Carter Grayson Read online

  “Well, the only way you’ll find out is if you ask that someone.”

  “And what if she says no?”

  “What if she says yes?” I smiled.

  “Okay, here it goes. Will you move in with me, Zoey?”

  “Yes. I would love to move in with you, Carter.”

  A wide grin crossed his lips.

  “Do you know how happy that makes me that you said yes?”

  “Do you know how happy that makes me that you asked?”

  “I guess we’re just two happy people, aren’t we?” He grinned.

  “Yes, we are.”

  He rolled me over on my back and hovered over me.

  “I love you,” he spoke.

  “I love you too.”

  ****

  Two Weeks Later

  When Carter Grayson decided he wanted something, he didn’t wait. The minute we landed in New York, he took me over to look at the penthouse we’d be living in. Needless to say, I fell in love with it the moment I stepped inside the six-bedroom, six-bathroom beauty. Because he decided to sell his other penthouse fully furnished, we spent the last two weeks shopping every day for furniture for every room in the house.

  While the moving company was at our new home unpacking all the kitchen stuff and putting it away, Sadie kept a very close eye on them, directing them to where she wanted everything to go. I could hear my phone ringing from the other room, and when I picked it up, I saw it was Holly calling.

  “Hello.”

  “What are you doing right now?”

  “Just getting settled into the new penthouse. What are you doing?”

  “Standing at your elevator waiting to come up.”

  “Oh my God! Come up! I can’t wait for you to see it.”

  I stood in front of the elevator doors, and when they opened, I gave Holly a big hug. I hadn’t seen her in a while with all the craziness.

  “What the hell, Zoey? This is gorgeous!” she spoke as she looked around.

  I gave her the grand tour and Sadie made us each a cup of coffee. Taking it over to the couch, we sat down.

  “I’ve missed you so much.” I smiled at her.

  “I’ve missed you too. I have some great news to tell you.”

  “What?”

  “I’m moving to the city and I’m opening up my own hair salon and spa!” she screeched with excitement.

  I bounced up and down on the couch as I reached over and hugged her.

  “Where are you moving and where is your shop going to be?”

  “Well.” She grinned. “The shop is located at East 34th Street and I’m moving into this building in an apartment on the fourth floor! I’ve been in cahoots with your amazing boyfriend. He happens to own the building over on East 34th and he’s giving me a super low rent deal on an apartment here. I take back every bad thing I ever said about him.” She laughed.

  “What? When did this happen?”

  About a week ago. I ran into him on the street, we got to talking, and he made it happen.”

  “That’s right. I remember him telling me he ran into you. But he didn’t tell me about anything else.”

  “That’s because I wanted it to be a surprise, sweetheart.” Carter grinned as he walked over and kissed me. “Hello, Holly.”

  “Hey, Carter.”

  “Carter, thank you.” I stood up and hugged him.

  “The two of you are soul sisters and you shouldn’t be living far apart. Plus, Holly told me she wanted to open her own shop one day and I just happened to have the perfect building. You can properly thank me later.” He winked before kissing my lips. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to make sure my office here is set up.”

  “I can’t believe the change in him,” Holly spoke. “You did real good, Zoey.”

  “I believe it. He just needed to accept a few things.” I smiled.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Carter

  We lay in bed, wrapped in each other’s arms after making passionate love on our first night in our new home in our new bed. A bed that I would only ever share with her. Something had been gnawing at me for the past couple of weeks and I didn’t know how to approach her about it. But, I just decided I needed to get it over with.

  “There’s something we need to talk about, Zoey. Something that’s been on my mind for a while.”

  She lifted her head from my chest and stared up at me.

  “What is it? It sounds serious.”

  I took in a deep breath.

  “Have you given any thought about your job? I mean, I know you’ve taken a lot of time off since everything that’s happened, and now that we’re settled in here, I just was wondering what you’re going to do. I’m not thrilled with you having to leave and live somewhere else while you take care of your patients.”

  “I know.” She pressed her lips against my chest. “I’d been thinking about that also. I love my job, but things are different now. I still want to be a hospice nurse, so I’m going to have to figure things out. Meanwhile, I have enough money saved that I can take off some more time to figure it out.”

  “Money will never be an issue for you again. So, don’t worry about that. I have all the money you need.”

  “Thank you, my love. But I would like to earn my own money.”

  “I understand that. You are a very independent woman.” I kissed her head.

  I silently let out a sigh of relief. She was on the same page I was and I couldn’t be happier. While she was figuring out what she wanted to do, I was working out an idea in my head. But I didn’t want to mention it to her until I planned to put things in motion.

  ****

  Three Weeks Later

  “It’s good to see you so happy again, Carter,” Ross spoke as he sat across from me.

  “Thanks, man. I am happy and it feels really good.”

  “How’s that deal coming along?”

  “It’s done. I got the call this morning. I can’t wait to run it by Zoey.”

  “And what if she’s not too keen about it?”

  “I think she will be. But if she isn’t, then I’ll sell the building.”

  “You’ll take a huge loss. You paid a pretty penny for that.”

