Текст книги "Let Me In"

Автор книги: Michelle Lynn

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Текущая страница: 8 (всего у книги 19 страниц)

Chapter 11

Grant

There she is…finally. I’ve been through all these hills, but never checked the lake. She glances up as I approach, my footsteps crunching as I make my way across the snow. I hand her her jacket and she puts it on. Hesitantly, I take a seat next to her. I know from her shutters of breath that she’s still calming down. I prop my legs up, resting my arms on top of them and stare out at the lake. The sky is a little cloudy, so the stars aren’t as bright as they are in summertime, but it’s still a beautiful scene. It’s even more of an overwhelming sight with Jessa here.

“How did you find out?” she quietly asks me, continuing to stare forward.

“Someone found the pictures, but don’t worry, they’ll never get out,” I assure her.

“I’ve heard that before. They always get out,” she says and shudders a little more.

“Not this time. Believe me.” I peek at her through the corner of my eyes and she’s biting her lip while playing with her fingers.

“So…you probably think I’m a big skank?” she asks.

“Never. Why would I think that just because some jerkoff took advantage of you?” I grab her hand, relieved when she lets me.

“Those things I did…”

“Are the same things you’ve done with me,” I finish her sentence, not wanting her to feel ashamed or feel guilty.

“Yeah, but I let him take the pictures.”

I squeeze her hand. “Come back with me. It’s too fucking cold out here,” I say. When I stand up, she follows my lead and I wrap my arms around her. Silence envelops us as we walk back to the cabin, each one of us lost in our own thoughts. I want her back at the cabin because I’m still planning to do what I intended in the first place.

I open the door for us when we get back to the cabin and she moves to sit on the couch, but I firmly pull her toward the bedroom. We enter the quaint room with a king-sized bed in the middle and a nightstand on either side. I make my way into the bathroom and start to fill the tub with warm water.

I look back at her standing in the doorway. “Go ahead, take off your clothes,” I instruct her.

Fumbling through the cabinets, I find some bubble bath that someone must have left behind and pour it in. Glancing at her, I’m happy to see that she listened to me and is disrobing.

After the hot water fills the tub, I shrug off my own wet, cold clothes and put them in a pile on the floor. She’s staring down at the ground, stepping out of her jeans, and I wait patiently before offering her my hand.

She takes it gently, hesitantly allowing me to guide her to the tub. I step in, never letting go of her hand and wait for her to join me. “Sit down,” I request, and then scoot in behind her, encasing her body with my arms as the water rises above us. Her skin feels as soft and silky as always. I hope this wasn’t a bad idea, having her talk to me in the bathtub with both of us naked. But it was so cold and I noticed she was already shivering on the walk home.

“Will you tell me?” I ask.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I want to hear about it. But Jessa?” She turns her head to look up at me. “After this, it’s over. We won’t talk about it unless you want to. I don’t care one way or the other, but for both our sakes, I think you should tell me what happened. And don’t hold back, because it won’t change anything for me,” I admit to her, hoping it relaxes her as much as possible.

She smirks up to me, obviously surprised by my reaction, and then lays her head back on my chest. “Jason is his name,” she starts talking and I involuntarily tense just from hearing his name. The thought of some other guy’s hands on her kills me.

“So, we’d been going out for some time when he asked me to take the pictures. I agreed, thinking they would be between the two of us. And they were, until a month or so later. We were at a party and I ran into an old boyfriend. It was nothing. I was just catching up with him. I think his girlfriend was actually at the party as well. But Jason was always jealous, never wanting me to show any attention to anyone but him. We’d been fighting a lot recently about his jealousy. When I hugged the old boyfriend goodbye, Jason lost it from across the room. It started with bottles and cans being thrown against the wall, but quickly escalated to furniture being turned over. His friends tried to stop him, but his rage was so intense it scared me. I begged him to stop, and even told him I loved him.” She stops talking and anger hits my veins. I hate the fact that she told someone else she loved them. A selfish part of me hoped she’d never said those words to anyone else.

“Anyway, he didn’t care. His friends eventually got him to leave the party and I hitched a ride with a friend. The next morning when I woke up, my phone was maxed to capacity with texts and voice messages. Within hours, the whole town knew what had happened. Social media can be as fast as lightning when the gossip’s juicy,” she finishes.

“Anything else?” I ask. I can’t help the feeling in my gut that she’s still holding something back.

