“For what?” he asks, confused.
“For looking out for her, but it’s no longer needed. I have Cora’s best interests at heart, and I don’t plan on going anywhere unless that’s what she wants.”
Foster smiles. “Good. Now, you want to help me with the grill? I can’t get the damn thing to stay lit.”
I laugh as we both get up and walk over to the grill. I open the lid and see the charcoal piled up in the center, still completely black.
He hands me the lighter and I rip a piece of paper off the bag. I light it and stick it under the coals. Before the paper’s gone, it’s lit the coals, so I put the grate back on.
“Thanks. You’re a pretty handy guy,” he says, offering me another beer.
I laugh. “I was born and raised in the country. We didn’t even have a grill. We just made a fire in the yard and cooked over it if we wanted something like that. We used to camp a lot with my dad, so I’ve learned a thing or two.”
“I’ve actually been thinking about doing some camping here soon. I found a pretty nice RV rental. It’s practically brand-new and I thought it would be fun to take it out before Harley’s too pregnant. Would you and Cora care to join us?”
“Would there be enough room?” I ask.
He nods. “Oh yeah. We’d take the bedroom, of course, and you and Cora could have the bed in the living area.”
“I’ll run it by her,” I promise.
As the meat cooks, Foster and I hang out and talk about camping, fishing, and our jobs. The girls come out a little while later, carrying bowls and platters full of food and condiments. When everything is done, we all gather around the table, and Foster talks about the RV and all of us taking a trip soon before fall hits. The girls seem into it and we all agree to make a week-long trip out of it.
After dinner, we hang out a little while longer, talking and enjoying our drinks. We end up leaving around 7 p.m. when I take her back to her apartment. I walk her up to the door and kiss her goodnight, then pull away to leave and head back home for the night. It’s easier keeping up with my routine when I’m at home with all of my stuff. I hate leaving her, but I think it might be what she needs. Alone time. Time to think and figure things out.
When I get home, I waste no time in showering and going to bed for the night. Getting up at 4 a.m. is a lot easier when you go to bed at a decent hour instead of having sex all night. But I know that if I’d stayed at her place, that’s what we’d be doing and I wouldn’t regret it in the slightest.
When my alarm goes off, I go through the usual steps of my morning. I get dressed, go to the gym, work out, and then I’m back home to shower and dress for work. I have breakfast and leave for the day, making my way down to my car in the parking lot. I come to a stop when I see Jimmy leaning against what I assume is his car, which is parked next to mine. When he sees me, he stands up straight and I finish the walk to my car. How the hell did he know where to find me?
“Can I help you?” I ask as I put my laptop case into the passenger seat.
“I’m sorry to come at you like this,” he says. His eyes are bloodshot, like he’s been drinking all night, and his hair is a wreck. “I was just wondering if you and Cora are together. Like together together.”
“What’s it to you? You ran out on her.”
“I know,” he breathes out, hanging his head. “But I’ve come to see what a mistake that was. I want her back and I’ve been calling and texting her, but she won’t answer or respond. I know she’s probably mad at me, but . . .”
“Cora and I are together. And I’d appreciate it if you’d leave her alone. You’ve done enough damage.” I climb behind the wheel of my car and back out, heading to work and leaving him to stare after me.
My anger is through the roof when I arrive at work after being approached by Jimmy. He already knew we were together. He saw us. But I can’t believe she didn’t tell me about him reaching out to her. Is she hiding it for a reason? He said she hasn’t replied to his messages. Why? Is she not replying because of me, or because she’s still trying to get over his betrayal?
I look for her in the break room, but I find it empty, so I go to her office instead. When I walk in, she looks up at me with a smile. “Hey.”
“Guess who was outside my apartment today?”
“Who?” she asks, seemingly having no idea.
“Jimmy.”
She freezes.
“He said he’s been calling and texting you but that you haven’t responded.”
She nods, biting down on her lower lip.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
She shrugs. “I didn’t want you to worry. I’m not going back to him or anything.”
I take a deep breath as I close the space between us. “If he’s bothering you, let me know and I’ll handle it.”
“He’ll get bored in a few days and move on. I’m sure of it.”
I press a kiss to her forehead. “Don’t forget to put in for your time off for the camping trip with Foster and Harley.”
“I was just doing it now,” she says, pointing to her computer screen. “You know, we don’t have to go.”
“I want to. I like getting to know your friends and the people in your life. Plus, the more time I get with you, the better.”
Thirteen
Cora
The week passes in a blur, the way it always does when I have Grayson by my side. Between working 40 hours a week, going to the gym every evening, and spending my nights wrapped around him, I’ve lost all concept of time. It’s Friday and we’re preparing for our RV trip with Foster and Harley. They’ve promised to take care of everything. We just have to pack our bags and be ready to go.
Grayson packs up and stops by my place to pick me up, and then the two of us drive over to Harley’s together. When we arrive, they’re running in and out of the big black and white RV, making sure we have everything we’ll need. We hit the road a little after noon. At first, the trip is rather slow with Foster driving the RV and Harley working to get everything in place. Grayson and I sit at the table, playing a game of Rummy.
