A Promise Kept (24 page)

“
I
t’s almost midnight
.” Evan glanced at the clock and shifted. The holiday season had approached, and he had decided to stay in Texas. He practically moved in with Grace in the weeks prior, so he bought a small tree and set it up near the large windows in her living room. She had a box of decorations in her garage that she brought up, and old Christmas records played as they decorated together.

She looked at him and smiled. “Evan, thanks for a great Christmas.”

“Presents?” He clapped his hands together, rubbing them as excitement beamed from his expression.

She nodded as they sat near the lit tree. Evan grabbed a large rectangle-shaped box wrapped in shiny red paper and passed it to her. Grace let it rest on her legs as she handed him a Christmas-decorated bag with tissue paper.

“You first.” He studied her hands as they gently tried to peel through the edges of the wrapping. He chuckled as he reached over and ripped part of it clear off. “Just go for it, doll.”

“Hey! I liked the wrapping. I could’ve saved it.” She smirked as she then flew through the paper and ran her hands over a wooden chest. She unhinged the lid, opening the box, which revealed different compartments that housed oil paints, brushes, palette cups, painting knives and other tools. Grace felt prickling of tears begin, but composed herself. “Evan, this is so wonderful.”

“I also bought you some more canvases and an easel, but those are in the spare room. You said you needed to replace some things, so I thought this was a good pick for you.”

“It’s perfect.” She knew how pricey all the supplies were, and he had bought something for her that meant so much. “I feel like my gift isn’t as cool as this.”

She watched as he tore through the tissue paper in the bag and saw his name engraved on a walnut desk wedge. He viewed Grace with a puzzled expression. “A name plaque?”

Grace smiled. “For your new desk. In the garage.”

His face broke into a grin so bright and big that Grace swore she saw the sun. “
The
desk? The desk we worked on together? Where we had our second kiss?
That
desk.”

She nodded. “That desk. And it was our first kiss. The drunk one doesn’t count. Anyway, it’s yours, Evan.”

He reached over, taking her mouth into his and holding her tightly to him. “That’s the most thoughtful thing I’ve ever gotten, Grace.”

“You can’t mean that,” she giggled as he trailed his kisses down her neck.

“Well, I say we go christen said desk, which will just enhance the thoughtfulness of the gift.”

She laughed heartily as he continued the trek of his lips over her. “Desk sex will be new for me.”

“For me too, sunshine,” he whispered in her ear.

The thought of that made her blush and she shuddered in his arms. The phone chime interrupted their moment and Grace groaned. “It’s late.” She dug in her jeans pocket as Evan moved away from her. She looked at the screen and rolled her eyes. “It’s my mother.”

“Maybe it’s an emergency.”

She held out the phone for him to peer at the screen.

She rolled her eyes and didn’t text back. “Never an emergency. Just letting me know she’s alive.” When she looked back at him, he gave her a disapproving countenance. “What, Evan?”

“You could try a little harder with her.”

“Why should I?”

“Maybe she wants to know you better and you’re not letting her. She’s texted you several times and I’ve never seen you respond.”

Grace sighed as she boosted herself from the floor with her wooden box of paints. She set it on the dining table and moved toward the kitchen to clean up. “I don’t know why it matters to you.”

“Because what affects you affects me too, sweetheart.” He got up and followed her. She stood in front of the sink to wash the dishes, but he approached behind her and shut the water off, grabbed her hips and turned her around to face him. His voice lowered as he raised her chin. “Gracie, you gotta let this resentment go. It’s eating at you, baby.”

She stared into his smoky blue eyes and gave a weak smile. “I have my friends. I have you. I have Nathan’s memory. That’s more than enough for me.”

A temperate look crossed his face, and his voice conveyed care. “It would have been nice to know him. To know your family.”

“You and Nathan would’ve gotten along really well.”

He paused in contemplation before asking. “Why don’t you have any family photos up?”

Grace shook her head, unable to fully explain the depth of her pain. “It’s too hard, Evan. It just reminds me of all I lost.”

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, letting her body crush against his. The feel of being with him made her feel comforted and safe. She wished she could bottle the sensation and keep it forever. She might’ve lost her family, but she was gaining so much with Evan. More than she ever imagined.

“Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” he whispered quietly against her.

* * *

T
he beginning
of the year proved to be a busy one. With Evan’s full filming schedule for the month and award season approaching, he knew time with Grace would be limited. She had been so overwhelmed with trying to meet her deadline for her next book, working with the Home Owners Association, and other paperwork that the little time they had together was filled with quick lovemaking that Evan wished would last all day.

Tonight he made it a point to have time set aside. He needed to talk with her, and she had promised she’d meet her word count for the day. He had Zach order from a local pasta place and Evan set the food on the dining table as Grace sat on the couch typing up the last of the pages she needed to hit.

“You almost done, babe?” He served wine as her fingers flew over the keyboard.

“Shh. Just give me a few.” Minutes passed and she sighed as she closed her laptop. “Okay, done for the night.”

“Is Lady Emilia gonna ask Duke Ellington about the affair with Lady Mary?” He handed her a glass of red.

She pushed off the couch and stretched. “You’ll have to wait and see. Sometimes I think you’re worse than my followers.”

