The Weight of Words (The WORDS Series) (29 page)

I stared out at the road for a moment, not sure what I was supposed to do. Assuming Daniel would contact me to clarify what he’d had in mind for the afternoon, I turned and started making my way back to Jackman Hall. As I passed through the quad, it occurred to me that everything at Vic had taken on new significance. The maple tree, the bench in front of the library, the gatehouse—memories of the small romantic moments Daniel and I had exchanged over the past few days permeated everything.

I was passing through the gatehouse, revisiting that fabulous hug we’d shared, when my phone vibrated in my purse. I stopped to dig it out of my bag, my heart galloping as I answered.

“Daniel, where are you?”

“I take it you’re alone? Are you home yet?”

“Not exactly.” I laughed. “I guess you could say I’m stuck in memory lane.”

“I’m almost at the Four Seasons, just north of Bloor. I parked my car in their underground garage. Can you swing by?”

Could I swing by? Would my feet make it all the way to the corner of Bloor and Avenue? Hell, I’d crawl if I had to!

“I can be there in ten minutes.”

“Perfect. I’ll wait for you in the lobby.”

I hurried up Avenue Road as best I could. Crossing Bloor Street, I peered up at the Four Seasons. I’d never seen the inside of the hotel. Yet another place representing how the other half lived. Daniel was apparently a lifetime member of this other half. I experienced a twinge of self-doubt as I contemplated how different our backgrounds were, but I quickly squashed it. Daniel wanted to spend time with me, so why question it?

When I reached the hotel entrance, a doorman ushered me inside. A few people were sitting on the leather couches in the center of the lobby, luggage around their feet. Tourists. My footsteps echoed on the marble floor as I wandered around, peering behind plants and pillars. Daniel was nowhere to be seen. Had I come to the right place?

I was biting my thumbnail hesitantly, considering whether I should ask the concierge if there was another lobby, when I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye. Off to the left of the elevators, a door opened and Daniel looked out, gesturing with his hand for me to join him. I smiled and made my way across the room and through the door. He was leaning against the wall in the stairwell, his coat hanging over the railing.

“Get over here,” he whispered, pushing himself off the wall and opening his arms to me. I reached his outstretched hands and folded myself into his embrace. He pulled me close and sighed with pleasure. I responded with a sigh of my own.

Being in his arms was pure, unadulterated joy.

Chapter 19

Madness

Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs;
Being purg’d, a fire sparkling in lovers’ eyes;
Being vex’d a sea nourished with lovers’ tears:
What is it else? a madness most discreet...
(
Romeo and Juliet
, Act I, Scene 1)

H
E
H
ELD
M
E
T
IGHTLY
, the angle of his head forcing me to nuzzle into his neck—right where his cologne lived. His hands wandered under my coat, fingers roaming up and down my back. I willed him to slide his hands underneath my sweater, but he didn’t. Instead, he slowly pulled my coat off and tossed it over the stair railing before pulling me back into his arms.

I shivered and slipped my arms inside his suit jacket and around his waist, feeling the warmth of his chest against mine. He didn’t object or pull away. In fact, he pulled me against him even more tightly.

“I was so afraid I wouldn’t get a chance to do this today,” he whispered.

“Mmm, me too.”

Who was I kidding? I was afraid I wouldn’t get to do this until
May
.

I explored the taut muscles of his back. Humming contentedly, he brought his hands up to cradle my face, caressing my cheeks and gazing into my eyes.

Daniel, please, kiss me
. I looked at his lips eagerly, but he simply rested his face against mine.

“You have no idea how much I wanted to pull you into my arms as soon as you walked into that church,” he murmured against my temple. “You look lovely today.”

“You look pretty incredible yourself,” I said, shyly smiling, overwhelmed by his complimentary words. “Great suit,” I added, running my hands down the lapels of his jacket.

“I’m glad you approve,” he said. “I had one hell of a time trying to decide which tie to wear.”

He actually blushed. Adorable. I was trying to decide whether this suit surpassed the one he’d worn to Canoe. I hadn’t gotten a close-up look at him that night, and this was the first time I’d seen him in a tie. Damn, he wore it well. I pictured him standing in front of his mirror, agonizing over which one worked best with the suit.

I snuggled into him. “You realize we’re skulking in a corner again, right?”

“Have I mentioned how much I love skulking with you?” He tucked a wayward lock of hair behind my ear.

“Not yet. Personally, I think I’d prefer not having to skulk.”

“All in good time,” he said, smiling at me gently.

“Fifty-five days?”

“Ish,” he countered.

Ish?
My eyebrows went up. “Come on, sunshine, fifty-five days is bad enough.”

He leaned back against the wall, hands resting on my waist. “Think about how incredible being together will be after having to wait fifty-five-ish days, not to mention the thirty-ish we’ve already suffered through.”

“That’s not much comfort,” I said, tugging gently on his tie.

“Sorry, Aubrey. We both knew this wasn’t going to be easy.” His face fell. “Are you hungry?”

“I suppose so. What did you have in mind?”

“You look absolutely ravishing, and we are mere footsteps away from a couple of great restaurants. How about we have lunch? I have to spend some time with you today or I’ll go crazy.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Daniel.”

“I happen to know of a discreet little corner in the Avenue Lounge that would be perfect for a leisurely lunch. Besides, the odds of someone we know being here are slim to none. Please say yes.” He took my hands in his.

“It’s your ass on the line,” I said. “I’m trying to give you an out here.”

“I don’t want an out. I want to treat you to lunch. Please?”

