The Rhythm of My Heart (8 page)

I pull up outside a small cottage-like house, which is white with pale yellow shutters and a small porch. It’s not what I had envisioned Grace’s place would look like but it suits her to a T. I climb the few steps and knock on the door while trying to calm the nerves, which are suddenly running wild in my stomach. I don’t understand this nervous feeling; I left her less than twelve hours ago after we spent the evening at the club. It seems crazy to feel like this.
Then again, a woman has never elicited this kind of reaction from me before.

“Just a minute.” I hear her beautiful voice call out. Just that sound and those three words bring a smile to my face and calm me down some. Seconds later the door swings open and the vision before me steals my breath. My eyes take in her gorgeous face and welcoming smile. I let my gaze wander down to the blue sundress, which encases her body. My gaze continues its path to devour her toned, tanned legs and the beige sandals that complete her outfit.

“Hi,” she says, with what I hope is excitement in her voice.

“Hi, Sweet Cheeks,” I reply and move forward to place a quick kiss on her soft pink lips.

“Come on in.” She motions as she steps aside to allow me through. When I turn back to her, she raises a questioning brow. “You’re really going to stick with calling me sweet cheeks, huh?”

I nod my confirmation and flash a sexy grin. “Absolutely. I told you that your blush is sweet. You look amazing by the way.” And there it is. That gorgeous pink tinge takes over her cheeks right on cue.
So goddamn beautiful.

“So, umm. I wasn’t sure how to dress since you didn’t say where we were going. Is this okay?”

“What you’re wearing is perfect,” I tell her.

“Okay, well let me just grab my bag. I’ll be right back. Make yourself at home.” She smiles and heads down a hallway.

I glance around the house and step into the living room. It’s warm and homey, the kind of space where you could relax and just
be
. There’s no clutter or excess girly crap but there are photos everywhere around the room. Most are of her dad, brother, and little Ruby; there are also some of Grace and Ashley in both serious poses and playful ones.

When I look over toward the entertainment unit, I see a photo of a woman with the same stunning auburn hair as Grace. She doesn’t appear to be that old; she has the same big brown eyes and a smile, which is full of sheer joy. This must be Grace’s mom.
Hmmm, I wonder when I’ll get to meet her, too.

“That’s my mom,” Grace says, startling me.

“She’s lovely,” I tell her.

“She was. Her name was Maggie and this is my absolute favorite picture of her.” Grace beams.

“Was?” I question and turn to give her my full attention.

Grace picks up the frame and looks at it with such deep emotion in her eyes. “Yeah. This picture was taken when I was about eight-years-old. She passed away when I was ten,” she says with a small sad smile.

I reach out and touch her arm. “I’m so sorry, Sweet Cheeks. I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay, you couldn’t have known. She was amazing and the best mom a child could ask for,” she says, looking up from the photo.

“She looks so young and vibrant. Will it upset you if I ask how?”

“Not at all. I loved her and she is still a big part of my life – her memory is, I mean. She was only thirty-seven when she died. I’m sure you know how much of a bitch breast cancer can be.”

This woman amazes me. Grace’s love for her family is so profoundly evident in her words and actions. The fact she experienced such a great loss so early in her life, especially for a little girl to lose her mother, hasn’t affected the wonderful person she has become.

“Yeah, I’ve seen a lot of people affected by cancer; probably more so because my dad’s an oncology specialist. I’m really sorry you had to experience that, Grace. I’m sorry you lost her,” I say sincerely, rubbing up and down her arm in a soothing motion.

With a smile, Grace says “I was able to experience life with her for ten years, so that makes me very blessed. I would never disgrace her memory by not living my life to the fullest and appreciating what she gave me.”

I’m speechless, utterly speechless. So I do the only thing I can think of in this moment, I lean in and softly graze my lips across hers. Grace kisses me back; this kiss is the sweetest, closed mouth kiss I’ve ever experienced. It’s not hungry or frantic; it’s soft and conveys meaning beyond any lustful desires.

Breaking apart, we stand there staring into each other’s eyes for an unknown amount of time. “Well, that isn’t exactly the brightest start to our date,” Grace chuckles.

“It’s the perfect start. Thank you, for telling me about your mom,” I whisper and brush my fingers down her soft cheek.

“Okay, let’s get going. I’m starving.” I grab her hand and lead her to the front door, but as we are about to leave, I turn back and look at the picture of Grace’s mom one last time.
I can never thank you enough for helping create such an amazing woman.

Chapter 9

Grace….

Cole and I take seats across from each other in a booth at the local steakhouse. I love this place and I’m really glad we came here instead of some swanky, stuck up restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against fancy restaurants; it’s just places like this have a more relaxed atmosphere. The tables are made of thick wood and the light fittings are rustic metal. There are deer heads and other animal heads mounted on the walls; strangely, this doesn’t put me off, just adds to the country feel. The patrons are a huge mix of couples, friends, and families. Kids are coloring on their special placemats as far as the eye can see.

A waitress appears beside us to take our drink order. I order a soda because it’s lunchtime and Cole orders a beer. “You sure you don’t want something else?” he asks.

“No, the soda is fine, thanks,” I reply.

We both pick up our menus; however, I know exactly what I want so I close mine and place it back on the table. “Is everything all right? I mean, I hope this place is okay. We can go somewhere else if you like,” he nervously blurts out.

