I Love How You Love Me: The Sullivans

by Andre, Bella

  “Dylan.” Knowing that he was also touching himself, that he’d leaped off the peak with her, had her spiraling back up and into another climax.

  Neither of them spoke for a minute or two as they worked to catch their breath. She felt too wonderfully spent to bother with putting her clothes on, so she simply reached for a blanket.

  “Did you like that?”

  She took the phone off speaker and held it against her ear, as though that would bring Dylan closer. “I loved it.”

  She could practically see him smile through the phone. “You keep blowing my mind, Grace.”

  “I might even have blown mine tonight,” she teased, barely stifling a yawn halfway through.

  “You’ve had a long day. I should let you go to bed.”

  She wanted to stay on the phone with him for hours, but she knew both of them needed clear heads tomorrow. He had a week-long race to start in his friend’s boat, and she had a story to nail before she went to Mia’s surprise party.

  “I love you, Grace. And if I can’t reach you again for a few days while I’m racing, I want you to promise me you won’t forget it.”

  I love you, too, she thought. I love you so much. The words were on the tip of her tongue, playing over and over in her head so loudly that she half-thought he’d be able to hear them. But in the end, all she managed to say was, “I won’t forget, Dylan. I promise.”

  “Sweet dreams, sweetheart.”

  “Sweet dreams.”

  * * *

  Grace’s thoughts were jumbled as she put the phone down. If anything should have been “just sex,” it was what they’d just done. And yet, it had been so beautiful. So emotional.

  From the first, she’d known Dylan Sullivan was special. He made her feel things no other man ever had. And yet, she’d still been determined to deny it, to hide from it. But Dylan had been equally determined not to let her keep doing either one. Slowly, patiently, he’d touched her heart just as gently, and as thoroughly, as he touched her body.

  She’d taken that first scary step toward something real by letting his brother Adam know that they were no longer just interviewer/interviewee, but were dating. That had been frightening enough. Still, she’d told herself that just because they were officially dating didn’t mean they wouldn’t still be taking things slow.

  But tonight she could no longer deny what she really felt—and had felt almost from the first moment that Dylan had taken her son in his arms to calm his crying. A love that had already grown big. Strong. And undeniable.

  She’d been close, so close, to saying the three little words aloud on the phone tonight. But something had held her back at the last second. The fear that once she let herself believe, truly believe what they were building could last, it would all be ripped away from her.

  To let herself love Dylan Sullivan with all her heart and then lose him?

  Oh God, it hurt even to think of it.

  She’d been a wreck after her ex had dumped her, but it hadn’t been because she was heartsick. It had been because she was disgusted with herself for being stupid enough to fall for his act. And after she’d vowed to protect both Mason’s and her own heart, she’d told herself the two of them didn’t need anyone else, that they were already a perfect little unit. That determined independence had gotten them across the country and settled into a new life in Seattle.

  But now…what if she truly opened up the door she’d locked down so tightly a year and a half ago? What if she decided to stop being so wary? To trust that Dylan meant it when he said he saw the three of them together forever? And to finally let him in so that her tight little unit of two became three?

  Of course, she already knew that opening a door for Dylan Sullivan actually meant pulling down an entire wall for his whole family. A big, wonderful family who had taken them in from the very first moment.

  Grace had been raised by two wonderful parents who had always taught her to look for the good in people. Yes, she’d been burned. Badly burned by her ex and the other Bentleys. But they hadn’t destroyed her or Mason. Hadn’t even come close.

  She’d trusted before, and with Dylan’s help—and his love—she was learning to trust again.

  She nearly called him back, but she wanted to see his face when she finally said the three words she knew he’d been hoping to hear, wanted his arms around her when she risked everything by saying I love you.

  * * *

  Dylan’s body was loose after the hottest phone sex in history, but his mind was racing so he grabbed a beer and stepped out on the deck of the waterfront condo in which his friend was putting him up for the night before they got out on the racing yacht.

  All day long, he’d been thinking about Grace. When would she accept her feelings? When would she trust him not to ever hurt her in any way? And when could he finally claim both Grace and Mason as his own?

  He’d called her without video because he’d wanted the intimacy of fantasy, the thrill of pretend, to be what drove them both over the edge. But even more than he’d wanted to be there with her tonight watching her skin flush and her eyes darken with desire as he made love to her, he wanted to see his ring on her finger. He wanted Mason to officially be a Sullivan. And he wanted to know that both of them were forever protected from anyone in the past who might try to rise up to hurt them.

  He’d texted his brothers to set up another meeting as soon as he returned from the race. This time, everyone would come with what they’d learned about the Bentleys to work out their game plan. Because in the same way that Dylan had had the sixth sense that his life was going to change right before Grace and Mason had shown up at his boathouse, his gut was now telling him that the wind was shifting again, quite possibly bringing a tornado this time.

  Dylan looked out over the Sydney Harbor, one he’d sailed many times in the past few years. He was looking forward to getting out on the water and breaking another record this year. But he was looking forward to getting back to Grace and Mason—the woman and child who were already and would forever be his—a hell of a lot more.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Grace had planned on working for a couple more hours the previous night after getting off the phone with Dylan. But, utterly and blissfully exhausted, all she could manage was to crawl into bed to rewind and replay every moment of their super-sexy phone call.