Around dark, we reach the Shawnee National Forest and park the camper in the spot we’re calling home for the week. We all get out to stretch our legs, and Foster and Grayson go in search of firewood while Harley and I walk around the campsite, stretching our legs.
The guys are back a little while later, arms loaded down with broken logs and sticks. Between the two of them, we have plenty to last us the night, and Grayson sets to work on building a fire. By the time it’s roaring, Harley and I have set up chairs around it. I’m sipping on a glass of wine while Harley and Foster go inside to start on dinner. Grayson takes the chair next to me that Harley just vacated.
“What do you think?” he asks, reaching for my hand.
I get up and move to sit in his lap. “I think we need to take a walk in the forest and explore.” I wag my brows at him, giving him a hint as to what I’m thinking.
“It’s a little too dark right now. I’d hate for us to get lost,” he says, clearly not catching on.
“We don’t have to go far,” I say, offering up a smirk. “Come on.” I stand up and grab his hand, pulling him toward the trees.
We only go in a few feet, but it’s far enough that with the darkness, I can’t see the RV—only the small flicker of the fire. I spin around and press my back to a tree as my arms move up to wrap around his neck. I direct my lips to his. It only takes a moment of kissing before he knows what I’m getting at. He pulls my cotton shorts down my legs and picks me up against him.
With my legs wrapped around his hips, he reaches between us and frees himself from his jeans. He quickly positions himself and thrusts forward, filling me and already nearly pushing me over the edge. He kisses my lips and nibbles on my neck as he moves in and out of me. My nails bite into his back as I try my best to hush the whimpers escaping my lips. But I think the fact that I’m having a hard time staying quiet makes him work that much harder. We both fall
over the edge at the same time as he pumps into me, then we both relax against the tree to catch our breath and steady our hearts.
He finally has control over himself again and sets me on my feet. I pull my shorts back up and he fixes his jeans.
“That fucking tree sucks,” I say as we start making our way out of the woods.
He can’t do anything but laugh.
After dinner, we go for a shower, letting Harley and Foster use the shower in the RV. He joins me in the women’s shower house, and when I pull my shirt over my head, he gasps.
“Fuck, Cora,” he says, moving to run his finger along a sore spot on my back. “Why didn’t you tell me I was hurting you?”
“You weren’t hurting me, the tree was,” I say, turning to inspect my back in the mirror. It’s covered with scratches of various sizes from the tree bark. “And honestly, it didn’t even register until after we were done.” I smile and he shakes his head at me, but then leans in to kiss me as he walks me back into the water.
After everything and everyone is cleaned up, we all sit around the fire with a cold drink in our hands—everyone but Harley, that is.
“So, how did you two meet?” Grayson asks, motioning between Harley and me.
We look at each other with big smiles.
“We were actually in the same sorority in college,” Harley says. “She always made sure I got home from all the frat parties, and I made sure she had a good time and didn’t waste too much time on any one guy.”
Grayson looks at me and I roll my eyes. “And by that, she means I was her babysitter throughout college.”
Harley gasps and playfully slaps me across the arm. “I did not need a babysitter! I was very mature for my age.” She nods her head as she crosses her arms over her chest.
That makes me laugh. “Mature for your age? You’re still not mature for your age.”
Harley’s brows draw together. “And what does that mean?”
“It means you still act like a child most of the time. I mean, who runs to Vegas and accidentally gets married?”
Foster laughs and holds up his hand.
I giggle. “You two are a match made in heaven . . . or hell. I’m not sure which.”
Foster chuckles and Harley holds up her middle finger. “It’s not like you haven’t ever done anything stupid. Remember that time you bleached your hair icy blonde and you thought it would be a good idea to do it to your eyebrows too? How long did it take them to grow back?” she asks around a smile and Grayson can’t hold in his drunken laugh.
I feel my face heat up and turn pink just from reliving it. “Well, you were the one who said you knew what you were doing. Plus, I’m not the one who got caught with her pants down in the professor’s office!” I laugh loudly and point at her.
“Hey, that was a secret!” Harley whisper-yells.
“Okay, I have to know this story,” Foster says, rubbing his hands together.
Harley rolls her eyes. “I had been seeing this guy—”
“A guy who just happened to be the teacher’s assistant!” I throw in.
“Yes, he was, but he was only two years older than me, I swear. Anyway, he was working out of the professor’s office . . . grading papers, logging shit, that sort of thing. And I surprised him by showing up in a trench coat. Underneath, I was wearing a pair of red panties, a tied football jersey, and nothing else. He was a huge football fan. But then, just as we were finishing up, the professor walked in on us.”
We all laugh.
“What happened?” Foster asks.
“Well, he got fired, of course, and I had to sit through a long speech from my professor about maturity and respect. Twenty minutes of my life I’ll never get back.”
“But look at everything that speech taught you,” I tease.
Harley looks over at me and I can see the fire burning in her eyes. “At least I didn’t pee my pants in the middle of a lecture.”
“Hey, no fair! You were making me laugh.”
“I wasn’t making you laugh! You were laughing because I’d smeared lipstick all over my face from giving the teacher’s assistant a BJ before class started.”