“I hid out for a semester and then transferred to Western in the fall.” The hesitation in her voice tells me there’s more to it, but I don’t want to push her too hard for fear she’ll retreat from me.

“I’m sorry, Jessa,” I say and she squeezes my hand tightly. I hug her and kiss the top of her head. “That guy’s a jackass.” I can’t even say his name. “He took advantage of you. You did nothing wrong.”

“Doesn’t it bother you? Weren’t you mad when you saw the pictures?”

“Yes,” I honestly answer. “What bothered me most was thinking about you doing those things with someone else, not that you allowed him to take pictures. Don’t get me wrong, it pisses me off that so many dipshits saw you without clothes on, but it changes nothing for me,” I wholeheartedly admit.

She turns around and looks at me with a serious expression on her face. “What I have to say next might,” she says, staring right into my eyes. “After it happened, I tried…I tried to kill myself,” she reveals and instantly sits up, taking her touch with her.

I nod my head, trying to think of the right thing to say. She’s kind of throwing me for a loop here and hitting a little too close to home, although the circumstances were very different. I look at her and the apprehension that fills her face is too much for me to take. The thought that she could have never entered my life becomes unimaginable to me. I want her to know how I feel, even if it’ll be the end of me.

“I’m glad you didn’t succeed,” I say, squeezing her tight against my body.

“Why?” she murmurs into my chest. I pull her back, holding her arms in my hands.

“Because I would’ve never fallen in love,” I finally divulge, and her body crashes into me. “You did get what I just said, right?” I shyly ask, not missing the fact that she said nothing back.

Picking up her head, she giggles and says, “I love you too, Grant.” And just like that, our feelings are laid out on the table or in our case the bathtub. I can’t fight it any longer; I just pray like hell it doesn’t end like it always has for me.

“God, I love you.” I kiss her on the lips, bringing her on top of me.

“Show me,” she requests.

“I fully intend to. Jessa, tonight I’m in charge. You’re mine now, and I want to cherish you like the goddess you are to me. Are you okay with that?”

She nods her head, smirking up at me. I stand up and step out of the tub, grabbing a towel from the shelf. I hold it out for Jessa and she steps into it as I wrap it around her body before grabbing one for myself. After I walk us out of the bathroom, I lay her down on the bed, following closely behind. I slowly move my lips over hers, gently kissing her before nibbling on her bottom lip. I trace my hands up and down her ribcage, making her shiver slightly. She places her hands on the back of my head, working her fingers through my hair. Letting my lips travel to her chin, along her jawline, and up to her ear, I whisper, “You’re beautiful,” and she arches her back into me in response. Taking a short break from sucking and nibbling on her neck, I let my tongue lick its way down to her breasts. Wrapping my mouth around her peaked nipple, I suck it into my mouth before I find her other nipple and mimic what I did to the first.

The moans and whimpers escaping her mouth are making it a struggle to keep up the slow pace, but she deserves for someone to worship her body. I give her butterfly kisses down her stomach, letting my fingers lead the way. Her whole body shakes when my tongue flicks over her clit. Sitting up, I admire her body and notice that the nervous look on her face is one she’s never possessed before. It strikes me that she’s self-conscious about being this intimate.

“Turn over,” I instruct her and she grins before rolling over onto her stomach.

My fingertips lightly move across her back and her sides and I kiss the tattoo on the back of her neck, now understanding the meaning of the inscription. I move my fingers to the side of her breast, teasing her, while my lips and tongue trace over her shoulder blades before moving down along her spine. She whimpers when I end at her ass. Bringing both my hands slowly down her body, I place my fingers around her hips, propping her up to her knees. I gently move my finger along her slit before I insert my middle finger, feeling how ready she already is. I pull my finger out, massaging the wetness around her clit and folds.

“More, Grant, please,” she begs, and I insert my pointer finger along with the middle finger. She moans loudly and unable to take it slow any longer, I turn her over. Her hands grab my ass, ready to pull my cock into her, but I hold off. Just as the tip of my dick touches her opening, I admire her below me and then I gently thrust into her.

Moving my hips in small circles, I lay on top of her, kissing her thoroughly. We don’t say anything dirty to each other or use rough hands. It’s the most intimate I’ve ever been with someone. I pray this doesn’t end badly, because I could stay like this for the rest of my life and be content. Soon she starts bucking a little faster against me, and I respond by thrusting harder into her. Before I realize it, she’s breathlessly repeating my name and I’m murmuring how much I love her against her neck. We both find our release a few seconds apart and I fall next to her, bringing her to my chest and beginning to rub small circles on her back.