  When Mason had awakened her this morning with his usual cheer, she’d felt just as happy. It’s because both of us are in love with Dylan, she thought as she lifted him out of his crib with a smooch. Every moment they’d spent with him was full of joy, full of laughter.

  And full of love.

  She was tempted, again, to call Dylan so that he would finally know the truth of what was in her heart. But with his race starting today, and the seventeen-hour time difference, she probably wouldn’t be able to reach him. Plus, it would be so much better to look into his eyes and hold him close when she told him how much she loved him. That she’d never loved anyone the way she loved him. That he made every day better and better.

  And that right when she thought love had ended, it had only just begun.

  She changed Mason, then brought him out into the kitchen and clipped him into his high chair to feed him breakfast. He mowed through mashed peas, carrots, and a huge handful of Cheerios. When he stopped eating and began to toss the leftover cereal at his stuffed animal in the toy box in the corner of the living room, she quickly cleaned him up with a wet wipe and then let him loose to play.

  Playing that quickly turned into more awe-inspiring walking.

  It took her longer than she expected to finally sit down at her computer to check her email, where she found a message waiting from her editor. Her deadline was still two weeks away, but he wanted to see something soon so that the art department could begin working on the layout of both the article and the cover, for which they would shoot the photos upon Dylan’s return from Australia.

  Grace’s heart immediately started knocking around in her chest
. She’d never been this nervous about something she’d written before, even during the past year and a half when it had been a struggle to get the words down. Writing about Dylan was so personal, so close to her heart, that she wanted it to be perfect. Needed it to be the best thing she’d ever written.

  Dylan had augmented her great research with the best one-on-one interviews a journalist could dream of from her subject. All of the pieces for this story should have been there. But when she opened up the file again and read through it while Mason banged cars together on the floor, then toddled over them like a baby Godzilla, she couldn’t deny that something was still missing.

  She replied to her editor’s email to let him know that she would be sending something over very soon, then settled Mason into his bouncy seat in the bathroom and took a quick shower. With Mia’s surprise party that afternoon, buying a present for it, and figuring out what to wear, she wouldn’t have time to work on her story again until tonight. Considering she’d redone the beginning a dozen times already, it was probably a good thing that she was getting away from her computer for a while so that she didn’t butcher the story by rewriting all the life out of it.

  Because if there was one thing that she knew for sure, it was that her story about Dylan Sullivan should be as fun and as full of joy as the man himself. Anything less wouldn’t do him—or what he’d accomplished—justice.

  * * *

  Several hours later, Grace walked onto Tatiana Landon’s movie set holding Mason in one arm and a pretty wrapped gift in the other. She’d interviewed actors and actresses before, but no one of Tatiana’s caliber. The set was very impressive, the furniture from the 1920s authentic down to the finest detail.

  When Tatiana had told her that she was working on a period film—and that she was more than a little nervous about pulling it off—Grace had marveled at her bravery. Most actresses would likely be happy to stick to what they had proved they were good at. Tatiana, on the other hand, clearly thrived on the challenge of learning a new skill set and reaching outside of what she already knew how to do so well. Ian Sullivan, Grace remembered with a small smile, had been so proud of his fiancée. The way he’d looked at Tatiana with so much love that it stole even Grace’s breath still stuck with her. It was the same way Ford had looked at Mia. The same way Rafe had looked at Brooke.

  And the same way, she was finally ready to believe, that Dylan always looked at her.

  “Yay, you’re here!” Tatiana rushed over and gave both of them a hug. “Wow, look at how much you’ve grown since I last saw you,” she said to Mason. “What a big boy you are!”

  One day, Grace thought as she watched Mason smile shyly for the beautiful woman fawning over him, Tatiana was going to make an amazing mother. And Ian would be a great, and very protective, father. Just as he was a great, protective older brother.

  “Mia isn’t here yet. I told her to come in thirty minutes. She thinks I need her help with finding another location in Seattle for a new scene in the movie.” Tatiana grinned. “She’s going to be so surprised when she sees everyone.”

  “How many of Mia’s cousins were able to come?”

  “Everyone on the West Coast. I hate that I couldn’t give enough lead time for the girls out in Maine and New York, but having everyone else and the kids here is pretty amazing. They can’t wait to meet you.”

  What, Grace wondered, had Tatiana and Brooke told the other women about her? Especially since she and Dylan had only recently gone public with the fact that they were dating. Then again, hadn’t they all known something was up from that first dinner at Claudia and Max’s house?

  Mason spotted the twins first, a boy and girl who looked to be just a little bit older.

  “You must be Grace and Mason.” The twins’ mother had one of the friendliest smiles Grace had ever seen. “I’m Sophie, and this is Jackie and Smith.”

  Mason was already wriggling to get down with the twins. “Looks like he wants to play.”

  “I’ve set up an area over here for the kids with some toys so that it will be easier for us to keep an eye on them.”

