All's Fair in Love and Las Vegas

Chapter One Hundred And Three

        We moved into our new house two weeks later.

        Oh, I should mention: we bought a new house.

        It was in a slightly nicer neighborhood than mine, just twenty minutes from downtown Toronto. It was definitely a lot bigger than my house, with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a huge patio and backyard, and a pool. It was built with sand-colored stone, with a garage built right into the side of the house. It was perfect. 

        Grayson shipped what little things he wanted from Vancouver, about three boxes worth, and then he helped me pack up my things. He claimed that he didn't have a whole lot of sentimental things and that whatever else he had, he could just buy. That also went for whatever household items I had that were too worn out: we just got new ones. But I managed to get ten whole boxes, which wasn't a lot, but most of it was either too old or just not worth shipping hundreds of miles. 

        Unfortunately, Grayson started working almost as soon as we'd moved in. I should've expected it, since he'd only had a few days to take care of me then help me pack in Arlington, but it was still semi-lonely. Meanwhile, I spent my time working on finding a job and setting up the house. Right now it was awkwardly empty, with some furniture and rugs. I hadn't put my clothes away or put the dishes in the cupboards yet. So there were still boxes spread around the house, most of them in the spare bedrooms. Yes, it was slightly chaotic, but I already loved it a thousand times more than my old house. Grayson and I had really tried to limit the amount of framed pictures, but there were already about forty of them throughout the house, hanging on walls or propped up on bookshelves. They weren't all of us, many had Kylie or Clay or both or Nina or Tay, but most of them were just pictures from our crazy year, including the wedding pictures from Vegas.

        On Friday night, I was checking up on the last minute wedding we'd thrown together. It was Sunday, and I'd ordered all the flowers and food and had tables and chairs brought in. It wasn't much, especially considering only about thirty people were coming, but I loved it. It was sweet and simple and honestly the exact amount of fuss I wanted in my wedding.

        The sound of keys in the door made me glance up. A moment later, Grayson stepped into the house, his eyes tired but happy. I jumped up, running over to hug him. I hadn't realized it, but this was how I'd felt for months when we were fake married. Always overjoyed to see him, waiting for the next chance to hang out with him, and constantly hoping for a spark. I'd just suppressed it all, thinking it was all part of the sham.

        "Hey, Jacks," he murmured, lifting me a couple inches off the ground. "How've you been?"

        "Good. Glad you're home," I said, loving how I could just say that he was home.

        "Me too." He kissed my cheek, a blossom of warmth in its wake. "What are you working on?"

        "Just wedding stuff," I said, closing my laptop. "Making sure everything's ready."

        "You got your dress?" he asked. Grayson was obsessed with confirming I had my dress.

        "Yes, I just got it yesterday," I said giddily.

        He raised an eyebrow. "Can I see it?"

        "You're not supposed to see it," I complained as he wrapped his arms around my waist from behind.

        "Technically, I'm not supposed to see you in it," he corrected me. "Which sadly is the whole point, so nevermind."

        I laughed. "Poor Grayson, you're suffering so much."