“I’m perfectly capable of getting the kids to bed.”
“I know you are, but—”
“Dad, do I have to take a shower tonight?” Jack asks from across the table.
“Yes. You have to take a shower every night.”
“Why?”
Is he really going to argue with me about this right now, in the middle of a restaurant while I’m getting hit on by one woman and brushed off by another?
“Because I’m your dad and I said so.”
Never thought those words would come out of my mouth, but there they are.
Nora wipes Emma’s face off with a towelette and nods to Jack. “Come on, Jack, I’ll take you guys home. You can be in and out of the shower in minutes.”
Carol skitters around the table and smiles at Nora. “I’m a big fan. I was trying to respect your privacy when I saw you sitting here with Jessa and Nick, but I’d really love it if I could get your autograph before you leave.”
Nora looks at her with a mask of indifference. “Oh, uh, I would, but I don’t have a pen.”
“I’ve got one.” Carol digs around in her oversized purse and pulls out a pen and piece of paper.
Kill me now.
Nora signs the paper and hands it back. “Come on, kids. Let’s go.”
“Thanks again.” Carol leans in a little closer. “And thank you for taking the kids home so Grayson and I can have our date.”
“We’re not having a date.” I try to get Nora’s attention, but she’s doing a damn good job avoiding eye contact with me.
“No problem. I hope you have a great time,” she says to Carol.
“Nora.” Jessa rushes around the table and squats down beside her.
I can’t hear what they’re saying, but Nora shakes her head, and then a second later the girls hug and Jessa stands up and goes back to her seat while Nora holds her hand out.
“Can I have your keys?”
Hell. No. They’re buried deep in my pocket, where they’re going to stay. “You don’t need them, because I’m going home with you.”
“Oh, come on, Grayson. Let’s hang out and have a beer. For old time’s sake.” Nick leans back and kisses Jessa’s cheek.
“You should stay.” The sincerity in Nora’s voice makes my stomach drop. “I want you to stay and have a good time. You deserve it.”
“I want you to stay.”
Fuck, I’m pathetic. First, she says we can’t do that again, and now she’s encouraging me to spend time with someone else.
I’ll never understand women.
I dig into my pocket and hand her my keys.
There’s a flash of disappointment in her eyes, but it’s gone almost as quickly as it appeared, and I realize immediately the huge mistake I just made. Nora isn’t being aloof because she’s indifferent, she’s acting this way because she’s sad.
But why?
This is why I don’t date. Women are so fucking complicated. But this woman just might be worth the trouble if I can get her to slow down for a minute and talk to me.
I try to snatch the keys back, but it’s too late, Nora is already packed up and has the kids halfway to the door. Carol slides into her vacant seat.
An hour later, I hop up the porch and rush through the front door. “Nora!”
“Shhh,” she says, walking around the corner. “I just got the kids down. Emma insisted on sleeping in Henry’s room on the floor, and I didn’t think you’d mind so I let her.”
“That’s fine. Nora—”
“And Jack is still awake. He’s wants to say goodnight to you, so he’s waiting up.” I take a step forward, but she turns for the door. “I should get going. I’m exhausted and—”
I don’t know how else to get her to listen to me, so I back her up against the door and swallow her words with a kiss. Her lips are hesitant at first, but she quickly melts against me with a soft moan. Her lips part, and I stroke my tongue against hers the way I’ve wanted to do since the other night in the bathroom.
“I didn’t know how else to get you to shut up,” I say, breathless from her touch.
“I think you did just fine.”
“I did not want to go on a date with Carol, and I’m sorry if I made you think I did. I’ve been so confused since the other night. I loved what we did, and then you said it couldn’t happen again.”
“I meant we couldn’t make the mistake of leaving the bathroom door unlocked. And I was going to tell you that, but I wasn’t sure how long you would be in there with Emma, and then I was going to say something the next day, but—”
I kiss her again, hard and fast.
“Are you trying to shut me up again?”
“I’m an idiot. I should’ve known what you were talking about, and I figured it out way too late.”
“When did you figure it out?”
“When I handed you the keys earlier. The hurt that flashed in your eyes about did me in. I didn’t expect it, and I knew right away that what happened between us the other night was just as important to you as it is to me. But everything was already in motion. You got up and left with the kids, and that woman sat down, and all I wanted was to chase after you and tell you…”
Fuck. Am I ready to do this? Am I ready to put myself out there for another woman?
Nora slides her hand up my chest and cups the side of my neck. “You wanted to tell me what?”
“That you’re the only girl I want to date.”
“You want to date me?”
“Yes.”
“Be sure, Grayson, because I’m not like most girls. I’m not into sharing or one-night stands.”
“I’ve been with one woman in my entire life. I think it’s safe to say I’m not like that either.”
“Neither one of us has much experience with this whole dating thing, so we need to keep that in mind as we navigate. We also need to communicate better.”
I nod, glad we’re finally back on the same page. “You’re right.”
“I should’ve chosen my words more carefully. I can see now how bad it must’ve sounded when I said it,” she says, toying with the back of my hair.
