All's Fair in Love and Las Vegas

Chapter Sixty-Four

        Grayson and I spent the day being carefree. First we went shopping, grabbing food for the week and other necessities. We also grabbed matching plaid pajama pants to wear for Christmas Eve, both of us thankfully the matching pajama type.

        I also managed to pick up Grayson's Christmas present while he was busy searching for the Perfect Toothbrush. I wasn't expecting him to get me anything, considering the hectic few weeks coming up, but I figured it was the least I could do. I thought my gift was perfect: a nice cowboy hat and a button-down shirt that was printed with the American flag. It was possibly the best gift I'd ever picked out for anyone in the history of ever.

        We both turned off our phones, with a few exceptions, like Clay, Kylie, Mr. Answell, and a few of Grayson's business contacts. I knew there were probably a hundred calls from Laura that weren't going through, but I didn't care. She could wait ten years for all I cared.

        I think the next day, we both forgot about the wedding. It helped that we slept in until noon. Even then, we spent the day playing cards, making cookies, and watching movies. We even went out to dinner with Tay, who was delighted to have us back in town. We didn't hold hands or anything when we went out, which was a lovely feeling, to be so unchained.

        But then it was Christmas Eve.

        I think that was what made it set in, the dread. Our wedding was two days after the New Year, meaning we were in the official holiday season right before the big day. Grayson and I were pretty quiet the whole day, him working on his laptop and me lounging around the penthouse, occasionally reading or working on my own computer.

        "It's snowing," I said listlessly.

        Grayson glanced out the window, towards the dark skies. "White Christmas?"

        "Maybe. The roads will be terrible," I remarked.

        He sighed and closed his laptop, setting it on the underneath shelf of the coffee table. "This is ridiculous."

        "What is?" I asked, looking up from my book.

        "You and me, not talking to each other," he said, closing the blinds. "It's Christmas Eve! We should be celebrating, or at least hanging out!"

        "Okay, what do you suggest?" This was exciting; we never made plans.

        Grayson knelt by the fire, carefully setting up some logs and lighting a match. "First, a cozy fire. Then...I don't know, what do you want to do?"

        A few months ago, I might've suggested something that would've gotten me in a lot of trouble, or at least realized that that was what Grayson was suggesting. But we were past that stage now; things were more comfortable. More normal.

        "I don't know," I admitted. "Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions?"

        He hesitated. "I...I used to read."

        "Read?" I asked.

        "Yeah. On Christmas Eve, I would always read the Little Prince. I'm not really sure why, but it was a thing, ever since I was like seven," Grayson explained sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

        "Aww," I said with a smile. "Would you want to read it now?"

        "Sure, we can read together," he said, pulling out a blanket. He went over to the bookshelf, taking out the thin book from the top shelf.

        I scooted over on the couch, except Grayson laid down and tucked me into the crook of his body. I curled up, toasty from the blanket, the fire, and of course, Grayson himself. He opened the book and I was faced with a problem.