I start laughing all over again. “You couldn’t figure out why everyone was staring at you,” I say between giggles. “You kept asking if you had something in your teeth or if your hair was messed up.” More giggles follow.
We’re all laughing now—well, all but Harley—but she’s wearing a smile, remembering the good times we had together in college.
“So how did you two meet?” Grayson asks, this time motioning between Harley and Foster.
“Oh, this story is even better,” I say.
Harley rolls her eyes. “We met at a bar and instantly hit it off. He asked me to come home with him, but I couldn’t because I was with Cora. Thankfully, he gave me his number and I kept it.” She smiles and shrugs.
“Oh no. Tell him he rest of the story,” I insist.
She sighs. “Well, after Foster left, I got drunk. Like really, really drunk. I was dancing on a table and got thrown out of the bar. But I didn’t have my purse or phone or anything. So when I tried to sneak back in, I got caught and was arrested. I had to call Foster to come bail me out because I didn’t remember anyone’s number and I still had his on me.”
Grayson laughs. “You bailed her out the first night you met?”
He smiles and nods. “And I’ll bail her out anytime.”
“Aww,” Harley says, leaning over to kiss him.
The night goes on and the drinks continue to go down smoothly. The temperature drops and before I know it, I’m cuddled up in Grayson’s lap with a blanket. He smooths my hair down, rubs my back, and presses light kisses to my shoulder when no one is watching. Not that I mind them being around—I just don’t want to be the couple that makes everyone else feel like they’re awkwardly invading our private time.
Harley is curled up in Foster’s lap, too. He keeps whispering something in her ear and pressing kisses to her neck, shoulders, and cheek. Every once in a while, he moves his hands down to cup her still-flat stomach like he’s already holding their baby. It makes my heart cry out, wanting what they have. Maybe one of these days.
Around 11 p.m., the fire starts to die out and we all move into the RV for bed. Harley goes straight back to the bedroom, but Foster hangs out a moment longer to help us pull the couch into a bed. After he’s gotten it into position, he tosses us a fitted sheet, some blankets, and a couple pillows before slipping into the bedroom with Harley.
I grab the fitted sheet and start spreading it out across the mattress pad while Grayson slips the pillows into their cases. “Are you enjoying yourself?” I ask as I stretch the sheet across the bed.
“I am,” he says, dropping one pillow and moving on to the next.
“Good. I was worried that being here with my friends would leave you feeling like the odd man out or something.”
He shakes his head. “No, I’m enjoying getting to know your friends. They seem like good people.”
I smile. “They’re great people.” I sit on the edge of the bed and slip off my shoes. Grayson hits the light switch and climbs into bed with me. He wraps one arm around me and pulls me to his side. I lay my arm across his chest and take a deep breath. “Mmm, this is nice.”
“It is nice,” he agrees, running his hand up and down my arm.
My body melts into him and I feel completely comfortable and safe in his arms. Jimmy never felt like this. Actually, I can’t think of one time that Jimmy and I ever cuddled. He would always roll over so his back was to me to go to sleep. The first few months, I tried scooting up to his back and wrapping my arm around him, but he always complained that I made him too warm or said he wasn’t comfortable. I don’t understand how he could go from wanting nothing to do with me and leaving me on the day of our wedding to calling and texting me every day—acting like he wants to get back together. I still haven’t answered a single one of his calls or texts. I keep thinking that one day, he�
�ll get the picture, but I’m starting to worry he never will.
I don’t know what’s going on between Grayson and me just yet, but whatever it is, I don’t want Jimmy coming between us. I don’t want any trouble. I just want him to let me move on—something I’ve been working very hard at doing.
Do I want to move on with Grayson? I know I want him by my side for as long as possible. I just wish I knew how he felt about me. Knowing his feelings would make it much easier to come out with mine. I told him I’m not ready to jump into another relationship, and that’s technically true. But what I meant was: I’m not ready to jump into another relationship like the one I had. But everything with Grayson is completely different. I’m beginning to think that having a relationship with Grayson wouldn’t be bad at all. If it’s anything like what we’ve been doing, I know there’s no other man I’d ever want.
Fourteen
Grayson
We spend our week fishing, cooking over the open fire, boating, hiking, and making love every time we can sneak away, but I think Foster and Harley are doing the same thing. They keep finding excuses to go off on their own, but we never argue, because it means we get time on our own as well.
The week passes by quickly, which is no surprise given how much all of us (with the exception of Harley) have been drinking. But the end of the week also means another week is about to begin—more days filled with work and more nights spent in each other’s arms.
The marathon is quickly approaching, and training is getting harder and harder the more I push, but I know she’ll get there. She’s not giving herself the chance to fail. I’m sure she’s exhausted after working all day and then hitting the gym for hours every night. This coming week is going to be harder than before since we’ve been away and camping for a week. But even though we were camping, we were training . . . just not in a gym. She swam, jogged, walked, and ran the trails, going further and further each time. She’s only missing her 5K mark by a hair, but I know she’ll get there.
The F It List (Love You Forever Book 6) Page 12