Why would they talk to Grant about it before they spoke to her? And why would he not even consider that she might not want to go? Did he not know her at all? She felt betrayed and, beyond that, annoyed. Were they checking with him for permission, or to be considerate? Either way, she didn’t like it.

“I’m an idiot. I just thought it would be good for you, but it’s really not on me to decide what’s good for you. You left everything for me in New York and, in a way, I’m trying to force you to put down roots by making friends.”

She was almost as touched by his honesty as she was upset by the weight of what he was saying. She might not have told him everything about her past, but she had explained to him who she was and what she needed.

“Grant, I’m not super into having relationships outside of my partner. It’s hard for me to trust people, and you know that.”

“I do, but I’ve known some of these people since high school. I trust them, and I want you to trust them, too.”

Rainy licked her lips. “Okay, I get that, but it can’t be on your terms, it has to be on mine.”

Grant, who had been looking more than sorry for the last five minutes, said, “I surrender. I was wrong. I’ve never felt like this about anyone before. I want to make you permanent in my life.”

You could just ask me to marry you, she thought. Something she would never say out loud, for fear it would make her sound desperate. That’s some misogynist shit right there.

Grant was obliviously happy; now that he knew he was forgiven, the relief was pooling off him. Rainy gave in because she didn’t want to fight anymore, and because it wasn’t Grant’s fault that he didn’t understand certain parts of her. He tried, but he was mostly fumbling in the dark, figuring her out by trial and error. You could just tell him. And then what? He’d see her differently if she told him about her mother and Taured.

And if she went on the trip to Vegas, would it satisfy his version of who she was supposed to be? She could tell him why she didn’t want to go to Vegas particularly, or she could just go to Vegas.

“I’ll go,” Rainy said.

Grant blinked at her like he hadn’t heard right. That made Rainy smile.

“Am I allowed to be excited?” he asked seriously. Rainy rolled her eyes, then nodded.