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I laughed. “He’s definitely a grouchy asshole. But underneath the broody exterior, he’s funny, and kind, and fun. And... I don’t know. He’s Reliable. Dependable. Honest.”
“Jesus, Stef.”
Something in Esme’s tone had me straightening in the seat. “What?”
“Are you in love?”
“No! Of course not! He was just there for me when I needed him and now we’re…just having fun. That’s all. It’s just sex.”Liar.“No need to go putting labels on it.”
“Oh. Right. Sorry. Didn’t mean to overstep.”
I settled back in the chair, pushing down all the feelings Esme’s sudden question had brought bubbling to the surface. “I mean, as if Grayson and I would ever work as a couple. We’re so different. Just look at us, to start with. And our lives are so different. I just can’t see how it would work.”
“Hey, you don’t need to convince me. It’s your life.”
“Anyway, your turn. Tell me all the things about your honeymoon you couldn’t say in front of the kids.”
As I put my feet up on the balcony railing, listening to Esme, I felt a twinge of guilt for not telling her the full story of everything that had happened between Grayson and me. But then I realized I didn’t need to, because the wound had completely healed. It was well and truly in the past and just not relevant anymore. Which felt pretty fucking good, I gotta say.
We were outside for maybe forty-five minutes when Florian came banging through the door. “Dinner’s ready!”
“Thank god. I’m starving.” The moment I stepped through the door and saw the kitchen, I burst out laughing.
“Esme! Look! Me and Grayson made cupcakes!”
“Wow, Belle! They look amazing.” Esme’s eyes almost bugged out of her head at the tray of impeccably decorated cupcakes on the kitchen counter.
“I helped!”
“Tee, if by helped you mean you put more icing in your hair than you did the cupcakes, then I can see that.”
Tiana chuckled. “Yeah, well, it’s hard to keep it all neat.”
“Poor Grayson.” At least he’d changed out of his business suit and had the forethought to put an apron on.
“It’s fine. You can help me serve dinner. The kids already set the table.”
“Sure.”
Everyone else took their seats while I joined Grayson in the kitchen, bringing bowls over to the stove. “Sorry. I didn’t mean for it to get this out of hand. You were probably looking forward to a quiet night in and I dumped your whole family on you.”
He ladled some ravioli into a bowl. “I was looking forward to coming home to see you. And here you are.”
Oh. Wow. I immediately remembered what Grayson had told me about dreading coming home to his wife. Did my insides turnmushy at that? Yes, they sure did. “That’s a really nice thing to say. I think it deserves a kiss.”
His smile was sweet when he brushed his lips against mine. But then he said, “I’m also looking forward to bending you over the sofa later and fucking you senseless.”
“Pretty sure my panties just melted.”
CHAPTER 35
Grayson
So much for easing Stef back into performing. Jesus, she was like her own fourth of July parade up on stage. She was blowing the roof off the small venue, tucked into the back of the warehouse district in Raleigh, that we’d booked for her return.
I watched her closely from my vantage point backstage, hoping she wasn’t overdoing it. The way she was bouncing around, belting out the lyrics, interacting with the crowd - it was clear that she was firing on all cylinders.
Since I’d witnessed firsthand how low she’d gotten, I was proud of the way she’d worked to get better. To do what she so clearly loved. As the encore ended, I made my way to the green room.