The Running Series Box Set: Books 1-3

by DeLaine Roberts

  I heard Cooper making noise in the kitchen and decided to go hang out with him since there hadn’t been much time for just the two of us lately. “Hey Cooper, whatcha making? It smells heavenly.”

  “Hey, girl. Glad you finally decided to get up and join the rest of the world. I’m making lasagna, Caesar salad, and garlic bread for dinner, so I’m just getting a jump on my lasagna.”

  “Yummo! I haven’t had your lasagna since before we left Chicago. Grayson and I were going to order out, but I’ll text him and let him know you’re cooking.” I was in serious danger of drooling on the countertop like a slobbery dog.

  “Oh, I already texted Grayson. He knows I’m cooking,” He shot me a look that made me wonder who was actually in charge in this relationship—me, Grayson, or Cooper. He was worse than a matchmaker.

  “Coop, what is it with you two? Lemme guess, this is some kind of twisted threesome we’ve got going on here, but I’m not in on it?” He knew I was only teasing, but there was a little morsel of truth in my question. Cooper was awfully invested in this relationship.

  “It’s not like that and you know it. First of all, I could totally steal him from you if I wanted too!” he sassed playfully, wagging a finger through the air for emphasis and throwing his other hand on his jutted-out hip. He turned back to the stove to keep stirring the meat he was browning. “He texted me earlier when he couldn’t get you on your phone. He wanted to know if you were okay or if you were resting, that’s all. You’ve got a keeper there, and you know it, but you two need to get your own place. You’re way too noisy, you have more sex than a downtown brothel, and you use all the hot water!”

  “Cooper! We do no such thing!” I was embarrassed, but couldn’t hide my happiness.

  He laughed at what must have been flaming red checks on my face. “Alex, love and preggers agree with you. You’re glowing! I can’t wait to get you styled in maternity, and you are finally getting those boobs you always wanted!”

  “Cooper Roberts, stop it! You know, Grayson said the same thing. My boobs are bigger, but everything else is smaller. I can’t keep food down for long. It’ll be a long time before I need maternity clothes, but I’m sure that you, Monica, and some of the other stylists will keep me cute!”

  Pausing to survey the great setting Cooper was working on, I volunteered, “I can put some music on for us to set our Italian mood, and I suppose I better check my phone and answer the stalker, or he will be having a panic attack!” I went to put on some Italian music, Jeff Steinberg’s “Romance in Tuscany,” and looked for my phone. It was beginning to smell and now sound like an Italian bistro while I rummaged through my purse.

  Great. I had missed one message and several texts.

  Grayson wrote, Hey, Red, missing u, shower was boring w/o u Hope u r getting some rest, lu+1, GB PM clinic almost over, b home about 5:30, LOVE YOU ANGEL +AIW

  I replied, Had a long nap, dreamt of U, what is AIW?

  His response was Great! Angel in waiting! See you soon, LUB, GB

  Oh, he was really getting into acronyms. So much so I was beginning to have no idea what he was talking about.

  I responded, LUB?

  His wrote, LOVE YOU BOTH!

  “Hey, Cooper,” I called out in a happy, singsong voice. “I have an assignment for you, if you’re interested.”

  “That depends on where you’re going, so I’ll know how to dress you!” he answered back from where he was busily chopping tomatoes on the bamboo cutting board over the sink, a smirk on his face.

  “It’s not an event. It’s a home. Would you start looking for a home for us? We want you to be our realtor!”

  Cooper was usually not the giddy type, but my offer of being our realtor seemed to make his day. “I would be honored! We can discuss your wants over dinner and see what area Grayson had in mind. Do you have a timeline?”

  “Well, yes, Grayson will anyway. His lease is up in November, and he can go month-to-month until we find something. You know I have no idea about homes or locations around here, but I’m sure he can let you know what he has in mind.”

  “Alex, I know your tastes like the back of my hand. You like traditional or old-world styling, rich colors, nothing white, but with lots of brown, brown, and more brown!” he said, laughing at me.

  Really, did he have to laugh at me about liking brown? Redheads didn’t do red. We did orange, yellow, cream, and brown!

