Take Me with You (Take Me #2)(18)

“Oh…well, it’s not like this is the final grade. You probably still have an A in the class or something, right?”

Just the thought of not keeping straight As was making me hysterical. “I have to cancel tonight,” I hollowly told him.

“What? You want to skip our date? It’s Valentine’s Day.”

“Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. It’s Friday the thirteenth, and I received my first B. Yes, I want to skip. This night is only going to get worse.”

“Aribel, come on. Don’t do this,” he pleaded. His Southern accent was more pronounced than ever.

Dirty tricks. It was a good thing I couldn’t see his smile.

“I need to stay in to study and figure out how not to ruin my life.”

“It’s one bad grade. Let me take you out to make you feel better. That’s what’s supposed to happen in these situations, right?”

I shook my head and plopped down onto a bench. “I’m not up for it. I’m emotionally devastated.”

“I didn’t know you had a flare for the melodramatic.”

“Grant McDermott! Do not make fun of me in my time of need!”

“Princess, I’m not making fun of you,” he said earnestly. “I’m the reason you didn’t study as much as you normally do. I’ve spent a lot of time getting everything ready for the ride into the city. We can’t cancel now. I will resort to kidnapping your ass.”

“Just try it, darling,” I spat back.

“If you’re not ready by the time I get there, you might get your wish.”

“Grant—”

“See you soon.”

The line went dead, and I glowered at the phone. I didn’t even know what to wear to this Valentine’s Day date. Since when were we going into the city anyway? Ugh! I had a horrible feeling about this.

I spent my afternoon trying to figure out where Grant was taking me. It was better than obsessing over the B staring back at me from my desk. There had to be a way for me to make that grade up. I couldn’t get halfway into the semester with a B average.

Oh my God! Here I was obsessing all over again. I glared at my test and then flipped the paper upside down, so it couldn’t continue to mock me.

Back to Grant.

What kind of Valentine’s Day would Grant McDermott plan?

I Googled Valentine’s Day dates in New York City, and an insane list populated, including everything from ice-skating and a horse-drawn carriage around Central Park to hot chocolate and Netflix. There was no way he was going to do any of these cheesy romantic things. That was so not Grant.

After late-night swimming at a hotel, horseback riding, and watching a sunset on the beach last year…maybe I was wrong?

Nah, he’d be more likely to take me to some concert in the city. I wondered who was playing. As I was investigating all the possible concerts we could attend, my phone buzzed with a message.

Be there in twenty. I brought handcuffs. I hope I need them.

My cheeks heated. That damn man could make me blush over a freaking text message.

I exited out of the phone and went to get ready. I only had twenty minutes, and I spent most of the time straightening out my hair in the bathroom and the other time debating between my pink cardigan and my cream sweater. I decided on the sweater as I heard a knock on the door.

“I got it!” I called out.

Gabi had already left for her plans with McAvoy. In a few hours, Cheyenne and Shelby were going to some anti-Valentine’s Day party off-campus that would basically result in everyone coupling up with strangers.

I opened the door, and my jaw dropped.

Grant was in a tuxedo.

I blinked.

He was still in a tuxedo.

I blinked again. It wasn’t going away.

“Hey, Princess,” he said with that signature smug smile.

“What are you wearing?”

“You’ve never seen one before? I find that surprising.”

“I’ve seen a tux but…not on you.”

He leaned down and planted a firm kiss on my lips. “I wanted tonight to be special.”

I glanced down at my cream sweater and cringed. I hadn’t thought he would want to do something…fancy. It was completely uncharacteristic.

“Just…give me a minute.”

I ducked back into my bedroom, undressed, and tossed my sweater and jeans onto my bed. Ugh! I had not been prepared for this. After rummaging through my closet, I located a short black dress my mother had bought me the last time she and my father had been in Paris. She had insisted I bring it with me to college. It was coming in handy now.

There was no time to change my hair or makeup. I slid on a pair of high heels, grabbed my peacoat and black clutch, and then hurried out of my room.

“Wow,” Grant murmured when I walked into the room.

“Good wow or bad wow?”

“You look amazing.”

“Thanks. I did what I could on short notice.”

“Sorry. I should have forewarned you, but I wanted it to be a surprise.”

He gestured for the door, and he followed me out into the brisk evening air.

“Where exactly are you taking me?”

“You’ll see.”

I shrugged. It was much colder out without my sweater and jeans, but I guessed if he wanted to do this, then I’d play along. He really didn’t have to though.