I crumbled when he batted his long eyelashes. “Of course I’d love to have lunch with you.” I sighed. “It’s your call. If you’re fine with it, then I am too.”

He smiled and turned to grab our coats. “This way,” he said, opening the door and directing me through the lobby.

“Two for lunch?” the hostess asked, looking at Daniel to confirm.

“Yes, please, and I’d like that table by the screen.” He pointed to the corner of the restaurant where a table was partially hidden from view by a decorative folding screen and a large plant.

“Of course, sir.”

She led us to the table. Daniel pulled out my chair and draped my coat over the seat back before sitting down opposite me. He had a clear view of the restaurant, and he took a minute, eyes narrowed, to scan the other occupants of the room.

“What do you think?” I said.

He relaxed back into his chair and smiled. “The coast is clear.”

“Good. So tell me, Mr. Grant, do you come here a lot?”

“This is where I bring all of my unwitting victims, Miss Price,” he said, grinning mischievously. I studied his face.

“You looked just like Jeremy for a second. Sometimes I think you’re nothing alike, but sometimes when you smile, I can really see the similarities.”

Daniel leaned on the table, hands clasped, eyes drifting over my shoulder for a few seconds.

“There’s a very good reason why he doesn’t look like my brother. You see, he’s not.”

“He’s not? What? I don’t understand.”

“It’s a long story, but oddly relevant given the day we’ve had.” Daniel fiddled idly with his fork. “When we were little, Jeremy’s parents—my aunt and uncle—went on a holiday to my family’s house in the south of France. Jeremy stayed with us. While they were there, his parents were killed in a car accident. The driver of the other car was impaired.”

“God, that’s awful.”

Daniel nodded. “Brad was five. Jeremy and I were three. He’s lived with us ever since. He doesn’t remember his own parents.”

“Wow. I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything. I just wanted you to know. It’s a shitty situation. He has a few issues because of it. He’s a nervous driver, and he goes ballistic when he sees people drinking and driving.”

“That’s understandable.”

“He’s mellowed a hell of a lot, but he had some problems in high school. He felt as if people didn’t understand him. He’s never felt sorry for himself or tried to use his predicament to win pity votes or anything, though. He’s a phenomenal person.” Daniel tapped his index finger on the table. “Anyway, that’s why I feel so horrible about this business with Julie, especially now that I’ve gotten to know her. I’d hate to feel responsible for Jeremy not having a chance to meet a great girl and have some fun.”

“Does that mean you
do
want me to give her his number?”

“I don’t know. I was thinking maybe he could join us tomorrow night.”

“Really?”

Daniel grimaced. “Bad idea?”

“It might be awkward, you know, setting them up while we’re hiding behind the TA-student thing. It could be messy, especially after today. Julie saw us looking at each other in the church. She asked me outright what was going on with us, and I had to lie to her. It was awful.”

“I can’t help it, Aubrey. When we’re together, I lose all ability to reason.” He moved his leg under the table and pressed his foot against mine as if to make his point clearer. “I shouldn’t have looked at your note in the church in front of everyone, but I was dying of curiosity,” he admitted sheepishly. “After I’d read your words, it took every ounce of self-control not to run down that aisle, sweep you into my arms, and carry you out the door.”

“I’m glad you liked it.” I smiled at him. “But we do need to be more careful,” I said, aware that having lunch together in a hotel wasn’t careful at all.

“I hear you.” He scanned the room again, looking back at me and shrugging, satisfied that we were safe in our anonymity. “Let me think a little more about what to do about Julie and Jeremy, okay?”

“Of course. It’s your call.”

He picked up a menu. “Anyway, enough of all that. Would you like a glass of wine or something? You like red, if I remember correctly?”

I laughed. “I’m surprised you remember
anything
from that night.”

“Oh, there are a few choice
ass
pects of that evening that are indelibly imprinted on my memory.” Daniel chuckled at his own joke.

“There are a few things I’d be
hard-pressed
to forget as well,” I said.

He shifted in his chair and smirked at me. “Very clever. So, anyway, drink?”

“I can’t always be responsible for my behavior after a few glasses of red wine.”

“Well, that’s decided. A bottle of red it is.”

He snapped the wine menu closed, and I chuckled. “We can’t drink a whole bottle of red wine. You have to drive.”

“I know. I’m kidding,” he said, before dropping his voice to a lower register and adding, “Sort of.”

Noticing our closed menus, the waitress approached. “Are you ready to order?” she asked.

“I’m afraid we haven’t even looked yet,” Daniel said. “But we’d like some wine. I think we’ll go with a half-liter of the Argentinean Malbec.”

“Of course,” she said, disappearing to place our order.

“So, any menu recommendations?” I asked him.

“Everything’s wonderful. You’re not a vegetarian, right? You had turkey the other day, but do you eat red meat?”

I couldn’t help smiling. We really did have so much to learn about each other. The thrill of a new relationship, the whole process of getting to know someone—it was so exciting.

“I am most definitely
not
a vegetarian, and I’m willing to try anything once.”

“That’s good to hear,” he said with a saucy grin.

I shook my head and looked back down at my menu, pretending exasperation. He really was incorrigible.

“So, I noticed you tossed out the countdown of fifty-five days pretty quickly earlier. I gather you like the calendar?”

“I love it,” I said. “I could totally picture you sitting at Starbucks, painstakingly writing out those notes for me.”

“So you’re saying I’m pussy-whipped?” he asked, furrowing his brows.

“Hell, yeah, I’ve got you right where I want you.”