  “Seriously, are you poking fun at me?” I wanted to yank him up, but he was bigger than me, so I settled for elbowing him in his ribs as hard as my puny arm could dish out.

  “Ouch, take it easy on me, or you won’t have anything to eat for dinner, Alex. I’m going to run to the market to grab some wine, be back momentarily!” He walked out the door, rubbing his ribs. I guessed my strength was starting to return.

  I watched him pull out of the driveway and thought about having him help us find the house that would finally separate me from Cooper. We’d been each other’s family for so long it was the only bittersweet thought tainting what was otherwise shaping up to be perfection. I had Grayson, the offer of a great new job, a new home, even a baby on the way. But it all came at the cost of losing my very-real brother.

  In reality, I had family, I just never could relate to them, especially Gretchen’s kids, Bethany and Kane Tate. When Dad married Gretchen, I was only sixteen. Bethany and Kane were already old enough to be out of college and on their own. They filtered in for family holidays, but they always brought friends, so I was always the odd girl out, the little kid sister who wasn’t really all that little, and especially wasn’t all that much of a sister.

  Now, they both lived back in Chicago with careers that kept them busy, so Dad and Gretchen really only had “family” at holidays. But I was determined to change all that.

  I wanted my baby to know my extended family, step-relations and all. Hopefully, this little girl or boy would give Grayson and me something that had been missing for both us for a very long time and help pull both of our families back together.

  “How is my angel-plus-one doing?” Grayson called out as he came in the door from work, perky enough to run a marathon.

  I was so happy to see him I ran to the doorway and threw myself at him, wrapping my legs around his waist. “We are both happy to see you! We missed you today!” I exclaimed, kissing him hard on the mouth and taking his tongue to mine.

  “Wow, someone found her energy! That’s the welcome I want every day, love.” Taking a deep breath in my neck, Grayson kissed me back as he maneuvered to the bar to place a bouquet of flowers there.

  “Aw, flowers for me? How thoughtful. I love them; they’re my favorites.” They were beautiful fall colors, yellow and orange roses with tiny green mums.

  I scrounged around in a bottom cabinet for a vase to put them in. “I asked Cooper today if he would take on the task of finding our first home, but after I did it, I realized I should have asked you first, I’m sorry. I’m still getting used to this being a ‘we’ thing. If you’re not okay with it, I’ll let him know and I understand.” I gave him my best come hither through the eyelashes look, hoping I wasn’t in trouble.

  “I don’t have a problem with it at all. The only thing is he’s new to this market, so he may not have all the connections to properties not yet listed. Maybe we could put him in contact with someone I know, and they can work on it together? Kind of like giving Cooper an introduction to Dallas real estate? I gotta say, though, this comes as a bit of a shock. Did you make any big decisions while I was gone today?” He pulled me in for a big hug and kissed me.

  “Why, actually I did! I made several. Would you like to hear them?” I tried to wriggle free of his hold, but he was having none of that.

  Instead, he reached over and turned the water off for the flowers, picked me up, and carried me to the bedroom. He started kissing me hard and hungrily on the mouth while tugging at my T-shirt until I slid it over my head, then he unfastened my bra and slid off my yoga pants, leaving me in onl
y my panties. He laid me back on the bed and stopped long enough to yank off his scrub shirt before joining me, planting kisses all over my heated skin.

  Saving the best for last, he bit at the thin strip of fabric resting on my hip and pulled my underwear with his teeth until the elastic ripped.

  “Don’t forget to put new panties on the grocery list,” he said with a sexy growl.

  I couldn’t help but laugh from the surprise and the sheer boldness of it.

  “Grayson, aren’t you the least bit hungry?” I asked, pretending to stall the subject at hand.

  “Oh, I’m hungry all right, hungry for you. Right now, this is what I want.” He leaned down and began to tantalize me with his tongue, his thumb, his teeth, rubbing, biting, and sucking me until I arrived at an amazing climax in his mouth. He sat up in the bed, pulling me up into his lap and covering me with the blanket.

  “And that is how I want to be greeted every evening when you come home,” I gasped, still reeling from the orgasm.