“Thanks, Grant,” she says, and I place my finger under her chin so she’s looking at me.

“For what?” I ask.

“For doing that…going slow. It made me feel desirable and wanted,” she says, her eyes filled with hope and love. A wide grin spreads across my face and I’m happy that I made her feel the way she deserves to feel.

“Baby, you’re sexy as hell and desirable…I would’ve thought you’d have figured that out over the past month since I haven’t been able to keep my hands off you,” I say, trying to convince her.

“I’ve never been like that with someone before.” She nuzzles even closer to my neck, kissing it lightly.

“Get used to it. I’m not going anywhere.” The selfish bastard in me is ecstatic that I was able to be her first at something.

Jessa

“I’m starving…you want one of Mrs. Fletcher’s muffins?” Grant asks.

I throw on his t-shirt and he grabs his pants and we make our way out to the kitchen. Our bags are still in the truck, but I’m not about to ask him to go out there to get them now. He tosses a note from the basket on the table and grabs two muffins. I’m standing in front of the fridge perusing its contents when he comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my body and kissing my neck. I reach my hand to the back of his neck to keep him there, taking pleasure in the feel of his lips.

Picking up his head, he rests his chin on my shoulder, and I’m suddenly struck by the thought of living happily ever after here with him. “I still can’t believe you own this house,” I say to him.

“I rent it out most of the year,” he says, shrugging his shoulders.

I grab some eggs out of the fridge, along with the milk. Looking through the cupboards, Grant opens one up and hands me the frying the pan.

“Sit. It’s time I cater to you a little,” I tell him and he hops up on the counter. His chest is chiseled and his muscles, bulging, but when his arms are around me, I’ve never felt safer.

“Whatcha making?” he asks in a childish voice. He reaches out to grab at me, but I laugh and sidestep his attempts.

“If you can keep those hands to yourself for a few minutes, I’ll make you an omelet.”

“You usually like it when I have my hands on you,” he says with a smirk, getting a hold of his shirt that I’m wearing and yanking me back. When I fall between his legs, his lips smash into mine, sending a surge of heat from my head to my toes.

“Okay, no more until I finish,” I joke, waving my finger at him. I put the frying pan down and turn on the burner. The butter sizzles in the pan as I crack the eggs in the bowl. I poke the yolks and start beating them, adding in some milk.

“Man…I like this view,” he says, leaning back on his hands.

“What view?” I ask, walking to the fridge and opening it. I look around inside and, seeing that there aren’t any vegetables in the drawers, I grab some cheese which will have to do.

“You…cooking in my kitchen while wearing my shirt,” he says, smiling over to me.

“I have to admit, I like cooking for you. I’m not usually happy being so…domesticated,” I tease, pouring the eggs into the pan. I start to search the drawers for a spatula but can’t seem to find one.

“Uh hum.” Grant smirks, holding the handle of the drawer that is currently between his legs. I walk over, attempting to conceal my grin. Putting my hand on the knob, I start to pull the drawer open. “Are you sure that’s the handle you’re looking for?” he teases and I playfully roll my eyes.

“Well, it’s smaller than I’m used to,” I say and shrug my shoulders. I pull on the drawer, but Grant shuts it with his legs. “Um, the eggs are going to burn,” I inform him.

“You have to give me something to get it,” he says, leaning forward with his lips puckered out. I get on my tiptoes and kiss him. “Here you go.” He opens the drawer for me and hands me the spatula.

“You’re trouble,” I kid and he chuckles. I go back over to the stovetop and run the spatula along the inside of the pan, add my cheese, and then flip it all over before placing it on the plate that Grant has gotten out for me. Turning off the burner, I walk toward him, resting between his legs. I take a forkful and place it in front of his face. His mouth opens and I’m watching him so intently that I don’t notice he has a bite resting in front of me.

“Baby,” he says, and I place my mouth around the fork. He studies me as I take the bite off and then lick my lips. “Hot,” he murmurs.

We go back and forth, feeding each other until a string of cheese hangs from his mouth down to his bare chest and I lean forward, taking it into my mouth. I make my way up to his chin, wrapping the string of cheese around my tongue. After swallowing the cheese, I let my lips brush against his and he reaches behind me, grabbing my ass. I hold onto his neck and he pulls me up onto his lap with one firm tug. Instinctively, I wrap my legs around his body and his hardness presses against me. He pulls me close, kissing my neck and moving to my ear. “I love you in my shirt, in my kitchen, feeding me,” he faintly speaks before sucking my earlobe into his mouth. A small moan escapes me and he pulls slightly away, “and moaning. I love you in my shirt, in my kitchen, feeding me, and moaning as I touch you. No night will ever compare,” he says.