“We can’t help it if we’re fangirls,” he joked at her as they clinked their glasses together and sipped on the wine. “So, the Golden Globes are coming up in a few weeks. I’ll have to go to L.A. for it.”

She nodded. “You’re a presenter?”

“Yeah. I don’t always enjoy those things, but with the last movie out this year, they’re starting the promotion process early. Would you want to go with me?”

Grace almost choked on the sip she had just taken from her drink. “You want me to go to the Golden Globes with you?”

“Of course, I wouldn’t want you going with Chris Pine. You’re mine now, Captain Kirk.” He winked at her, giving a small kiss.

“I don’t know.” She never wanted to be thrust in the strange limelight. It seemed so formal. So official. “Walking a red carpet? That’s…scary.”

“It’s not too bad. You could see my house. I’ll get Zach to set up something with a stylist for you to get a dress. You might even revel in getting pampered.” They moved toward the table and enjoyed dinner, but he wouldn’t pressure her to go and told her to think it over.

The night progressed and Evan sat in bed while Grace took a shower. He needed to read through another script that Zach had given him. He had yet to find what he wanted to direct. As he reached for the script on the nightstand, her phone chimed beside him.

He glanced at the message that came in on the screen and saw a text. He scanned the contents and froze, wondering how long Grace had kept important information from him. She came out of the bathroom smiling, freshly showered with her wavy hair draped over her shoulders.

“Grace.” He held out her phone. “You have a text message from Alan.” She stopped in her tracks, her brown eyes widening in fright. “He’s your agent, right? When were you going to tell me about this?”

She gulped and moved forward, snatching the device from his hands, her expression turning suspicious. “You’re snooping on me?”

“No, the phone went off and I saw what it said.”

“You shouldn’t have touched it, Evan.” They stayed silent as she looked down and read her message.

“Grace, he’s saying he needs an answer about the memoir. You told me publishers didn’t want it.” He kept his eyes on her and then scratched his jaw, shaking his head in disappointment. “You lied to me.”

Warning flashed in her eyes as she lifted her head. “I didn’t lie, Evan. I got the offer a few days after I talked to you.”

“That was in December. Why didn’t you tell me? And he says they’re offering more money. What’s going on?” He sat forward, his forearms resting on his knees as he awaited an explanation.

“I told you I wasn’t sure I wanted to publish.” She walked away from him, attempting to clean the top of her dresser and refusing to glance his way. He was already taking it as a sign that she wasn’t up for discussing more with him.

“How much are they proposing?”

“Does it matter?”

“Yes. What did they offer?”

She barely moved her head to look at him through the mirror. “A lot.”

“And you haven’t said yes?” He laughed out of shock as he got out of bed and moved to her. “Grace, this is it for you. This is exciting!”

“I told you I’m not sure I’m publishing.”

“Why?”

“It’s too personal.”

He stared down at her as she busied herself. “Look at me, Grace.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“We have to.”

“Can we not?”

“I think you’re making a big mistake. You’re afraid of your parents, of what they’ll say, of what others will think about your story, but nothing ever came of playing it safe, babe.”

She made a face and dismissed him, trying to pull down the emotions that were hitting her. “That has nothing to do with it.”

He grabbed her arm and turned her to face him. “Look at me, Gracie. It has everything to do with it.”

She shoved him away defensively. “You’re one to talk, Matthews.”

“What?”

“You’re a hypocrite. Let’s analyze you for a change. You haven’t said yes to the John Whitford project. Why?”

“Gracie—”

“No. You’re terrified that you might tank in his blockbuster. Or is it that you’ll get more critical acclaim than you want? Which is it, Evan?”

“That’s not what this is—”

“Isn’t it? Why aren’t you taking the role? You’re stalling on what could be the biggest move of your career. Why?”

He stayed silent, looking at her directly. His jaw ticked as he finally tilted his head toward her. “I said yes to it.” He clasped her face in his hands as she froze. “Mike was trying to get more money, despite me not giving a flying fuck over a few million more. Sometimes Hollywood deals take a while, princess.”

She wriggled away from him and moved toward her bed, annoyance flaring. “Well, aren’t you just Mr. I’m-so-perfect-I-always-do-the-right-thing Matthews?” She rearranged her pillows and crawled in sinking down on the mattress.

“We’re not done talking, baby. You need to figure this shit out.”

Grace growled at him and sat back up. “Why, Evan? What do you want me to tell you? That I’m frightened? Fine, I admit it. I am.” Her voice shook as it filled the room. “My parents already hate me as it is. The guilt I feel is still so overwhelming at times, I feel like I can’t breathe. They’re going to be able to read and relive every single detail about it, and know exactly what was going on in my head the moment their precious boy died. What he looked like, what he felt like in my arms, the shit I went through afterwards. The spiraling depression and fear and anger and hurt and blame, and how they abandoned me. I was so alone and I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. How could I inflict that on them? It’s just more pain and suffering to add to their lives, and to put it out into the world and let others know it’s there, in public, for anyone to read isn’t fair to them.”

He sat near her, gathering her in his arms as she tried holding back her tears. “They didn’t abandon you, Grace. Your mom still tries to talk to you. I’m sure it would be difficult for them to read, but it’ll also give them an insight to your life.”