“And I should’ve said something right away. I should’ve known you wouldn’t let me into your body if it didn’t mean something to you.”
Nora kisses me. “Look at us, being all grown up.”
“We’re totally going to rock this dating thing, aren’t we?”
“Oh yeah.” She smiles and leans in for a kiss.
I hook an arm around her back and lift her up, ignoring the little voice in the back of my head that tells me a relationship with her will never work. She’s famous, for God’s sakes, and doesn’t even live here, but I push the thought away because I can’t remember ever wanting a woman the way I want Nora, and I can’t ignore it.
Nora wraps her legs around my waist. I carry her into the kitchen and set her on the counter. She spreads her legs to accommodate my body. My fingers dive into her hair, and I pull her to me. Our lips crash together like waves on a shore, ebbing and flowing in a timeless dance.
“Ewwww,” Jack shouts, startling us both.
I wrench away from Nora and look at Jack, who has a giant scowl on his face. Emma is standing beside him with an equally giant smile.
“Daddy and Nowa sit-in’ in a twee.”
Nora giggles at Emma’s song, the sound music to my ears.
“Are you two gonna do that all the time?” Jack asks.
I look back at Nora, but she just holds her hands up and shakes her head. “Your kids, your talk. I’ll be in the living room.”
I watch her hop off the counter, kiss each of the kids’ cheeks, and walk out of the room.
Jack shakes his head. “Girls have cooties, Dad.”
Emma pokes my leg. “Do I have cooties?”
“No.”
“But you said all girls have cooties,” Jack says.
“Not all, just some.”
“Which ones?”
“Can we talk about this tomorrow?” I sigh. �
��It’s late. Let’s get you two back to bed.”
Jack stops and looks at me. “Are you trying to get us back to bed so you can come out here and kiss Nora some more?”
Yes. That’s the plan.
19
Nora
Sun slices through the curtain, jabbing me in the eye. I reach for the cover and roll over, only to fall onto a cold, hard floor.
“What the hell?” I grunt.
“Dat’s a bad word.”
I blink and rub my eyes to find Emma’s chubby face staring down at me.
Okay, clearly I didn’t make it back to the loft last night.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.” Grayson holds out a hand and pulls me to my feet. Once I’m settled on the couch, he hands me a cup of coffee. “I wasn’t sure how you take your coffee, so I made it the way I make mine.”
I pull the warm cup to my mouth and take a sip. “This is great. I take it I fell asleep last night?”
“It took me a while to get the kids back to bed, and by the time I came back out here, you were zonked out on the couch, snoring like a banshee.”
“I was not snoring!”
“Like a banshee.” He smiles. “Next time I’ll record it.”
“Don’t do that,” I say, laughing.
Grayson laughs too. Things feel much easier between us this morning than they did yesterday, and that makes me happy.
“You looked peaceful, and I didn’t want to wake you, so I just covered you up.”
“Thank you.”
“Next time you can sweep in my woom.” Emma crawls onto the couch, sits beside me, and puts her hand on my leg. “We can have a swumber sweepover.”
“You mean a slumber party?”
“Yeah, dat.”
“That sounds fun. Count me in.”
“What about me? Can I come?” Grayson asks.
Emma shakes her head. “No boys.”
“That’s an awful rule.”
I smile around the rim of my cup. “One you’ll be glad you put into place in, oh, about twelve years.”
Grayson tips his cup toward me. “Touché.”
“Where are Jack and Henry?”
“Henry is still sleeping, and Jack is out back playing on the swing set.”
“I wanna pway too.” Emma hops off the couch and runs for the kitchen.
“Don’t forget your shoes.”
“I won’t!”
Grayson motions toward the kitchen, and I follow him in there. I stand beside the counter where I have a clear view of the kids while he finishes his drink and puts the cup in the sink.
“Good morning.” He steps behind me, presses his palms flat against the counter, and kisses the side of my neck.
I put my cup down, turn in his arms, and touch the front of his shirt. “The best morning I’ve had in a long time. I’m sorry I fell asleep last night.”
“Don’t be. You were tired, and it was late. But I am hoping I can get a do-over tonight.”
“Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?”
“I would like to take you out on a date.”
“What about the kids?”
“Jessa offered to watch them.”
“What? When?”
“Last night when I left the bar. She said something about owing you a big apology and feeling horrible. And then your brother threatened me within an inch of my life if I hurt you.”
“He did not.” I gasp.
“I assure you, he did. But I promised I wouldn’t. He’s still not happy with me because I told him we were just friends, but in my defense, at the time, we were just friends.”
“And it’s really none of his business.”
Grayson looks over my shoulder to check on the kids playing outside before bringing his mouth to mine.
“Where are we going tonight?” I ask, giddy at the thought of going on a date. “I’ve never been on an official first date.”
“It’s a surprise.”
My lips part. “Well, how am I supposed to know what to wear if I don’t know where we’re going?”
“I’m sure whatever you wear will be beautiful and perfect.”
“Then I better call Jessa and see if she wants to go shopping today.” I push onto my toes and kiss him again. And then again and then deeper the third time because I can.
“I know what you’re going to say,” I tell her, sliding into the front seat.