“Well, then let’s up the ante, shall we?” I squeeze my hands between us, attempting to unbutton his pants.

Before I can get them unzipped, he wraps his arm around my waist and scoots us off the counter, holding me in place. He walks us over to the kitchen table, placing me on the edge. I give his pants a little push with my heels and they fall to the ground around his ankles.

I grab the hem of my shirt to take it off, but he places his large hand on my smaller one. “No, keep it on,” he requests and I nod my head, bringing him down to me. Gently, he pushes me down on the table and his hand runs down from the side of my face, between my breasts, across my stomach, until he finally reaches my sex. His finger skims along my hip and rests just outside my underwear line before he slips two fingers under them, teasing me.

My breath hitches and based on the smirk on his face, he’s enjoying my reactions. He slides my panties over and goose bumps hit me in waves across my body. The anticipation of him touching me becomes unbearable so I reach for him, but he grabs my hand and places it on the table. “This is all about you, baby, no touching. I’m hard just from pleasing you.”

“Please, Grant,” I whimper and he slowly inserts one finger into me.

“I love it that you’re always ready for me,” he says and I moan when he adds another finger.

His intense blue eyes bore into every part of me. I feel like he’s showing me everything inside of him. There’s sorrow, fear, but most of all love, filling them and making my heart yearn for him even more. I know it’s over…he’s the one for me. No one will ever come close in comparison.

His penetration jolts me out of the moment of extreme intensity and I instantly clench around him, absorbing the feeling of him inside me. He brings me to the edge of the table and I wrap my arms around his neck. He moves gently at first, easing his way into me, but quickly turns frantic. Thrusting into me and swearing, he tells me how good I feel and that he can’t get enough.

“God, I love your cock,” I say with a moan, securing my legs around his torso.

The ecstasy has gotten the better of us and there’s no way we’ll be able to slow the pace this time around. I start bucking my hips and he pushes into me, matching my speed. My hands roam downward and he clenches his ass harder each time. Our mouths are wild and desperate with one another while our hands feverishly try to grab everywhere at once. The anticipation builds fast and intense until screams echo throughout the room when I find my orgasm and he follows me a few seconds later.

I lie on the table, unable to move. “I take back what I said. Nothing compares to you in my kitchen, cooking and feeding me, dressed in my t-shirt, and then lying on my table, exhausted from me fucking you,” he teases and I reach up, pulling him down to me. “God, I love you, Jessa,” he tells me.

“I love you.” I place my hand on his now stubbly face. “Now, take me to your bed,” I instruct him.

“Anytime,” he laughs and picks me up, walking into the bedroom.

Chapter 12

Grant

God, I’m hot…sweaty hot. Jessa’s naked body is wrapped around mine with the covers up to our necks. She must have gotten cold during the night. I grab her arm that’s draped over my stomach and quietly scoot away, gently placing her arm back onto the mattress. Luckily, she doesn’t budge.

Throwing my pants on, I walk out to the living room and see that the sun is already starting to rise. I grab my keys and shove my feet into my sneakers so I can go get our bags out of the truck. The cold wind relieves my heated body as it hits my bare chest, and I quickly jog down the steps to grab the bags from the cab of the truck. When I come back in, I see Jessa through the back window, admiring the view of the lake from the deck.

I drop our bags and head toward the door to meet her.

“Good morning, beautiful,” I exclaim after opening the door.

She turns around, giving me a dazzling smile. I could wake up like this for the rest of my days with no regrets.

“Good morning,” she responds, holding the blanket she has wrapped around herself out for me to join her and I do. “I missed waking up to you,” she says.

“I wanted you to sleep in. I got our bags.” I hold her close to me under the blanket, trying to keep us warm.

“Do we have to go home today?” she whines.

“Well, we have classes tomorrow,” I inform her.

“Let’s skip,” she jokes, knowing I won’t.

“I have to work too, but we have the whole day. We can go back late tonight.” If she only knew how much I wish we could stay here forever.

“I know…it just seems like one night isn’t enough.” She kisses my chest.

“Hey, we have spring break in two weeks. I got the time off from Barbells. We’ll have a full week together at your parent’s in Colorado,” I mention, hoping to give her something to look forward to.

