All's Fair in Love and Las Vegas

Chapter Thirty-One

        Once again, Grayson's wealth stunned me. I had to get used to it sometime, but no, instead I was gawking like always.

        "Home sweet home away from mother," he laughed when he saw my expression. He stood off to the side with our suitcases (he'd insisted that he carry mine), watching with amusement.

        "This is your apartment? Like just to yourself?" I whispered, looking down in awe at the sunken living room with the sparkling chandelier. A few granite steps down, with matching planters about five feet long creating short walls behind the couches. To the left was a massive polished silver kitchen. In the corner, a spiral staircase snaked its way through the ceiling, making me wonder if there was a second floor. Across from us was the massive window that took up an entire side of the penthouse, showing off the gleaming skyline of Toronto and then further out, Lake Ontario.

        "It's beautiful," I breathed, covering my mouth with both hands.

        "I'm glad you like it," Grayson said, his smile adorable. He offered me his hand and said, "Shall I show you around?"

        Mutely, I took it and drifted in his wake, marveling at the sheer elegance of the place. He led down a short hallway, pushing open the door on the left first. "Here's my room," he said, tossing his suitcase on the dresser.

        I instantly noticed the differences between this room and the one back in Vancouver. Here, Grayson obviously was much more cheerful. A white bedspread, with a white dresser and vanity. Bright white walls with small metal lamps attached on either side of the bed. The room also had a balcony, with sliding doors and thick sage green curtains. I peeked into the bathroom, which was absolutely enormous. The shower was more of a separate glass room, with a sunken bathtub taking up half of it. The sink was a work of art, made from petrified wood. The entire room was gleaming white–except for one wall done in black granite.

        "I like this room much better than your other room," I confessed, stepping back into the bedroom.

        Grayson grinned. "Me too; too bad you won't be staying here. Let me show you your room."

        I giggled as he pulled me across the hall to the other bedroom. My own room, with two walls between me and Grayson. It was such a luxury.

        "Oooh, it's so cute!" I squealed. If any expense had been spared in comparison to his room, I couldn't tell. The theme of my room was beachy, with seashells on the dresser and smokey blue curtains and pillows. A hanging egg chair made of thick rope hung from the ceiling in the corner, which would be the perfect place for reading. My bathroom was extremely cushy. The bathtub was elevated, sunken on a platform in the corner a few steps up. Seashells made up all the faucets, and there was a jar of sand and shells sitting on the vanity. The glass shower had several levers, to which Grayson piped up, "It steams too."

        "That's fun," I said, almost overwhelmed at how amazing this place was.

"Wait, wait, I want to try something," he said, eagerly running back to his own room. He shut the door and called, "Can you see me?"

        "No!" I called back jubilantly. As hard as I tried, I simply couldn't see through oak doors.

        "Me neither!" he cried, overjoyed.

        Sighing happily, I flopped back into my very own cozy mattress and closed my eyes. How would I ever go back, I didn't know. This was the height of living standards. 

        Grayson knocked on the door, forcing me to get up. "I haven't finished showing you around," he said.

        I was astonished. "There's more?" I asked incredulously.

        He nodded and beckoned for me to follow him. Curious, I trailed after him, up the iron staircase I'd seen earlier. We emerged on the roof of the skyscraper, and I was secretly grateful I was not scared of heights. There was a fence lining the entire roof, except for where the infinity pool spilled over the edge. There was also a small greenhouse that I could tell was bursting with life inside. An adorable patio sat near the door, decorated with lattice and flower boxes. It only had a small table for two, making it feel cozy even thousands of feet up in the air.

        "Private access," Grayson explained. "Well, if they need to, the building owners can get up here. But otherwise it's just us."

        I couldn't help it–the fact that he was so willing to share his secret hideout away from the world with me made me feel more than a little special. "It's really great up here," I promised. 

        "You can come up any time," he said, grinning. "Door code is 3822. You can swim, look out, have lunch, whatever. It's just as much yours as it is mine."

        I hugged him, I was so excited. "Thank you!" I gushed. He laughed and hugged me back, saying, "Only the best for my wife."

        "Your wife who is happily just living in your house for once," I said gleefully. 

        Grayson grinned. "It's really late, what do you say we head to our own separate beds?" he suggested.

        The notion was thrilling. I waved good night and stepped into the beautiful beach room. My suitcase was still packed, so I had to rummage around for shorts and a tank top. The whole world felt warm and cozy as I crawled into the enormous, empty bed. Sighing, I grabbed my phone and texted Grayson goodnight. He sent back a smiling emoji, which was the perfect, friendly response. I snuggled into the covers and closed my eyes, peacefully drifting off. 

        All by myself.