Two weeks after Thanksgiving, Grace hadn’t seen nor spoken to Jaime. That had been a fairly difficult task, given the size of the town they lived in and Jaime’s connection to her family. But Grace had wanted to honor his wish to stop whatever it was they’d been doing, although in actuality, she’d been too frustrated with him to see his face and not shake him until his teeth rattled.She’d had an idea forming in her mind since then. If one of the main reasons they couldn’t be together was because of this ridiculous investigation, then perhaps Grace could do something to prove Jaime’s innocence. At first she dismissed the idea as too ludicrous. What could she do? She had an art degree, not a police badge. But as the days passed and she longed for Jaime just as much as ever, she felt like she had to do something. It was better than waiting around, hoping things would change.On a bright, chilly day in early December, Grace awoke to a light snowfall. It was the first of the year, and it

Grace watched as Jaime rolled off of her, like she’d just told him she had the plague. That little bit of information—I’m a virgin—had fallen out of her mouth, and now it sat in the middle of the room, like the greatest elephant, neither of them wanting to touch it. She grabbed her shirt and pants, pulling them on, not wanting to lie there half-naked.She sat back down on the couch, covering her face with her hands. She’d been debating since forever about whether or not to tell him, mostly because she wanted him to know she had no idea what she was doing and didn’t want him to think she was some incompetent loser. But now he thought she was, in fact, an incompetent loser who no guy had wanted to sleep with. She stifled a groan. Was it her fate to screw everything up? Now Jaime would look at her like this freak—twenty-three years old and a virgin.The word felt heavy on her tongue. Virgin virgin virgin. She hated it. She hated that she cared. She hated that he cared. Uncovering her ey

Grace could hardly believe this was happening. Jaime, kissing her, on a bed, about to have sex with her. It was a dream. It was unbelievable. She could barely catch her breath. He wouldn’t stop kissing her, his hands all over her, making her hot and desperate, like her skin had become too tight.“Are you sure about this?” he asked again, although as he said it, he was inching her shirt up over her head.“Is it cheesy to say I haven’t been surer of anything in my life?”He stilled, gripping the hem of her shirt, like he had to take in her words. He was breathing hard, and she wondered if he were having second thoughts. Was he freaked out by the fact that she was a virgin? Was he a virgin? She almost laughed. She knew he wasn’t. He’d had his share of girlfriends, which, at that thought, jealousy pricked her, sharp and unexpected. Other women had touched him, kissed him, felt him moving inside of them. Saw his smile, how his dark hair fell across his forehead.She took his hand, still

Although Grace would’ve preferred to stay at Joy’s for the foreseeable future, she knew she couldn’t avoid her parents forever. She also needed clean clothes. Thus, she made her way back home, wondering if she could sneak inside without anyone noticing.Seeing not only her parents’ car, but Adam’s car—and another one with a Massachusetts license plate, which she knew was Gavin’s—she had a feeling she wasn’t going to be able to sneak around anytime soon. She took a deep breath. Might as well get this over with.When she went inside, she first went into the kitchen, but found no one. It was eerily quiet. She glanced upstairs before she walked into the living room. Seeing her entire family sitting there, she stopped in her tracks.Her mom and dad sat on one couch, while Adam and Joy sat on the other. Gavin with his young daughter Emma sat on a chair, and Grace thought Gavin looked particularly uncomfortable. He’d just arrived in Heron’s Landing with Emma last night, but Grace had been

Grace knew they needed to talk about what had happened. She needed to know what had happened to him in the past twenty-four hours, as she’d been imagining all sorts of terrible things. She only knew that Jaime had been arrested and that Adam had bailed him out. And now he was here, with her, and kissing her like it was the last time he’d ever see her.She didn’t want this to be the end. So she clung to him, like she was ivy encircling him, the stoic oak tree who could shelter her from the harshest elements.They didn’t make it to the bedroom. Jaime picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to the living room couch. He sat down with her with her in his lap, and she could feel his hardness through their dual layer of jeans. She ran her fingers through his hair; his day’s worth of stubble scratched at her cheeks and lips, but she didn’t care.His hands trailed up her belly. She gasped as his fingers cupped her breast through her bra. Still kissing her, t