by Jerry Cole
Chapter Twenty-Six
It wasn’t as easy as Grant had hoped.
There was so much he had to do to move his life from Chicago to Maine. All his utilities had to be moved into Matt or Seb’s name, and he had to take his name off the lease and transfer all his bills into a Maine address. He used the B&B considering Robert had given him sort-of permission, and though he spent days on the phone, eventually he managed to get everything transferred.
He kept his promise to Morgan in calling her every day and though most of those calls ended with Morgan in tears, it made him feel better that she was at least hearing from him. He hadn’t yet called his mother, even though he was going to have to before he made the move.
“You know the longer you put it off, the worse it’s going to be,” Matt told him.
Seb was at work, having exchanged his shifts so that he could help with the move to Maine. They’d hired a truck for all of Grant’s stuff—and he hadn’t realized he had quite so much—and Seb was the only one who’d had experience with one, so he was doing all of the driving.
“That’s easier said than done when it comes to my Maman,” Grant pointed out, but he knew Matt was right. Retreating to his room, he dialed his mother’s number and waited for her to pick up.
“Grant?”
“Hi, Mom,” he said, choosing to talk in English because he didn’t want to keep up the habit of speaking French if he was going to be living with Robert and Morgan, neither of whom spoke much French. “I have something to tell you.”
There was silence on the end of the phone and then the sound of a door closing. “Are you well?”
“Yes,” Grant said quickly. “I promise, I’m fine. It’s not bad news. At least I don’t think it’s bad news.”
“But you think I might?”
Grant didn’t know and that was the point. He didn’t think she would, especially with how keen she had been to speak to Morgan, but it was one thing to know your son was in love with someone and quite another to hear he was planning to up sticks and move. “I want to move to Maine.”
The silence was longer, but Grant didn’t panic. His mother would have started shouting already if she were truly angry with him. Perhaps disappointed if it was silence, so he clutched at the cellphone in his hand.
“Is that it?”
Grant blew out a breath, frowning. “What?”
“Grant,” his mother said, sounding equal parts exasperated and amused. “I figured when you had me talk to Morgan for so long that eventually you would choose to stay there. As your mother I had to give you time to make the choice, but I always knew where you would end up.”
“Oh,” Grant said. He was constantly building these things up in his head to be major things and they were just coming out in ways Grant could not have predicted. “Thanks, Mom.”
His mother laughed then, gentle and kind. “You don’t have to thank me for doing what a mother does. I will always support your choices, Grant, and you should know that. I love you and I trust your judgement.”
Grant wasn’t sure she should be so certain, but it was the outcome he wanted, so he just said, “Still, I hope I’m making the right choice.”
“You love that little girl like she was your own,” his mother pointed out. “I could tell that when you started talking about her, and I know you wouldn’t put her in a situation where she would be hurt either emotionally or physically. You’re a good man, Grant, and when you start realizing that, perhaps you will trust your judgement as much as I do.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Grant said doubtfully.
Though his mother didn’t stay on the phone for much longer after that, Grant felt relieved that he had made the call and more certain in his future than he had before. There was nothing quite like a call to your mother to put things into perspective.
Matt was still out in the living room, scrolling through his phone, but he looked up as Grant came in, almost as if he had been waiting. “So?”
“She knew already.”
“Your mom, man,” Matt said with a laugh. “See? Clearly you’re making the right decision.”
Grant hadn’t any fears about that; there was apprehension and fear about the huge move, especially if things did go wrong between he and Robert but they had faced so much already that he couldn’t see what else could come between them that would have him running back to Chicago with his tail between his legs.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“You should have followed the phone,” Grant snapped as they finally pulled onto the main street of Bar Harbor. “We might have been here several hours earlier.”
“Whatever,” Seb groused, not continuing the argument because he clearly knew he was in the wrong.
Grant looked out of the window, grinning at the familiar street, and up ahead, the drive that would take them to the B&B. “That’s the one.”
