Always on My Mind
Page 60
“Now that every Sullivan from around the world has arrived for our family reunion,” Lori said to Grayson, “do I need to get you a bag to hyperventilate into?”
Despite the dozens of Sullivans and spouses and kids and animals running loose all around them, Grayson wrapped a lock of Lori’s long hair around his fingers and tugged her closer, as if they were the only two people in the world. “I’ve got a much better idea for what to do with my mouth.”
Even though they’d kissed approximately a trillion times during the past three months, it felt like the first time all over again as Lori’s heart raced, she lost her breath, and her toes tingled in her cowboy boots while her fiancé showed her, yet again, just how much he loved her.
“Seriously, though,” she said when he finally let her come up for air and her synapses had begun to fire again, “you’re amazing for agreeing to have so many people here on your farm.”
“Not my farm. Our farm.” He stroked her hair one last time, then moved his hand down past her shoulder and over her arm to leave a path of tingles all across her skin, before he slid his fingers through hers. “And you know I like your family.” He lowered his cowboy hat against the bright sunlight as he looked out at the huge group of Sullivans. “Even if there are a whole hell of a lot of them.”
Just then, she saw one more rental car pull into the makeshift parking area they’d set up by the side of the barn. Grayson’s mother and father got out. His hand tightened slightly in hers and she lifted it to her mouth to press a kiss to it before saying, “I’m so glad your parents happened to plan their trip for this weekend, too.” It had been a surprising coincidence of timing when he’d told her about their travel plans, but of course she’d been thrilled by the news.
Not wanting the Tylers to feel at all out of place around her big family, she made sure to hurry over to give each of them a warm hug. “I’m so glad you could come for a visit.” When she and Grayson had visited them on their estate in New York a month earlier, she’d been able to see just how much they loved their son, even if they weren’t great at saying the words aloud. Just as she’d known better than to wait for Grayson to invite her into his heart, she knew she couldn’t let him and his parents wait any longer for each other, either.
He shook his father’s hand and put his arms around his mother, and Lori happily noticed that they all held on just a little bit longer than they had a month ago. People said miracles couldn’t happen overnight, but wasn’t that how quickly love had blossomed between her and Grayson? And hadn’t life always been one miracle tumbling and leaping after another, from her family to dancing to her little nieces and nephews to the man standing beside her?
A few moments later, her mother was there to welcome Gina and Brent Tyler. Lori loved watching the effect her mother had on people—the way she immediately made them feel relaxed and appreciated.
“You raised a wonderful son,” Mary Sullivan told the Tylers. “Every single day I’m so happy that he and Lori found each other.”
As Grayson drew Lori even closer and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, his mother’s eyes grew damp. “Yes,” she agreed, “they are a perfect match, aren’t they?”
Funny, right then it looked as though his parents and her mother and then Grayson, too, were all sharing a secret look. Suddenly, her mother turned to Lori and said, “Did you hear about the great surprise your sister put together for the girls? She brought in several hairdressers and makeup artists to fix all of us up before the big family pictures are taken. They’re all set up and waiting for us in your new dance studio.”
“That sounds fun,” Lori said, even though she couldn’t figure out why her twin would have any interest at all in something like that, considering Sophie wore almost no makeup and rarely needed to do anything to her long, glossy hair to make it look great. “Can you let her know I’ll head over later? First I’d like to give Grayson’s parents a tour of the—”
Grayson cut off her sentence in his favorite way: with a kiss. Sometimes she would run off at the mouth even when she had nothing whatsoever to say, just to score more kisses.
“Go with your mother,” he told her. “I’ll show my parents around.”
She had thought he’d want her there with his parents as a buffer, just in case things got awkward again, but now she realized he probably wanted some alone time with them. “Okay.” Only, when she went to walk away, he didn’t let go of her hand.
She looked down at their entwined hands and was about to make a funny comment about his needing to let go of her when she looked up into his face.
The sheer depth of the love in his eyes had her forgetting everything except her own love for him. Her mother’s arm around her waist was the only reason she could have walked away from him just then.
“You really did find a wonderful man, honey,” Mary said as they headed off toward the studio Grayson had built for her. “It’s hard to believe he hasn’t always been a part of the family, isn’t it?”
Over the past three months, Lori had watched a truly special bond develop between her fiancé and her mother. She figured part of it was that they had both lost a spouse and understood each other’s pain in a way that other people never would. But just as her mother had said, their relationship went deeper than that. Grayson was already family—a total guy with her brothers, the sweetest uncle-to-be ever to the babies and Summer, and always there to help out a Sullivan in need.
“I can hardly wait to marry him,” she told her mother. “If I could, I’d do it today.”
A few moments later, the two of them stepped in through the door of the studio. Several of the best hair and makeup artists that her brother Chase had worked with over the years were already working their magic on Sophie, Nicola, Chloe, Megan and her eight-year-old daughter Summer, Heather, Vicki, and Valentina. Growing up, Lori had always longed for more than one sister, and every day she gave thanks for the amazing women her brothers had found.
Summer clapped her hands and said, “Lori’s here!” Megan’s eyes got big for a moment before she leaned over to whisper something to Summer that had her daughter smiling and zipping her fingers across her lips.
