“Tell me about it,” Alice said. “I nearly had to pull the same kind of blackmail just to get them on the freaking phone. But seriously, none of us had any idea, and I know you’ve felt pressure about that for a long time. It’s not fair for them to try to force you into it.”
“I really appreciate it, Alice. Truly.” The grind of tires came from outside. “I think Grant just got here, so I have to go. But we’ll talk soon?”
“I’d like that. Have fun!”
I ended the call and took a moment to melt into the sofa. The trust was mine. That kind of money was enough to keep the clinic going indefinitely. And Grant was here. This was one of the best days ever.
Truck doors slammed, and I went to the front door. Grant was there, walking on his own two feet. He was slow—surgery was surgery, and there would be more time to recover fully, but everything looked good.
Noah waved from the truck and pulled out of the driveway.
“He’s not coming in?”
Grant’s smile was so wide I thought it might break his face. “I made it very clear that staying wasn’t an option.”
“Aww, we could have given him coffee at least.”
He came up the steps. “He has coffee at home. You and I are celebrating our first night in our house, and I want to get started on that.”
As he finished the words, he reached out, tugging me into his arms and kissing me. My body went fluid, molding to his. We’d kissed in the hospital, wishing we could tear each other’s clothes off.
Grant shut the door behind us. “I’m not allowed to lift things yet, so I can’t carry you upstairs. But I need you up there. Now.”
I wasn’t arguing, not letting go of his hand the whole way up the stairs. We would take it slow and gentle and easy.
There would be other times for hard and fast. Other times for rope and kink, and I looked forward to it in a way that took my breath away.
But right now, it would just be me and the man I loved and nothing but slow, sweet time.