Seb dutifully turned into the street and though the truck wasn’t overly large, he still took it with more care than was probably called for.
Grant’s heart was thumping wildly in his chest at the prospect of being able to see Robert and Morgan again, and he was tapping his finger on his lap. Matt nudged him, having spent most of the ride with Grant’s agitation and was getting to the end of his rope. “Sorry.”
“I know you’re excited, man, but seriously.”
They were all grouchy, having driven through the night and stopping only for a brief rest for Seb. The last leg of the journey had seen them sniping at each other and Grant was ready to get out of the truck and stretch his legs—and get away from Seb and Matt for a while.
As Seb brought the truck to a stop in the parking lot, Grant barely waited for him to shut off the engine before he was pushing open the door and jumping down to the gravel. Almost as soon as he had, the door to the B&B opened and Morgan was running out toward him.
“Grant!”
Grant caught her as she flung herself at him, and he swung her around, burying his face in her hair. “See? I told you I would be back.”
“You were gone ages,” Morgan said, sniffling, but pulling away, Grant saw she had a huge grin on her face. “Daddy was sad without you and I was worried you wouldn’t come back, but he told me to be patient.”
“Your Daddy’s a smart man,” Seb said.
Morgan looked at him, frowning. “Grant, who is this?”
“This is my friend Seb,” Grant said. “You should be nice to him because he drove me all the way here.”
Morgan’s eyes widened. “Wow, all the way like Grant did?”
“Yep,” Seb said with a cocky grin. Grant had no doubt that Morgan would have him wrapped around her little finger in no time.
“Where is your Daddy?” Matt asked.
“And this is Matt,” Grant said as Matt asked. “He made sure we had good music.”
“Good music is good,” Morgan pointed out. Then, to Matt, she waved a hand at the B&B. “He’s in his office. I don’t know what he’s doing.”
Grant nodded. “How about we go and say hi?”
Morgan grinned. “He’s gonna be so happy to see you, Grant.”
“I’ve got an idea,” Seb cut in. “How about Morgan shows us where the bathroom is while you go and see Robert?”
Morgan looked torn between spending time with these new people and staying with Grant. “You promise you won’t leave?”
“I can’t if Seb’s driving, can I?”
Confident in that logic, Morgan nodded, and Grant let her down. She immediately grabbed a hold of Seb’s hand and started marching him toward the B&B.
“Good luck,” Matt said, clapping Grant on the arm before following Morgan and Seb into the house.
Grant took a deep breath before he moved. It was strange now that he was here. He wanted to see Robert, had missed him desperately, but it was as if the apprehension was weighing on him. What if Robert had decided in that time that he didn’t want Grant in return?
Shaking off the doubts, he headed for the B&B front door and shoved it
open, ignoring how badly his hands were shaking as he made his way through the sitting room. He knocked on the door and waited.
“Morgan, I told you,” Robert started, and when Grant shoved open the door, he looked up from the desk. “I’m work–”
Grant grinned at him, though his heart was aching to see the smudges under his eyes, the red cheeks and red eyes from where he had obviously been crying or trying not to cry. “Hi, Robert.”
“Grant,” Robert said breathless and he was up and around the desk so quickly it was almost startling. He pulled Grant into a hug and Grant went willingly, wrapping Robert up so that Robert could burrow in against his shoulder. “God, I thought—”
“I know,” Grant said softly. “It’s all right, sweetheart, I’m sticking around, all right?”
“I know that now,” Robert said, his voice more a sob as he clutched at Grant’s arms. “I spent ages trying to tell Morgan it would be okay, and I didn’t know if it would.”
Grant didn’t doubt it. He kept a hold of Robert, letting him do what he needed to. He could hear Morgan and Seb laughing upstairs, and Matt admonishing them for something. “I think my friends might be a bad influence on your daughter.”
Robert’s laugh was watery, but he thumped Grant on the shoulder. “You let Morgan hang around with strangers?”