  “Red, I have every intention of keeping you completely satisfied, glad to be of service,” he said, kissing me. As we canoodled, he whispered sweetly on my lips, “I really missed you today.”

  “I missed you too. I love you, Grayson Brooks!” I wrapped my arms around his neck, getting my hands full of his thick, dark hair, before settling back into his lap.

  “Hey, I want to hear about these new decisions you’re making, which better include me, so fill me in on your day.”

  “Well, for starters, I spoke with Drew this morning about my need to bring my work back to Dallas, sooner rather than later. But that was after I told him we were pregnant. By the way, he extends to you his sincere congratulations, Daddy.”

  Grayson made a courtly little bow gesture at the accolade. “He also said to take whatever time off I needed. And he offered me a promotion. The packet will arrive here tomorrow for us to look at for the Director of Marketing position being created. On top of that, I decided to move back to Dallas this weekend, and I want to move in with you, that is, if that’s still what you want?” Catching a glimpse of Grayson’s expression caused me to catch my breath. There were tears in his eyes.

  Taking my face in his hands with his lips barely apart from mine, he said, “Oh my love, you have just made me the happiest man in the world! Yes, I want you with me, as soon as possible. I love you so much!” He kissed me firmly for a long moment before pulling me close to him into one his signature warm embraces. “Now, let’s get you and my little tutu something to eat!”

  Dragging myself off the bed to put my clothes back on, I had to ask, “Tutu?”

  “Yes, well, that is what little girls wear, isn’t it? I remember Zoe having little tutus.”

  “Well, yeah, little girls do wear tutus for dance, but what about a little boy?” I raised one eyebrow at him questioningly.

  He broke out in the biggest grin, showing his perfect white teeth, “I don’t know. Somehow, I just think it’s a little girl.” As we headed back to the kitchen to join Cooper for dinner, Grayson was still smiling and walking with a little strut, obvious to anyone who could’ve seen him that this was a happy man.

  We sat around the table, enjoying Cooper’s fabulous lasagna dinner and wine. Well, I didn’t get wine, but the guys enjoyed it. The conversation focused on what area we wanted to live in and we ultimately decided we would love to find a home in this same area. Cooper knew of a couple listings within a mile of the area that had just come up, so the house hunting was a go.

  Grayson didn’t have a particular style request and indicated I had full control of style, as long as it fit within budget and was not a fixer-upper. Well, that part wasn’t hard anyway. Our likes were the same, from shade trees to a swimming pool even down to a basketball hoop. Either he was being very amenable, or our harmony went even deeper than I could imagine.

  I realized our relationship was very young, and we both still had so much to learn about the other. I tried to remind myself that one could live an entire lifetime with someone else and never really know him, like me and my dad, for instance, which was a saddening thought. I often wondered how well my dad knew my mom. They always seemed happy until she got sick.

  I cleared dishes and the guys went out to get a movie, but those angels from heaven returned with pralines ‘n cream ice cream to go with it. It looked like all three of us were eating for two these days.

  As Grayson and I snuggled on the sofa and Cooper in the club chair, we dove into watching a guy flick. Yes, they forced The Hangover on me.

  However, this time, I watched the movie with a different perspective. If we were to get married, was this how Grayson was going to behave, especially if Cooper was organizing things? Marriage… That was on the bucket list way down at the bottom. It wasn’t something I thought about very often, but a baby and house hunting could certainly bring it up the list a few notches.

  I was still deep in thought about the whole family thing when my phone rang. I got up to retrieve it.

  Oh, boy. Harrison.

  I suppose my face gave me away because Grayson’s eyes met mine with alarm. “Something wrong, Alexandra? Are you going to answer it?”

  “Uh, no, it can’t be important. I’ll return the call tomorrow,” I said as I tried to nonchalantly bounce back over and get comfortable. There probably wasn’t much chance of avoiding an argument if Grayson found out Harrison was calling my cell phone.

  When the movie finally ended, I couldn’t help the huge yawn that nearly split my head in two. Grayson looked tired, too, and I knew he needed a good night’s sleep since Tuesdays were a long day for him in the office. That gave me an idea, maybe I could surprise him with lunch.