I shut the door, and Jessa puts the car in drive.
“Hello?” She smiles cheekily. “What? That’s what I was going to say.”
“You and I both know you had something else on the tip of your tongue, especially after last night.”
“You’re right.” She steals a glance at me as we weave through town. “I was going to tell you I’m sorry.”
Okay. I wasn’t expecting that. “For what?”
“For warning you away from Gray, for starters. That was wrong of me.”
“Why the change of heart?”
“Because Gray and the kids looked happy last night, happier than I’ve seen them since Lorelei was sober, and it’s because of you.”
“I don’t know if I’d go that far.”
“I would. And when Carol walked up, I knew I’d made a mistake. Gray looked panicked, and you looked hurt. I knew right then something was going on between you two, and I felt like shit for warning you away from a really great guy, and also because Carol was saying the things she was.”
“Oh, I wasn’t hurt.”
Jessa looks at me blandly. “This is me you’re talking to. You don’t have to save face when I’m around.”
“Okay, maybe I was a little jealous,” I say, holding my finger and thumb an inch apart. “But mostly because Grayson and I had kissed a few nights before, and then we had a misunderstanding afterward, and I had no idea where I stood with him.”
Jessa squeals. “Oh my gosh, you’ve already kissed him? I have a million questions.”
“Yes.” I smile, remembering the kisses we shared this morning too. “It was wonderful, and I’m not giving you any more details, so don’t ask.”
“What?” She looks aghast. “You told me everything about Todd.” She pauses. “Oh. Ohhh. Gray is different.”
“Maybe.” My belly flutters. “I feel different when I’m with him, that’s for sure.”
“Say no more. And I promise I won’t interfere in your relationship. I just don’t want either one of you to get hurt, and I know your brother feels the same way.”
“I’m not going to hurt him.”
Jessa reaches across the console and squeezes my hand. “I’m more worried about him hurting you.”
“I’m a big girl.”
“I know you are, which is why I promise not to meddle…too much.” We both laugh. “Now, enough with the heavy stuff, tell me where he’s taking you tonight.”
“I don’t know! He won’t tell me, and now I don’t know how to dress.”
“Hmm.” She taps her chin and makes a left turn to pull up at a small boutique. “My friend Danielle works here; she’ll know exactly what you should wear.”
We hop out of the car, and Jessa’s friend meets us at the door.
“Hey! I wasn’t expecting you today.”
Jessa motions toward me. “You remember me telling you about my sister-in-law, Nora, right?”
Danielle is the ultimate professional as she looks at me and smiles. “Who could forget something like that? It’s not every day your friend has a superstar for a family member. Welcome to my shop, Nora.”
“Thank you.”
“Nora is going on a date tonight and needs something to wear.”
“Who’s the lucky guy?” Danielle asks.
“Grayson Calhoun,” I say proudly.
Danielle’s jaw drops, and she does a little happy dance. “Well done, girlfriend. Grayson is the ultimate package. Sweet, sexy, successful, and he’s a great father. I don’t think they come much better than that.”
“She needs something that’s casual
, yet sexy,” Jessa says. “Can you help us out?”
“Can I help you out?” Danielle rolls her eyes. “This is what I live for. Come with me, girls, we’re going to find an outfit that will make Mr. Calhoun swallow his tongue.”
I like her, I mouth to Jessa.
She winks, and we follow her friend into the store.
No one would think of me as an innocent child in this outfit, that’s for sure. I give myself one last look in the mirror. Danielle outdid herself. I’m wearing lace shorts long enough to cover my butt, but short enough to showcase my legs, a billowy coral top that bunches at the waist and hangs loose off of one shoulder, and a pair of wedge peep-toe ankle boots. I completed the look by curling my hair into big, thick waves and adding a long necklace.
Now, what to do for makeup? If I were back home, I’d go all-out with a contoured look and fake lashes, but somehow that doesn’t seem right for my date with Grayson. Glam isn’t something he expects, and that takes a giant weight off my shoulders.
I smile at myself in the mirror and decide to go with less-is-more. I put a little color on my cheeks, a swipe of gloss on my lips, and top it off with a coat of mascara.
There. Fresh and sophisticated, yet fun and flirty.
Eat your heart out, Grayson Calhoun.
There’s a knock on the door. I hurry across the room and swing the door open to find Grayson standing on the other side.
He’s holding a bouquet of wildflowers.
“Wow…you look…” His heated gaze lights me from head to toe as his eyes travel the length of my body. “Stunning. You’re absolutely stunning. These are for you.”
“Thank you.” I take the flowers and bring them to my nose. “Come in. I’ll put these in water before we leave.”
“There should be a vase under the sink.”
I nod and find it. I arrange the flowers and set them on the nightstand beside my bed.
I hook a loose strand of hair behind my ear and turn to Grayson. “I hope I’m not underdressed or overdressed.”
“You look perfect.” He closes the distance between us, touches my cheek softly, and kisses me. “How am I supposed to keep my hands off of you?”
“Well, the whole point of this outfit is that you won’t be able to.”
Wait For Me Page 14