“Technically,” Grant said, “They’re strange but not strangers. They would never hurt her.”
“I trust you,” Robert told him seriously, leaning up for a kiss. Grant obliged, having missed every inch of Robert for the days he had been away. It was like coming home and to Grant, it obviously was.
“GRANT!”
Morgan’s yell broke through their moment, along with a burst of giggles and squeals.
“It’s been so silent around here without you,” Robert said with a touch of wistfulness. The expression on Robert’s face was almost a smirk. “I hated every second of it.”
“So did I,” Grant said.
Seb was grinning like an idiot and Matt came up behind him, exasperated, sharing a look with Grant about Seb’s demeanor around children. He was on the same mental level as them, Grant supposed, so it wasn’t really a surprise.
“Why is he attacking you?” Grant asked Morgan. She stuck her tongue out at Seb from behind Grant’s legs. Unsurprisingly, he stuck his out in return, and Morgan giggled. “Oh, I guess it wasn’t that bad.”
“It was!” Morgan said, squeezing Grant’s leg. “He tried to take Lulu!”
Morgan brandished the doll from behind her legs and Grant looked shocked, pretending to glare at Seb. “What did Lulu do to you?”
“She’s the enemy,” Seb said with a shrug.
Morgan started blowing raspberries and Grant snorted, turning back to Robert, who was regarding the scene with bemusement. “Sorry about this idiot. He’s Seb and the sane guy behind him is Matt. They helped me bring my stuff from Chicago.”
“All your stuff?” Robert couldn’t help his smile at that.
“I did tell you I was moving out here. You even offered me a place to stay if I remember right.”
“You do.” Robert’s grip tightened on Grant’s waist. “You wanna do this? For good?”
“You know I do,” Grant said, kissing Robert hard. “You, me and Morgan. And our friends.”
Robert’s face twisted into amusement. “About that.”
Grant frowned. “What, our friends?”
“Some of them are a little pissed at you.” Robert gave Grant’s arm a pat. “You might wanna figure out what you’re gonna say to Natasha before you find her.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Grant didn’t particularly want to find Natasha, but he knew better than to ignore her now that he was back in town. Seb and Matt agreed to accompany him to the cafe and then Morgan decided that she and Robert should come along to protect Grant. No amount of protesting would move her, so the five of them ended up leaving the B&B together.
Morgan led the way, demanding a piggyback ride from Seb, who was only too willing to oblige. Matt fell into step with Robert and Grant, and Grant did his best not to worry about how hard Natasha would slap him when she saw him.
“You’ll be fine,” Robert said, sliding his finger into the beltloop of Grant’s jeans and tugging him close. “She just missed you.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Grant said.
They lapsed into a comfortable silence, and before too long, Morgan and Seb went on ahead, pushing through the door and chattering a mile a minute. Grant couldn’t see Natasha through the window, but he could see Maria, who raised her eyebrows as he came through the door.
“You’ve come back, then.”
“I only went to get my stuff,” Grant said. “Why does everyone think I left for good?”
“Maybe because you didn’t say goodbye,” Natasha said grimly from behind the counter. Her eyes were narrowed, but she looked exactly the same as she had the day Grant left Maine. “People who aren’t coming back run away without seeing their friends first.”
“I didn’t think it would take this long,” Grant protested. He knew it sounded stupid even as he said it. How could moving not take a long time? He sighed. “I’m sorry. I should have said goodbye. I didn’t want to cry or end up embarrassing myself.”
“You always do that,” Natasha said, but the edge had left her tone. “Why’d you bother coming back?”
“There’s this guy,” Grant said, almost conversationally. “He’s kinda good looking, got an awesome daughter who’s kinda the best.”
“That’s me!” Morgan said helpfully.
Natasha laughed and leaned across the counter. “Of course, that’s you. You’re more awesome than your dad.”
