I'm home again after far too long away.

He holds me tightly against him, and I hope against hope that it's because he's feeling the same things I am. I spent the entire trip here praying that this will be enough. That I will be enough.

He is everything to me, and I hate that I let my competition with my sister come before that .

He finally draws in a deep breath then lets me go. He unlocks his front door, and he holds it open for me to walk in first, ever the gentleman.

He leans against it after he shuts it, and I turn to face him.

He looks nervous. Wary. Unsure.

But I've never been more sure about anything in my life.

"I love you, Spencer. I want to be with you. I realized something today when I was talking with Nana, and the second I realized it, I rushed to the airport and got on a plane to talk to you in person. And then I got here, and you weren't here…" Tears start to fall as that same feeling of devastation rolls through me again.

But he's here now. He's here, and I have a chance to make this right.

I suck in a shaky breath as I try to get through this. "Let me back up. Nana had a mini stroke last week, and she—"

"Oh, shit," he interrupts. "Is she okay?"

I nod. "She's okay. She's getting stronger each day, and we're all keeping a close eye on her. I tried to call you, but you didn't answer, and then we were taking care of her, and you had a game and—"

"Fuck, Grace," he says, and he rushes over to grab me in his arms. "I'm so sorry you went through all that alone. I should have been there with you and your dad. For Maggie."

"It's okay. You didn't know." I rest my cheek on his chest, and I breathe him in. It's his familiar, clean, soapy scent that just smells like home. It feels like home right here. I always thought the vineyard was home, and it is. But nothing beats the feeling of being in the arms of the man I love.

He clears his throat and pulls back, letting me out of his grasp. "You said you realized something."

I nod, and I pull it together to get this out. "Right. I realized the vineyard has been my top priority my entire life."

His face falls a little as he takes a step back, putting a bit of distance between us, and that's the moment I know Nana hit the nail on the head. He didn't tell me he wanted out because he doesn't love me. It was because he needed to feel like I love him . And the fact that he doesn't know that breaks my heart .

"But then I met you. We became friends first when you walked down the wrong path, but I fell in love with you anyway, even when I shouldn't have. But then we got married, and it was rushed, and it happened for all the wrong reasons, but it was also right . And I realized today that I don't want the vineyard at the expense of our marriage. That place is meaningless to me if I can't have it with you . And so I told Nana to give it to Amelia, and then I hopped on a plane and came here to tell you that I love you. I love us . I want to make this work with you more than anything."

He stares at me, his jaw working back and forth in that sexy way men have as he contemplates my words.

I add more. "Besides, if I let Amelia win, maybe she'll stop trying to come between us. She'll stop with the paparazzi and the fake social media accounts and the constant manipulations, and we can focus on us and building this life together instead of on fighting her."

He's quiet as he stares at me for a few beats, and the very real fear that I got it all wrong plows into me.

"You gave up the vineyard? For me?"

I nod slowly, pressing my lips together as I wait for his reaction.

He shakes his head a little with wonder, and then he glances out the windows behind me before his eyes return to me.

"For us," I say.

He takes a tentative step toward me, and then another, and then he reaches forward to grasp my upper arms as he pulls me toward him. And then his lips crash down to mine.

It's like I'm home again.

This kiss is aggressive and urgent, needy and full of lust as it seals in the unspoken promise between us.

I slide my arms around his neck and cling to him as he lets his grasp on my biceps go to wrap his arms around me. His tongue glides against mine, and his hips shift as I feel the firmness of his erection against my stomach.

I gasp when I feel it, and a warmth spreads through my chest that this is it. It's real. It's right. It's all I've ever wanted with him, and finally, finally all the obstacles are out of our way so we can walk this journey forward together rather than apart.

It feels like a weight has lifted off me. I thought letting go of the vineyard would be the worst thing for me, but as it turns out, maybe it's the best.

It's what led me back to Spencer. It's what led to this moment.

He doesn't move his lips from mine as he starts to guide me backward through the house. We devour each other through our mouths, and it feels like we were apart for years rather than weeks. The time doesn't matter. The fact is, if we make another pact about time apart, this time we're sticking to it.

This time it's real.

This time it's forever.

I feel the kitchen counter behind me, and he lifts me and perches me on it. I wrap my legs around his waist as he moves in closer, his fingertips moving beneath my shirt and brushing the skin of my back. His hands, his fingers, his mouth…it all feels so good .

He pulls back and leans his forehead against mine. "I missed you, Gracie." His voice is a low rasp, and it sends a thrill up my spine. "Every fucking second of every fucking day."

I wrap my arms around his broad shoulders then pepper kisses along his jawline. "I missed you, too. I promise I'll never let a week go by without you again."

He doesn't respond with words, instead sealing our promise by lifting me off the counter. I link my legs around his waist as he carries me over toward the couch. He tosses me down and dives on top of me, not wasting a minute as he starts to slam his hips to mine. I gasp as I feel him against me, and I need to be naked. I need him inside me like I need to breathe right now.

"Fuck me, Spencer," I beg as his lips dip down toward my cleavage.

He pulls back and tears my shirt over my head, tossing it on the floor. He works my bra next and tosses it on top of my shirt, and his hands move down to squeeze my breasts. "Fuck, I missed this body." His mouth goes straight to my nipple, and when he sucks, a searing ache darts between my thighs .

I need relief. I need release. It's been far too long without him, without this .

I thrust my hips as I try to find some relief, but he backs away, teasing me. He pulls off me completely then, and he reaches for the button of my jeans. He pushes them along with my panties down, and I kick off my shoes and jeans so I'm laying naked on his couch.

He pulls his shirt over his head and gets naked next, and I don't know if I've ever seen anyone move as quickly as he's moving now. We're both desperate to get to this sacred reunion, and as he climbs on top of me, he hovers for a few beats. His eyes meet mine, and this erotic intimacy passes between us. It's a new feeling, heightened in a way I've never felt before.

I think it's because it finally feels like forever.

His lips drop to mine as he reaches down to grip his cock before he slides it into me, and if the intimacy of a moment ago was erotic, the feeling of him moving inside me as he kisses me is on another level. Our souls are connecting here as our bodies do the work, and as his deep, slow thrusts start to quicken, his mouth moves from mine. He presses hot kisses to my jaw, my neck, and my chest as I moan at the feel of his drives into me.

"You feel so good," he says, his breath hot against my ear. "Even better than I remember. Your pussy is so tight, like it was just made for me."

"God, you feel good too," I moan.

"Tell me how much you love when I fuck you." He slams his hips against mine.

"I love it. I love it so much. I love you so much," I say, my voice gaining in volume with each choppy, moaned sentence.

"Fuck yes, baby," he growls as he picks up the speed even more.

"I'm close. I'm so close," I cry.

"I want to hear you scream my name while I make you come."

His hot words throw me headfirst into my climax. "Oh God, yes, Spencer!" I scream.

My body jolts with pleasure as I writhe beneath him .

"That's it. Come for me," he says, his voice firm, and then he lets out a low growl as he starts to come, too. "Fuck, Grace," he groans as he thrusts up hard a few more times, seeing us both through wave after wave of intense and all-consuming pleasure.

When it's over, he relaxes on top of me for a few beats, still inside me. I feel his cock twitch and his body tremble, and I wrap my arms around him to hold him tightly to me.

This is it. This is us. This is forever.