  “Alexandra, you’re yawning, I think you need to get your little self in bed,” he whispered quietly as he pulled me up off the sofa and into a warm hug.

  All I could do was snuggle deep into his neck, such a comfortable place to be. As we made our way to the bedroom, I noticed my phone flashing again. I checked it and saw a text message from Harrison.

  Alex, concerned about u. Is all okay?

  I replied, Yes, will call u tomorrow.

  I plugged my phone in to charge and headed to the bathroom to join Grayson as he was brushing his teeth.

  “Care to tell me what that was all about?”

  I could tell he was concerned or maybe slightly suspicious about something. “Oh, just some calls I will need to do tomorrow.” I tried to pacify him without causing alarm. To mention Harrison at this point would only start a war.

  Grayson turned to look at me with those sexy, wanting eyes. “How tired are you, Ms. Morrison?” He raised his eyebrows.

  “I think I still have some spunk left in me, Mr. Brooks, is class in session?” I answered back, flirting with him. He didn’t say anything else, but kissed me softly for only a few seconds before he ramped up the passion. I could feel his desire through our clothes.

  So I was more than surprised when Grayson went into my closet and came back out with a large, beautifully wrapped box.

  “What is this? And how did you get it past me?” I asked with a suspicious smile. Apparently, Grayson had some cloak-and-dagger skills. I opened the box while Grayson stood by grinning and found a luxurious cream short nightgown, lace panties, and matching robe. My eyes lit up. “It’s beautiful! No one’s ever given me anything like this. I love it. I’ll go put it on!”

  Grayson put a hand on my arm and stopped me. “It’s actually for our special night tomorrow. I want you to pack this; I have a treat for you. I’ll pick you up at six o’clock, and that’s all I’m telling you for now.”

  He was so proud of himself for pulling off a surprise, but I had to ask, “When did you put this in my closet?”

  “Tonight, when we went for ice cream. I ran it back here while Cooper distracted you with dishing out the ice cream. I’m glad you didn’t notice!” Pulling me close to him, he rubbed my lower back gently through my T-shirt while running his other hand idly through my ha
ir.

  “Is fall your favorite time of the year?” he asked as he tilted my chin up for a sweet little kiss.

  “Yes, I love fall. How did you know that?” I wondered aloud with a smile between kisses.

  “Nothing, really. You just mentioned the fall flowers were your favorite colors, so I assumed you must love fall.”

  Snuggling into him, I asked, “Did I ever tell you what I did with all the flowers you sent while I was in the hospital?”

  “No, you haven’t mentioned them.” His expression clouded a little, and his voice quieted. He was remembering the dark time when I’d pushed him away, certain that I could never trust someone whose movements were so caught up in secrets and half-truths.

  “The nurse loaded the flowers up and helped me take them to geriatric facilities every few days. It was really special because I enjoyed helping make the day beautiful for others. I think I enjoyed it even more than the residents.

  “You sent the flowers without a card, Grayson, but I knew they were from you, and you weren’t giving up on me or us. I’m so glad you didn’t. I can’t imagine my life without you. I love you so much!”

  “And I love you. I can’t wait to show you my surprise tomorrow night, now get some sleep and dream of me. I’ll be dreaming of you and our AIW.” He pulled me close to him and held on to me tight. I snuggled up to his side and laid my head on his chest.

  In the morning, I found Grayson wasn’t with me, but he’d left a note and a rose on the bedside table.

  Good morning, my angel. I had to go in early to the hospital. Our evening was wonderful and I can’t wait to see you tonight. Be ready at 6. I love you+1, GB

  Oh, my heart just skipped a few beats, mostly from the curiosity about what he had planned. I’d wanted to know desperately last night, but the element of surprise along with the gifted lingerie just excited me even more.

  Not knowing where we were going made it hard for me to pick out what to wear. My fallback plan was to keep it simple, but my brain was telling me to find Cooper. Throwing on a T-shirt and yoga pants, I strolled into the kitchen and saw Cooper had been up and apparently left early as well. Then I caught sight of the clock and saw it was almost ten o’clock.