A.P.?

What?

Before I could react, he kissed my cheek again and turned around, walking back to the tavern. I stood there, frozen as I pieced together where I’d heard that name before.

A.P., A.P….

Someone took my hand, and I walked over to Will, all of us setting up for a picture as my feet moved of their own volition.

And then it hit me. Reverie Cross. Edward McClanahan’s best friend and Reverie Cross’s boyfriend. The rumor that Reverie might not have jumped. The rumor that Edward or his friend or both of them…

Oh, my God.

I shot my eyes over to A.P., seeing him chat with Banks, both of them deep in discussion, and I turned to Will, wide-eyed. “A.P.?” I blurted out, gesturing to his grandfather.

William Aaron Paine Grayson, Sr.

The corner of Will’s lips turned up. “Well, you’ll never be bored with me, at least, right?”

I gaped at him, but then…a laugh escaped, not sure how to react to anything anymore, especially after the events of tonight.

Jesus Christ. After helping Damon bury a body, getting kidnapped, making the great train escape, and everything that went down tonight, I supposed a sixty-year-old murder mystery could sit for another evening or two more.

Bored, he’d said.

No, Will Grayson. That was one problem you and I would never have.

Emory

Present

“So, you want a honeymoon?” Will asked, caressing my arm as he held me in his arms.

“If you want.”

His body shook under me with a laugh. “That sounds enthusiastic.”

I grinned, slipping my hand up his shirt as we laid on a pile of canvas cloth on the floor behind the stage. The catwalk loomed above us, wires, ropes, and cords dangling every which way, and I couldn’t even remember what the movie was about last night, because both times we tried to watch it, we just wanted to watch each other instead. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him.

“I’m not in a hurry to leave again if you want to wait.” I nestled into his warm body. “I just want you right now. The Eiffel Tower or the Mayan ruins or whatever you have planned would just go to waste on me when I only want this.”

We’d been apart too long, and I was in need.

Sliding my leg over his body, my jeans somewhere on the floor and my bra who-knew-where, I climbed up his body as his hands slipped up my thighs and gripped my ass.

“Maybe stay here and take a tour of the Bell Tower and the cemetery,” I taunted, kissing those tattoos on his arm and chest. “Do some climbing and have a tasting of the best cuisine Thunder Bay has to offer.” I bit his nipple, tugging it and then licking it. “Lots of tastings.”

He shivered and smiled, bringing me up and kissing my mouth. All I wanted to see in the world right now was him sweaty, him wet, him walking naked from our bed to the shower, him tied up underneath me…

He put his arms behind his head as I kissed his body and rubbed him everywhere.

“I’m putting a down payment on my old house,” I told him, nibbling his neck and breaking the news while he was weak. “We don’t have to live there. I’m just not ready to lose it yet.”

When I saw it was for sale, I sent Alex to the realtor after the dress shop, so my brother wouldn’t know it was me buying it. I still might sell it. I just didn’t want to lose it before I was ready.

He stopped me, looking down as his thumbs rubbed circles on my face. “It has so many bad memories, Em.”

I know. But…

“I’m not giving him that power,” I told my husband. “That’s my family’s home. My grandmother grew up there. My mother and I did, as well.”

That house was more than just Martin.

He gazed into my eyes, and after a moment, nodded. “Okay.”

I dipped down and kissed him on the lips, soft, slow, and deep as I grinded on him through his jeans.

He gasped, chuckling. “Oh, baby. As much as I don’t want you dressed, I need to eat.” He groaned as I kept going. “Can you stay here? I’ll go grab us some bagels and coffee or something?”

At the mention of bagels, my stomach growled.

Shit. Food would actually be good, but I didn’t want him to leave me.

“I’ll come with you,” I said, looking down at him.

“Yeah?” He shot up and gave me a peck on the lips. “All right, let’s go.”

We threw on our clothes from last night, and I was kind of anxious to get to the hospital and check on Alex, and check in with the police to make sure there was nothing hanging over our heads regarding Martin.

It still hadn’t hit me yet, except for the slight thump in my chest when I thought about them going over that cliff. I should be wrecked, right?

For some reason, I didn’t hate him.

But there was that tear in the membrane again, my emotions muddled and confusing. His end wasn’t going to go any other way.

We left the theater and locked up, Will taking my hand and leading me past Sticks toward the bagel shop, but I looked over toward the gazebo and saw Damon straddling the railing and disconnecting the lights they’d installed for the ceremony.

I stopped and looked at Will. “Can you grab us a table? I’ll be there in a minute.”

He followed my gaze, seeing his friend at the top of the hill and then back to me. “Sure.”

He kissed me and left, and I pushed my hair behind my ear, crossing the street in a jog.

Orange and red leaves fell from the trees, and the chill in the air nipped at my nose, but there Damon was, black T-shirt and no jacket as the wind blew through his black hair.

Decorations hung from lamp posts, and people walked to work dressed in costumes for Halloween.

I stopped, looking up at him and taking in the beautiful work, the solid build and foundation, and the jingles in the trees from the chandelier crystals rustling in the wind.

“I drew up blueprints for a gazebo just like this,” I told him. “But with marble instead of wrought iron.”

I gazed at him knowingly, and he just shot me a glance but kept silent.

“I like the wrought iron,” I said. “It was a good choice.”

He’d found my design and built it. The one I did after I lost my heart for the other gazebo and just forced the finish, instead of doing it right.

Hopping off the railing, he dipped down, picked something up, and tossed it over the side, into my arms.

I caught the coffee can, recognizing the mustard yellow container.

“We found it when we were digging the new foundation,” he told me.

I opened it up, finding what I knew I’d find. A plastic bag with the necktie, the Ride All Night bracelet, and the empty box of Milk Duds from Will’s and my first date.

My throat swelled with a lump. “Thanks.”

He descended the stairs and walked up next to me, both of us looking up at the beautiful work he’d done.

“Thank you for this. It’s better than I imagined it.”

“Well, let’s face it,” he replied. “That other gazebo was a freshman effort.”

I chuckled. Yeah, thanks.

A smile played on his lips as he studied his work. “This is the one you had your heart in. I liked the idea for the chandeliers.”

I wanted to ask him why he did it. Why he put in the time and effort, but I knew he’d only respond with a flippant remark. Maybe he felt he owed me something after I helped him that night in the cemetery, or maybe he felt guilty about the fire.