Page 38 of Falling for a Grumpy Hero

LILA

S everal days of new relationship bliss later, I finally resurfaced on Friday night to hang out with Addy after my design class.

We were grabbing some drinks at a beach bar not far from my apartment, the kind of place with woven fishing nets draped from the ceiling, ropes holding up exposed light bulbs, and salt-and-pepper shakers shaped like turtles on the table.

Briny, salty sea air wafted in through the open windows and soft country music flowed through the speakers. The whole setup was so very far removed from anything I’d been used to in New York that it threw my life before and after into sharp contrast.

Frankly, all I could do was thank God for putting me on the path that had led me here. Happier than I’d ever been, I listened to Addy telling me a story about a prank the students had played on her boyfriend.

Her fingers were wrapped around a glass of beer and her big brown eyes were soft and relaxed as she laughed. “So they set an egg-timer and hid it in his class! He was so confused about the noise and they pretended they couldn’t even hear it.”

I giggled, imagining her boyfriend walking around the classroom looking for whatever was making the racket while all his students just sat there, straight-faced. “That’s brilliant. I would’ve given anything to have seen his face.”

“Me too,” she said, leaning forward with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “At least he was a good sport about it. The guy always is, but enough about us. Tell me about Ford. How’s that going?”

Knowing the size of the bombshell I was about to drop on her, I leaned forward a bit and kept my voice as casual and easy as possible. “Well, he stood up for me when Ben showed up at my apartment this week, so there’s that.”

“What?” she shrieked, drawing the curious stares of several of our fellow drinkers our way.

She cleared her throat, her gaze intent on mine, but at least she got her volume under control again.

“Why am I only finding out about this now? I thought you hadn’t heard from Ben since the breakup and now, he’s showing up at your place. What ?”

“It’s been a while since he last reached out and I haven’t spoken to him or read any of his messages, so I haven’t really heard from him, but he was waiting outside my building one night and he said he needed to talk to me.”

“About what?” She scoffed. “He had an opportunity to speak to you months ago and he didn’t take it. It’s too little, too late now, buddy.”

“Exactly.” My stomach did a slow roll as I thought back to finding him on the sidewalk, but I shook my head, taking a sip of my beer and swallowing before I sighed. “Thanks to Ford, Ben backed off and I managed to avoid him, but he said he would be in town for a few days.”

Her eyes widened as she dropped her voice to a stage whisper. “ Is he still here ?”

“I honestly don’t know.” I shrugged but cast a quick look around the bar. I knew it was ridiculous. He would’ve come over if he was here here, but I suddenly felt a little paranoid. “All I know is that he hasn’t shown his face again.”

“Any idea what he wanted to talk to you about?” she asked. “I mean, it’s not like there are papers to be signed or assets to be divided between you two. Why on earth would he suddenly need to speak to you so badly that he showed up in Virginia Beach?”

I sighed, finishing my assessment of the bar and coming to the conclusion that he wasn’t in attendance. Turning back to Addy, I shook my head, raising my eyebrows nice and high to show her that I had absolutely no idea.

“I’ve been wracking my brain, but I honestly can’t think of anything he’d need to discuss with me. It was a clean break.”

She pursed her lips. “So what the heck is he doing here, then? It’s been over between you for months and if it’s not about something you owned or were doing together, then what?”

My teeth sank into the inside of my cheek, but this was Addy. If there was anyone I could be completely honest with who would understand because she had also known Ben, it was her. “The only thing I can think of is that he doesn’t like the fact that I moved away and started over.”

“What did he expect you to do, hang around New York pining for him and begging him to take you back?” She scoffed. “That does sound like him, though. He’s got whatever the opposite of big dick energy is.”

“Don’t be mean.” I chuckled. “But yeah. I don’t know. Maybe he wanted me to carry a boombox on my shoulder, blasting love songs and throwing pebbles at his window. I’m really not sure, but I do know he doesn’t love me. This isn’t because he’s suddenly realized he can’t live without me.”

As I said it, I kept any sign of emotion off my face, but every time I had to admit that I knew—and had known for a while—that Ben didn’t and hadn’t loved me, my insides stung a little bit.

It wasn’t because I still loved him or wanted to get back together, but I’d given years of my life to our relationship and I couldn’t pretend that it didn’t hurt at all, knowing that he’d never planned on staying with me.

Mentally shaking it off, I refocused on her. “What do you think?”

“I think I’m glad Ford was there to run him off,” she said. “How are you feeling after seeing him again? Are you okay?”

“This is going to sound strange, but I can honestly say that I am okay. It took me weeks to come to terms with the way he ended things, but I took that time and it really helped. I’ve got my head on straight about our relationship and about our breakup, and I’ve made my peace with it.”

“I get it,” she said, and I was a little surprised that it looked like she actually did.

I knew she had been worried about me moving on the way I had, but in my heart of hearts, I had known for a long time that Ben wasn’t my forever.