“Yeah, with the rest of the band and Sadie. God knows what bimbos Trey and Dex might bring,” she laughs.

“We won’t have to worry about it; we’ll have our own room.” I lead her to the door, into the warmth. “Let’s start today off right. Shower?” I question and she smiles.

Jessa starts the shower and I make my way to the living room to retrieve our bags. By the time I make it into the bathroom, Jessa is already in the shower with shampoo resting in her hair, while she rubs soap all over her body. It’s so erotic, watching the water slide down her soapy body, I can’t help but stand here like a peeping tom. Watching her makes me so hard, I start stroking myself. She finally notices me and opens the shower door.

I make my way over and automatically push her against the glass wall. “Fuck me, Grant,” she says. I prop her body up, holding her only by her ass, and insert myself fast. After observing the private showing for a few minutes, I need to be inside her now. Once I enter her, she grips my shoulders, bringing herself higher and then slams down onto me.

“Jessa, you’re fucking amazing,” I groan. Keeping the rhythm up, we eventually come apart all over each other. “I love fucking you and I fucking love you,” I say to her. Letting her feet find the floor again, I wash her body for her.

In return, Jessa washes my hair and soaps my body before we get out. Just as I give her a towel and wrap one around my waist, I hear knocking on the door.

“Oh shit,” I say, “Mrs. Fletcher’s here.” I had completely forgotten she was coming by this morning.

“Mrs. Fletcher? Here? Why?” Jessa hammers me with three questions right in a row, and for the first time I realize my secret could easily come out today.

“Take your time getting ready. I’ll go greet her.” I give her one brief kiss and walk into the bedroom, scrambling to find some clothes. Putting on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, I make my way to the door.

“Hi, Mrs. Fletcher,” I greet her, opening the door for her.

“Everything okay in here? You didn’t call me last night.” She walks right in with a tray covered with foil of something that smells sweet and tasty.

“Yes, sorry about that, we got in late. Thanks for buying those last-minute groceries for us.” I pull out a chair for her and she sits down.

“Oh, Fred did it. No problem. So, where’s the mystery girl anyway?” she stands up and walks to the oven, turning the dials. “Here are some cinnamon rolls. I made them fresh this morning, but since I wanted to give you and your lady friend some time, they aren’t very hot anymore.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Fletcher. It really wasn’t necessary.”

“Hi, Mrs. F.” Jessa hops happily into the room. She’s beautiful with her wet, blonde hair and striking black eyeliner. She’s wearing yoga pants and a sweatshirt, a highly unusual outfit for her, but she pulls it off effortlessly.

“Jessa. You’re the girl?” Mrs. Fletcher sounds surprised and Jessa stops short before giving her a hug, obviously unsure of what her reaction insinuates.

“Yes, she’s the one.” I come alongside Jessa and place my arm around her shoulders.

“Oh my…” Mrs. Fletcher appears taken aback by the revelation and I’m afraid of what’ll come out of her mouth. “That’s wonderful. You finally picked the right one, Grant.” She points her finger at me before embracing Jessa, while I release a relieved breath.

“He’s a good one, Jessa,” she says to her and backs away, looking at me. “And she’s a good one. Don’t mess it up.” She pokes her finger into my chest four times.

“I’ll try,” I laugh, glancing over at Jessa, who still seems unsure of the situation.

“So, Mrs. F, what are you doing here?” she asks.

“Didn’t Grant tell you?” Mrs. Fletcher narrows her eyes at me. She thought I would’ve shared my secret already. “I live up the street with my brother. I stay up here during the winters,” she says, smiling at Jessa and then frowning at me. I know the look all too well; she’s disappointed in me.

“No, he didn’t mention that,” Jessa stares at me, confused. Great, now both women in this house seem to be upset with me.

The oven beeps, informing us that it’s preheated, and I take this opportunity to escape. I place the cinnamon rolls in the oven and start making a pot of coffee.

Once everything is ready, I join them at the table, where they are currently talking about Trey. Lately, he seems different. Jessa tells Mrs. Fletcher how he rarely brings random girls home anymore and she often finds him lying on his bed, staring at some picture. When she confronts him, he says it’s nothing and places the picture back in his drawer.

I hand out the two coffees and put the cinnamon rolls in the center with three plates. I scoop a roll out for each of them and they both smile at me. “Isn’t Grant so polite? I taught him that, you know.” Mrs. Fletcher takes credit for all of my good qualities.