I give him a reassuring smile. “Cole, I love this place. It’s a great choice; I just already know what I’m going to order.”

The waitress returns and sets our drinks down in front of us. Cole picks up his beer and gives a nervous chuckle. “Oh, okay then, just checking,” he says, as he takes a deep gulp.

Why is he so nervous? He wasn’t like this last night or at my house earlier.

Taking a deep breath, he smirks. “What are you having, Grace?” he asks. I can see his shoulders have loosened and the tension dissipated.

“I’m going for a half-rack of ribs.”

Cole’s eyes shoot up in surprise and he gives me a ridiculously sexy grin. “A woman who isn’t afraid to eat in front of her date… I’m impressed.” He winks.

“You’ll learn pretty fast that I love my food, Dr. Tierney. I’m not a rabbit food kind of girl. Oh, and I absolutely expect dessert.” I grin.

Cole lets out a laugh, which sends tingles straight to my core.
Oh, dear God, what he does to me already.
“Then dessert you’ll have, Sweet Cheeks.”

A young guy interrupts us and introduces himself as Ben, our waiter. He tells us he is in training and he honestly looks like he may pass out or vomit from nervousness. The poor thing is so anxious and fumbling with his notepad and pen. I reach out and place my hand on top of his and his eyes widen in surprise. “Just take your time, Ben. You’re doing great,” I tell him.

He gives me a shy smile. “Thanks,” he mumbles.

After Ben takes our orders and heads for the kitchen, I turn to Cole who has a mischievous look on his face. “What?” I ask.

“Should I be jealous or worried about
Ben
?” he chuckles.

“Oh, stop,” I say, laughing. “The poor thing looked like he was going to pass out.”

Shaking his head, Cole reaches across the table, takes my hand in his, and says, “There aren’t many people who would have been as patient and kind to that kid as you just were, Grace. You have a truly beautiful heart.” He then lifts my hand and takes it to his lips leaving a soft, wet kiss. I feel my cheeks flood with heat.

“It only takes a second to show someone kindness, Cole. He’s just a kid on his first day at probably his first job; he deserves a chance.”

Without dropping my hand he is holding, Cole raises his beer with his free hand. “A toast… to kind hearts, to living life to its fullest, and to spectacular moments that will be remembered forever. Cheers.”

“Cheers,” I repeat and clink my glass with Cole’s, while thinking how he just incorporated moments we have shared in that one significant little speech.

After chatting about basically anything and scarfing down my ribs while Cole watched with great amusement, I decide it’s time to find out more about the Tierney family. “Since you’ve met my dad and brother and you know about my mom, it’s time to spill the beans about your family, Dr. Tierney.”

Cole wipes his mouth with his napkin before he begins. “My family, Well, let’s see, my parents John and Olivia were college sweethearts. They survived my dad going through medical school, mom going through nursing school, and they’re still happily married. My dad is actually the head oncologist at the hospital and Mom stopped nursing soon after she started when they had April and me.”

“You have a sister?” I ask in surprise.

“I do. April and I are twins, actually”

“You’re a twin?” I blurt again, probably sounding like a complete dumbass.

Cole begins to laugh. “Are you going to repeat everything I say as a question?”

I start chuckling, too. “Sorry, that was just a surprise. So what’s she like?”

“April? She’s great. We’re pretty close; well, we are now anyway. We couldn’t stand each other during our teenage years. She’s a lawyer – family law. Obviously, she’s the only one in the family who didn’t pursue medicine. She’s brilliant at her job and she loves it,” Cole tells me with affection in his tone.

“So, who’s older?”

“I am by about two minutes and she absolutely hates it when I call her baby sister, so I do it often to rile her up,” he grins.

“And how old are you exactly?”

“I’m twenty-eight, and you?” he enquires.

I suck air in through my teeth and feign a mocking look. “I’m twenty-five… wow, so I’m on a date with an old man.”

“Hey! Watch it, Sweet Cheeks, you could find yourself in all sorts of trouble with comments like that.” He chides me.

I giggle like a schoolgirl and give him a wink. “Well, actually Charlie is twenty-eight as well; so I’m sure I can deal with it. So I take it you’re close to your parents?”

He smiles. “Yeah, they’re really great. They’ve always been supportive of whatever April and I wanted to do. We have our rough patches like any other family, but for the most part, we’re tight. Then Sam is always added into the mix, of course.”

“Sam?” I question, “How does Sam fit in to your family dynamic? I thought you were best friends?”

“Oh, we are, but he’s also the brother I never had. My parents adopted him when we were twelve. He was my neighbor before that. His parents were killed in a small plane crash and he didn’t have any other family. We’ve been stuck with him ever since,” he finishes with a chuckle.

“Wow, how devastating for him, but amazing at the same time that he still had people familiar for him to hold on to,” I say, saddened someone else had experienced the death of a parent so young, only in Sam’s case he lost both.

“What about school? Where did you go?” I continue with my questioning.

“Private high school. Boston University and then Harvard for Med school.”

“Impressive. Those schools are a long way from your home here in California though.”

“It’s where my dad went,” Cole offers by way of explanation and with a shrug as if it’s no big deal. “What about you?”

“Ummm.” I bite my lip and hesitate. I don’t like to tell people what college I went to or how I graduated because when they look at my life choices, they judge my family, and me. I’m not ashamed of the choices I made. My family always has and always will be my number one priority. I know my dad and Charlie disagree with me, but they also know I couldn’t live any other way.