“Your farm is amazing,” Nicola said as she handed Lori a glass of champagne and led her over to an empty chair. “What a great place for a family reunion.”
Despite the dozens of Sullivans and spouses and kids and animals running loose all around them, Grayson wrapped a lock of Lori’s long hair around his fingers and tugged her closer, as if they were the only two people in the world. “I’ve got a much better idea for what to do with my mouth.”
Even though they’d kissed approximately a trillion times during the past three months, it felt like the first time all over again as Lori’s heart raced, she lost her breath, and her toes tingled in her cowboy boots while her fiancé showed her, yet again, just how much he loved her.
“Seriously, though,” she said when he finally let her come up for air and her synapses had begun to fire again, “you’re amazing for agreeing to have so many people here on your farm.”
“Not my farm. Our farm.” He stroked her hair one last time, then moved his hand down past her shoulder and over her arm to leave a path of tingles all across her skin, before he slid his fingers through hers. “And you know I like your family.” He lowered his cowboy hat against the bright sunlight as he looked out at the huge group of Sullivans. “Even if there are a whole hell of a lot of them.”
Just then, she saw one more rental car pull into the makeshift parking area they’d set up by the side of the barn. Grayson’s mother and father got out. His hand tightened slightly in hers and she lifted it to her mouth to press a kiss to it before saying, “I’m so glad your parents happened to plan their trip for this weekend, too.” It had been a surprising coincidence of timing when he’d told her about their travel plans, but of course she’d been thrilled by the news.
Not wanting the Tylers to feel at all out of place around her big family, she made sure to hurry over to give each of them a warm hug. “I’m so glad you could come for a visit.” When she and Grayson had visited them on their estate in New York a month earlier, she’d been able to see just how much they loved their son, even if they weren’t great at saying the words aloud. Just as she’d known better than to wait for Grayson to invite her into his heart, she knew she couldn’t let him and his parents wait any longer for each other, either.
He shook his father’s hand and put his arms around his mother, and Lori happily noticed that they all held on just a little bit longer than they had a month ago. People said miracles couldn’t happen overnight, but wasn’t that how quickly love had blossomed between her and Grayson? And hadn’t life always been one miracle tumbling and leaping after another, from her family to dancing to her little nieces and nephews to the man standing beside her?
A few moments later, her mother was there to welcome Gina and Brent Tyler. Lori loved watching the effect her mother had on people—the way she immediately made them feel relaxed and appreciated.
“You raised a wonderful son,” Mary Sullivan told the Tylers. “Every single day I’m so happy that he and Lori found each other.”
As Grayson drew Lori even closer and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, his mother’s eyes grew damp. “Yes,” she agreed, “they are a perfect match, aren’t they?”
Funny, right then it looked as though his parents and her mother and then Grayson, too, were all sharing a secret look. Suddenly, her mother turned to Lori and said, “Did you hear about the great surprise your sister put together for the girls? She brought in several hairdressers and makeup artists to fix all of us up before the big family pictures are taken. They’re all set up and waiting for us in your new dance studio.”
“That sounds fun,” Lori said, even though she couldn’t figure out why her twin would have any interest at all in something like that, considering Sophie wore almost no makeup and rarely needed to do anything to her long, glossy hair to make it look great. “Can you let her know I’ll head over later? First I’d like to give Grayson’s parents a tour of the—”
Grayson cut off her sentence in his favorite way: with a kiss. Sometimes she would run off at the mouth even when she had nothing whatsoever to say, just to score more kisses.
“Go with your mother,” he told her. “I’ll show my parents around.”
She had thought he’d want her there with his parents as a buffer, just in case things got awkward again, but now she realized he probably wanted some alone time with them. “Okay.” Only, when she went to walk away, he didn’t let go of her hand.
She looked down at their entwined hands and was about to make a funny comment about his needing to let go of her when she looked up into his face.
The sheer depth of the love in his eyes had her forgetting everything except her own love for him. Her mother’s arm around her waist was the only reason she could have walked away from him just then.
“You really did find a wonderful man, honey,” Mary said as they headed off toward the studio Grayson had built for her. “It’s hard to believe he hasn’t always been a part of the family, isn’t it?”
Over the past three months, Lori had watched a truly special bond develop between her fiancé and her mother. She figured part of it was that they had both lost a spouse and understood each other’s pain in a way that other people never would. But just as her mother had said, their relationship went deeper than that. Grayson was already family—a total guy with her brothers, the sweetest uncle-to-be ever to the babies and Summer, and always there to help out a Sullivan in need.
“I can hardly wait to marry him,” she told her mother. “If I could, I’d do it today.”
A few moments later, the two of them stepped in through the door of the studio. Several of the best hair and makeup artists that her brother Chase had worked with over the years were already working their magic on Sophie, Nicola, Chloe, Megan and her eight-year-old daughter Summer, Heather, Vicki, and Valentina. Growing up, Lori had always longed for more than one sister, and every day she gave thanks for the amazing women her brothers had found.
Summer clapped her hands and said, “Lori’s here!” Megan’s eyes got big for a moment before she leaned over to whisper something to Summer that had her daughter smiling and zipping her fingers across her lips.
“Your farm is amazing,” Nicola said as she handed Lori a glass of champagne and led her over to an empty chair. “What a great place for a family reunion.”