“You did?” Jessa questions, giving me that confused look again. I need to get her out of here before she finds out everything I’ve been keeping from her.

“Living across the street from the Carsens enabled me to spend a lot of time with Grant and Brady when they were little,” she informs Jessa.

“Oh yeah, I think Sadie said something about that once.” Jessa wraps both her hands around her coffee mug and brings it up to her mouth.

“Well, I should probably get going. Didn’t mean to interrupt,” Mrs. Fletcher says, standing up.

“Let me walk you back,” I tell her, silently asking Jessa for permission. She shoos me off with her hand, telling me to go ahead.

I kiss Jessa’s cheek before following Mrs. Fletcher out the front door. With the slick and icy roads, I wish she never would’ve put herself in harm’s way walking to my cabin this morning. She hooks her arm through mine and I hold onto it with my opposite hand, so in case we slip, I’ll keep her steady.

“Grant…”

“I know, Mrs. Fletcher, you don’t have to say it. Everyone’s told me,” I interrupt her.

“What have they said?” she slows our pace. I’m not sure if it’s because of the road conditions or because she wants to talk to me longer.

“Not to hurt her.”

“It’s good that I have something new to say then,” she says, smiling up at me. This woman is so damn special to me. She took care of me like a grandmother since childhood and I hope she isn’t going to tell me she doesn’t like Jessa, because I would hate to disappoint her.

“What’s that?”

“You deserve this, Grant. Don’t think otherwise. I know you’ve been deserted and left behind in the past. You feel as though it’ll always end with a broken heart, but she’s it, Grant. I wouldn’t have thought it, knowing you two apart, but now that I see you together I see it there,” she says, patting my hand that rests on top of hers. We’re almost to her house now and I see Fred throwing down salt on the stairs.

“What’s there?” I ask, stopping at the bottom of the stairs.

“It’s hard to explain. The best way to explain it is the one love of one’s life.” She pats my hand again and I lean over, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks for everything, Mrs. Fletcher,” I say before retreating down the walkway.

“Grant,” she calls out and I turn around.

“It’s not the love you have for her or the love she has for you, it’s the love you build together that will get you through the rough patches you’re sure to experience. Believe in her love, Grant. Don’t worry about heartache, just enjoy your time with her.” I lightly jog back up to her and kiss her on the cheek again.

“Thanks for the advice. I hope I don’t screw it up,” I admit.

“Think of it this way, Grant. If something happened tomorrow, would you have loved her any less?” Her fragile hand pats my bicep. I nod my head, understanding what she means.

I say good-bye to Mrs. Fletcher and give Fred a wave before heading back to my cabin. I do understand what she’s saying, I’m too far in at this point. If this ends badly today or years ahead of now, my heart will still break. I’m too vested in this connection we have, so I might as well enjoy the ride.

Jessa

I sit back down at the table after saying good-bye to Mrs. F and watch Grant walk her down the steps. He obviously loves her, given the caring way he makes sure she’s safe getting back home. A stranger walking by would assume she’s his grandmother. How did I get so lucky to have such a kind-hearted boyfriend with a body that most guys envy and most girls drool over?

After a very brief deliberation, I decide to consume another mouthwatering cinnamon roll made by Mrs. F. I don’t mind eating in front of Grant, but the way I’m scarfing these down, I’m not about to stuff my face in front of him either. Noticing a small white envelope on the table, I reach over to pick it up. There isn’t a name on it so I debate on whether or not to open it, not wanting to overstep my bounds.

Suddenly, a whiff of Mrs. F’s perfume hits my nostrils and I can’t decipher if it has been lingering here since she left or if it’s coming from the envelope. I hesitantly rub my fingers across it. Grant and I have come so far this trip and the last thing I want is another setback. God knows we both have our share of issues, although he’s yet to share his with me. The envelope’s obvious discolored appearance indicates that either the envelope or the letter inside is from years past. Finally, deciding if it was personal it would’ve had his name on it, I open it. Once the letter is out of the envelope, I realize that the strong perfume scent came from the letter itself.

My Dear Grant,

 

I bet I’m surprising you with this letter. I gave it to Mrs. Fletcher, knowing when you found her, you would bring her here. Although I don’t know her, I’m sure she’s wonderful. I’m not trying to rush you, sweetheart, but make a home here with her. It’s not a fancy life and most likely you can’t make a ton of money in an area so desolate, but it’s worth it in the end. I hope you cherish and love this cabin as much as I did.