  Of course, Mason made a beeline for a colorful little drum. Jackie and Smith picked up their own little instruments, and soon the three of them were delightedly playing a song together.

  “Looks like they’ve decided to form a band,” Grace joked.

  “I should probably have left some of these noisy toys at home. But my kids really love them.”

  “So does Mason. The first time he met Dylan’s mom, he immediately went to town playing drums in her kitchen with the pots and pans.”

  “Claudia told me how much she adores watching him.”

  “She’s really great with Mason. Like the grandmother he never had.” Grace hadn’t realized the words were coming until she said them and flushed hot at the insinuation that Claudia would be playing that role with Mason soon. It was too close to everything her ex had accused her of when she’d told him she was pregnant. But Grace wasn’t with Dylan so that she could become a part of his very important and wealthy family. She was with him because he made her happy. “I didn’t mean to imply that she…or that I...”

  Grace finally stopped trying to take her foot out of her mouth when she realized Sophie was grinning like crazy.

  “After chatting with Claudia about you and Mason, I’m sure she’d be thrilled if you did imply it! But before I make you any more uncomfortable by basically trying to hogtie you and your son to Dylan, how about I wave over one of the catering staff for a couple of glasses of champagne?”

  It was barely late afternoon, but Grace knew a little bubbly would go a long way toward easing her nerves. “I’d like that.”

  “I heard you’re a writer?”

  “Yes, I write freelance articles. That’s how I met Dylan—I’m writing a piece on the heart of a sailor for Sailing Magazine.”

  “I’m a librarian in San Francisco, so I’ll make sure we have extra copies on hand for our patrons.” A pretty brunette walked over with a small baby in her arms, and Sophie quickly made the introductions. “Megan, this is Grace. Her son, Mason, is playing drums with Jackie and Smith.”

  “It’s so lovely to meet you,” Megan said.

  “You, too. Your baby is gorgeous.” Grace moved closer so that she could better see his little face. “How old is he?”

  “Logan is six weeks.” Megan gazed down at him, love radiating from every part of her.

  Just then a lanky blond girl who had to be around eight or nine ran over. “Mom, everyone is snarfing up my cupcakes like crazy! I told you I should have made more.”

  “Next time, we’ll pack the car as full as we can,” Megan promised. “Honey, this is Grace. Grace, this is my daughter, Summer.”

  “You’re Dylan’s new girlfriend, right? I’ve never seen him with a girl before. Are you going to marry him?”

  Megan’s eyebrows went up. “Summer, you can’t say that to someone you’ve just met!”

  “But Brooke and Tatiana were telling everyone that they’ve never seen Dylan so head over heels for anyone. Doesn’t that mean they’re going to get married?” Before her mother could reply, Summer said, “Oh yum, they just brought out tea sandwiches. My favorite!”

  “I’m really sorry about that,” Megan said with a little shake of her head. “She tends to speak without thinking sometimes, and she was just so excited that one of her favorite cousins is finally happy.”

  “Your daughter is great. You don’t have to apologize to me for anything.” In fact, Grace was thankful for what Summer had said, because now she knew exactly what everyone was saying. And while it scared her a little to think that Dylan had made his feelings for her that clear to his family, it also warmed her to know how special she was to him.

  “Maybe I could make it up to you by letting you hold Logan?” Megan offered.

  Grace eagerly held out her arms for the little baby wrapped in a soft, blue-and-green striped blanket. “Mason isn’t even a year yet, but it seems like forever
since he was this small. I’ve forgotten how tiny they are.”

  “And I’ve forgotten how much they eat and poop,” Megan said with a laugh. “Funny how quickly our brains erase that, isn’t it?”

  It was true, Grace thought. For all the sleepless nights she and Mason had had in those early months, what stuck with her were the smiles, the cuddling, how much fun they had playing together, and the sweet way he always fell asleep halfway through story time.

  An adorable toddler led a pregnant woman toward them by the hand. “Smith! Jackie!” The little girl waved at Sophie’s kids. “I’m here!” A few seconds later she was giving each of the other kids a big hug, including Mason, who clearly loved being with them all. Grace laughed along with everyone else at the little girl’s exuberant and very sweet greeting.

  “I’m Chloe,” the pregnant woman said, “and that whirlwind is Emma.”

  “I’m Grace. It’s nice to meet you.” Grace was glad she was meeting the women who were parents first, because at least it gave her something in common with them. If she had met one of the other famous Sullivans first, she would have been a lot more nervous.

  “Look at how cute they are, all playing together!” exclaimed a petite woman with faint pink and blue streaks in her hair. “I’ve got to take some pictures to send to Marcus.”

  Speaking of feeling nervous, Grace immediately recognized Nico. A massive pop star, her songs were constantly on the radio. She knew she should stop being so gobsmacked, considering she’d already met Ford Vincent and Tatiana Landon. But, honestly, what struck her most of all was how normal they all were. Where were the massive egos? Where were the entourages?

  As soon as Mason saw the other kids hamming it up for Nico, he didn’t hesitate to get right in there.

  “Is he yours?” Nico asked when she finally put her phone away.

  “He is. He’s Mason, and I’m Grace.”