  “I’m not worried about it. If I take a loss, I take a loss. I’m pretty confident that everything will work out. In fact, I’m going to pick up the keys now and then I’m going to call Zoey.”

  ****

  Zoey

  I was helping Holly at her new shop when my phone rang.

  “Hey, baby,” I answered.

  “Hello, gorgeous. What are doing right now?”

  “Helping Holly at the shop. What are you doing?”

  “Hoping you’ll meet me somewhere. Is there any way you can escape for a while?”

  “Sure. Where do you want to meet?”

  “854 Fifth Avenue. Just let me know when you’re on your way.”

  “I can meet you there in about fifteen minutes. May I ask why we’re meeting there?”

  “You’ll see when you get here. I love you, darling.”

  “I love you too. See you soon.”

  “I sure hope that was Carter you were talking to.” Holly smirked.

  “Of course it was.” I laughed. “I have to meet him at 854 Fifth Avenue, so I’m going to take off. I can come back after?”

  “Nah. That’s okay. I’m doing interviews for the rest of the afternoon. Go meet your man and have some fun.”

  When I walked out of Holly’s shop, I saw Juan standing in front of the car.

  “Hello, Zoey. Mr. Grayson sent me to get you.”

  “I just got off the phone with him. How did you get here so fast?” I asked as I climbed in the back.

  “I was just around the corner having lunch.”

  Juan pulled up to the curb of 854 Fifth Avenue and I saw Carter standing there waiting for me. He walked over and opened the door.

  “Hello, love.” He smiled as he kissed my lips.

  “Hi. What are we doing h
ere?” I asked as I stared at the mansion before me.

  “Come inside. I want you to see it.” He took my hand.

  “Carter, you’re not thinking about moving again, are you? Because—”

  He let out a chuckle. “No. We are not moving again. I’ll explain everything once we step inside.”

  “Wow. Wow. Wow. This is gorgeous. On second thought, if you really wanted to move…” I grinned at him.

  “First of all, this place is way too big, and second of all, Sadie would quit. Anyway, this is something I’ve been working on since we had our talk about your job three weeks ago.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “I bought this building with the hopes of turning it into a hospice care home.”

  “What?” I turned and looked at him with a shocked expression.

  He placed his hands on my shoulders, and with a smile, he spoke, “Listen, sweetheart, I know how much your job means to you, so I want to turn this into a hospice care home and I want you to run it. In fact, the whole thing is yours.”

  I placed my hand over my mouth in disbelief. “Carter, oh my God, I can’t believe you did this.”

  “Did I do a bad thing?” He cocked his head.

  “No.” I smiled as I reached up and kissed him. “You did a wonderful thing.” Tears began streaming down my face.

  “Why are you crying, sweetheart?”

  “I’m just so happy.”

  He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into an embrace.

  “So it’s a yes?” he asked.

  “Yes. It’s a yes! Thank you so much.”

  “Excellent.” He smiled. “Come on, I’ll show you around. It has fifteen bedrooms and three elevators, so we don’t have to worry about the stairs for the patients. The one thing we will need to do is put a ramp outside, which won’t be an issue. We can go over all the other details later. I just wanted you to see it first and hopefully approve of it.”

  “Of course I approve of it. But if I’m going to run this place, I’m going to need a partner or someone to help me run it.”

  “I have someone in mind.” He winked. “You know what the best part of this place is?”

  “What?” I asked.

  “It’s only four minutes from home. So, if an emergency arises, you’ll be close by.”

  “Carter, I love you so much.” I threw my arms around him.

  “I know you do and I love you so much.” He brushed his lips against mine. “By the way, we’re having dinner with your dads tonight at Per Se at seven o’clock.”

  “Why do you know this and I don’t?” I arched my brow at him.

  “Because I’m the one who called and invited them.” He grinned.

  Chapter Forty

  Zoey

  With Carter’s help and connections, we started renovating the twenty-thousand-square-foot mansion. It would be at least six to nine months before it was completed and then we’d be ready to open the doors. Two exciting things happened that night Carter and I met with my dads for dinner. The first thing was, they were moving to the city in the same building as me and Carter. They bought a beautiful two-bedroom apartment on the tenth floor. Of course, it was Carter’s idea and he gave them a deal they couldn’t refuse. My dad John quit his job at the hospital in Connecticut when Presbyterian Hospital offered him a full-time position he couldn’t refuse. My dad Scott decided to retire as a fireman and offered to come and help me run the hospice center. He was the person Carter had in mind and had previously spoken to him about it after learning that he wanted to retire.

  It was a Saturday night and Carter and I were getting ready to head to the Christmas party he was throwing for his staff at The Plaza Hotel.

  “Damn, look at you,” Carter spoke as he licked his lips.

  “You like?” I asked as I did a twirl in the middle of the bedroom.

  “What do you think?” He grinned as he looked down at his rising cock.

  I smiled and patted him on his chest.

  “You’ll have to wait until after the party. We’re already running late.”

  “I’m the boss. I can be as late as I want.” He pulled me into him.