Morgan gasped, looking back at Robert and then at Natasha. “You’re right.”
That had everyone laughing, and Grant guided the group over to one of the tables. Natasha followed, notepad in hand, and asked if they wanted anything.
“Just a drink,” Grant said.
Morgan and Robert ordered dinner apparently without Grant. They weren’t cooking at home. Though Robert refuted the point to a shake of Morgan’s head. Seb and Matt then went for drinks and a plate of fries to share.
“Coming right up,” Natasha said, though she mostly spoke to Seb.
“She knows there are other people at this table, right?” Matt asked.
“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Robert put in, grinning at Grant.
Grant was torn between laughing at Seb for the look on his face as he stared after Natasha and lamenting the fact that Seb was going to end up sticking around for a while if he actually appreciated Natasha for more than just the first look. “You realize she might be taken?”
“She isn’t,” Robert said, at the same time Seb said, “I’ll ask.”
“There,” Seb continued, gesturing at Robert. “She’s available and there’s no harm in asking if she wants a drink, is there?
Grant made a face. “You met her like five seconds ago. What makes you think–”
Robert kicked Grant under the table and his mouth clamped shut. Fair enough. Grant couldn’t deny that it had worked for him, so he just rolled his eyes and waved a hand.
“Fine, have at it, but if she thumps you, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Grant doubted even that would stop Seb from saying something.
Morgan was busy playing with Lulu, who had decided that the salt and pepper pots were the mortal enemy, though Grant noticed she occasionally tossed rolled up bits of napkin at Seb on the claim that it was Lulu who didn’t like Seb very much.
Seb was taking it well, ducking behind Matt, who ended up with more balls of napkin in his face than Seb did.
“I don’t think I like being a human shield,” Matt said. “How about we aim them at Grant?”
“What?” Grant gave Morgan a look. “Gary might decide to take a flight.”
“Grant,” Morgan whined, “You know Gary doesn’t fly!”
“He might,” Grant put in, “if you k
eep throwing balls at Matt.”
“Fine,” Morgan said, as though it was an imposition for Grant to even ask. “I gotta wait until Seb’s not paying attention anyway.”
Matt snorted. “Good luck with that. You’ll never catch him unaware.”
“You’ve never met my daughter,” Robert said. He sounded proud and Grant could understand why. “If she wants to catch him unaware, she will.”
It was a fair point. Before Seb could say anything, Natasha arrived with the drinks, and he was once again all eyes for her. She rolled her eyes. “Is there something you want?”
Seb shrugged, aiming for nonchalant but he missed by a mile. Natasha seemed to find him amusing. “How about a drink?”
“Here,” Natasha said, sliding Seb’s drink across the table.
Robert snorted, hiding his laugh in Grant’s shoulder, and Matt managed to smother his with a cough. Seb shot them both a glare, and then Natasha a smile. “I meant another day. If you wanted to grab one. With me.”
“Sure,” Natasha said, without hesitation.
“Another whirlwind romance,” Grant said wistfully, and expected the bunch of napkins that Natasha threw at his head. “I meant it in a nice way!”
“A nice way would be not texting your other friends to let them know that you’re back in town.”
Grant’s eyes widened. “You texted Derek and Sval?”
“Oh, so you remembered them, then?”
“That’s not fair,” Robert said quietly. “You know why he had to leave.”
“Besides,” Grant pointed out, a little hurt but trying to get the levity back, “it got you a date, didn’t it?”
Natasha opened her mouth, looking apologetic, but then she turned to Seb, who was half-smirking, half-warning and she sighed. “I know, I’m sorry, Grant. I just thought—”
“We’re friends,” Grant said, putting all the sincerity in his tone he could drag up. “I wouldn’t have done it if I thought it would hurt you this much.”
Seb snorted. “Honestly, after a while you welcome the distance from the guy.”
“Oh, fuck you,” Grant said, kicking him under the table.
Morgan gasped. “Grant, bad word!”