For at least a year, we had drifted further and further apart and he had been home less and less often.

Even before that, he hadn’t been around most nights and I’d rarely seen him in the mornings.

While I hadn’t expected it to happen when and how it had, I’d worked on accepting that our relationship had, in essence, been over long before Ben formally ended it. It’d given me a lot more time than anyone realized to process, grieve, and finally reach the stage of acceptance.

“How did Ford handle everything?” she asked and took another sip of her beer. “You mentioned that he got Ben to back off. What did he do?”

I smiled. “Ford Callahan doesn’t take grief from anyone and that includes Ben. Ben who, by the way, in our entire relationship, never once stood up for me the way Ford has done a few times already. He doesn’t let anyone mess with me.”

“I think you might’ve found the one,” she said in a singsong voice, a huge grin spreading on her lips. “I know he’s not exactly the way you expected your soulmate to be, but sometimes, the universe knows better than we do.”

“Sometimes,” I agreed before exhaling a deep breath. “I’m trying to let Ford take the lead, though. I know my personality can be overwhelming and I don’t want to scare him away. Especially because he’s been so wary of people for so long.”

“Nonsense, he’s not wary of you ,” she said. “You’re not going to scare him away. Personally, I think the guy is obsessed with you and why wouldn’t he be? You’re amazing.”

I pursed my lips and let out a breathy chuckle through my nostrils. “Thanks, but you’re my best friend. You have to think that. Ford is… complicated and his relationship with the outside world is even more so.”

She drained the last of her beer, her face filled with understanding even as she shook her head. “That’s where you’re wrong. Not about him. By all accounts, you’re exactly right about him, but you’re not the outside world, Lila. You’re you and it sounds like he’s already let you in.”

“Yeah, he has. As far as he’s able to, anyway, but I don’t even know if he’s the boyfriend/girlfriend type yet. It just feels like it’s still too early to get too excited.”

“But you are, aren’t you?” she said knowingly. “I can see it in your eyes.”

I groaned and rubbed a palm over my face. “I’m so screwed. There’s so much I don’t know about him yet, but it already feels more serious and more real than anything I’ve ever felt before.”

“Then that’s all you really need to know.” She smiled and pumped her eyebrows at me. “Well, that and whether he’s the passionate lovemaker you were looking for.”

I laughed, but my cheeks flushed beet red as I ducked behind my hair. Addy squealed and clapped her hands, thankfully not pressing me for details I wasn’t about to give. We ordered another round, leaving the heavier topics behind and just chatting and catching up before we both headed out.

I returned a few texts from my mom as I walked home. Half afraid Ben was going to show up again, I kept my head down once I’d turned the corner to my building, but I made it without any unwelcome interruptions. When I got to my apartment without running into him, I grinned.

“Thank heavens.” Perhaps it had been silly to expect him to jump out at me when I arrived home, but since I didn’t know what he wanted to talk to me about, I also didn’t know how hard he would push to get some time with me.

Just as I was kicking off my shoes, my phone beeped with an incoming text and I glanced at my screen, smiling at the message that popped up from my mom.

Momma Winslow: So proud of you, baby! Those sketches are amazing. Your client is going to love them.

I replied with a heart emoji, briefly contemplating telling her that I was seeing someone, but eventually, I decided to keep it to myself for a while.

Ford and I had a lot of stuff to figure out and knowing my parents, as soon as I told them how I really felt, they’d be on the first flight here to welcome him to the family.

With the block party happening tomorrow, I wanted to be fresh in the morning, so I changed into my pajamas and said good night to my parents, then I signed off for the night.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day and I was looking forward to seeing Ford interact with his neighbors and hopefully, having a good time with his community.

The next morning, I dressed extra cute in a pair of denim shorts and an off-the-shoulder top and cycled over to his place.

By the time I got there, preparations for the party were in full swing.

It looked like the whole block was out there helping, music already playing from someone’s porch and several of his neighbors decorating the cul-de-sac.

The atmosphere was so festive already that I smiled, waving at the neighbors I’d met so far as I headed the last hundred yards or so to his house. Once it came into view, my mouth dried up and my heart started fluttering at the sight that awaited me.

Like so many others, Ford was already outside and busy with the final preparations for the day.

In his case, it was mowing his lawn—and he was doing it shirtless.

Glistening in the morning sunshine, he moved from one side of the lawn to the other, and the ideas that flickered through my mind as I watched were nothing short of pornographic.

Gosh, he looks good. How on earth am I supposed to keep my mouth shut about falling for him when he’s looking like that?

It didn’t feel even remotely possible, but I managed to keep myself in check.

Mostly because as I slowed in front of his house, I also noticed the slight limp in his gait.

He was pushing himself mighty hard for someone with the kind of injury he had.

I just really hoped he would take a break if he needed one.

I could take care of him, but I desperately needed him to start taking care of himself as well.