  “It’s not polite to keep your guests waiting.” I pressed my lips against his.

  “Have you by any chance seen my cuff links?”

  “Aren’t they in the jewelry box?” I asked.

  “No. I looked already.”

  Suddenly, we heard something fall in the closet.

  “What was that?” he asked as he walked over to the closet and opened the double doors.

  He walked inside, bent down, and picked up the small black box with the cuff links in it that Angelique had bought him for his birthday.

  “Where did these come from?” he asked me. “I thought I got rid of them.”

  “You did and I retrieved them.” I lightly smiled. “There was no reason for you not to keep them. And obviously, she wants you to wear them tonight.” I straightened his bow tie.

  “Zoey, I—I’ve never worn them.”

  “Then tonight’s as good a night as any to wear them for the first time. She bought these for you and never had the chance to give you them. She wants you to wear them, Carter.”

  “Is she here?”

  “Not now. But, obviously, she was.”

  I took the cuff links out of the box and put them on him.

  “There. Go look in the mirror.”

  He walked over to the full-length mirror and stared at them.

  “Thank you.” He turned to me with a smile.

  “You’re welcome.”

  He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

  “Have I told you lately how much I love you?”

  “You have. But I want to hear it again.”

  “I love you to the moon and back, sweetheart,” he spoke as his bright and happy eyes burned into mine.

  “I love you too, Carter.” He was so sexy and I couldn’t get enough of him. “Fuck it, we can be late.” I pushed him down on the bed and climbed on top of him.

  ****

  Carter

  It was Christmas morning and Zoey and I sat by our beautifully lit and decorated tree and exchanged gifts.

  “Carter, I love it!” She hugged me after opening the new Chanel handbag I bought her.

  She handed me a gift with a wide grin across her face. I took the wrapping off and removed the lid to the box, taking out the framed picture of the two of us that Ano took at Sweetheart Rock in Hawaii.

  “I love this, Zoey. Thank you. This will be perfect on my desk.”

  “It’s a special picture, Carter.”

  “I know. It’s of the two of us.” I grinned.

  “No. Not just because of that. Look. See the white outlined figure on the rock? That’s Nora.”

  Tears started to fill my eyes as I stared at it and then looked up at her.

  “Merry Christmas, Carter,” Zoey spoke.

  “Thank you, sweetheart. Thank you for this. Merry Christmas. I love you so much.”

  “I love you too.”

  We finished opening the rest of our gifts, made love in the shower, and got dressed before her family and Holly arrived for dinner. I nervously paced back as I waited because I had one last gift for her.

  “Zoey, are you almost ready?” I yelled.

  “Yes. I’m ready. Why? They won’t be here for at least another hour.”

  “I have one more gift for you,” I spoke.

  “You do?”

  “Yes. I have to go get it, so stay right here and don’t move.”

  “Okay.” She smiled.

  I went into the laundry room where I had a bouquet of purple roses hidden since yesterday. Grabbing them, I walked into the living room where she stood and handed them to her.

  “Oh, Carter. They’re gorgeous.”

  “You told me that the purple rose symbolizes soul mates, but it also symbolizes love at first sight.” I inhaled a deep breath, took the flowers from her, set them down,
and grabbed her left hand. “Zoey, I already told you that I felt this incredible connection to you when I first saw you in Starbucks, and every day, that connection grew stronger and stronger. I was so broken and lost at that time that I couldn’t see what was in front of me. You stood by me even when I put you through hell and I will never forget that. My world was so dark and then you walked into it and you pushed all the darkness away.”

  “Carter.” Tears filled her eyes.

  “Shh. Let me finish, sweetheart. You took all my broken pieces, and when I thought it wasn’t possible, you put me back together again. You made me whole, Zoey. I was imprisoned in my own personal hell and you set me free. You showed me what it was like to live again and I love you so much for that.” I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small blue velvet box. Flipping open the top, I held it up in front of her. “You are my soulmate, the love of my life, my queen, and the person I was born to be with for the rest of my life. Will you marry me and become Mrs. Carter Grayson?”

  She placed her right hand over her mouth as the stream of tears ran down her face.

  “Yes, Carter. I will marry you!”

  With a smile, I took the three-carat cushion-cut square diamond with a band of diamonds on each side from the box and slipped it on her finger. Then I brought my hand up to her face and wiped away her tears.

  “I didn’t mean for you to cry,” I spoke with tears in my eyes.

  “How could I not? You’re so romantic and you make me happy, Carter. I love you so much.”

  “You make me the happiest man alive, sweetheart, and I love you.”

  Chapter Forty-One

  Zoey

  I couldn’t stop staring at the gorgeous ring that sat on my finger. The moment John, Scott, and Holly walked in, I shamelessly showed it off. But they already knew about it. Carter had asked all three of them for their permission to take my hand in marriage. John and Scott openly welcomed him to the family and called him the perfect gentleman.

  ****

  Nine Months Later

  I took in a deep breath as my dads walked into the bridal room of the church.

  “Wow,” they both spoke at the same time with tears in their eyes.