by Bliss Carter
Grace had thought through the intense feelings she was having these past months and knew it was leading to that, but this was the first time that she actually accepted and labeled it without panicking. She, Grace Puckett, loved Walker Collins. For exactly who he was. The rush of emotions almost overwhelmed her as they drove to Dante’s. Tears welled up in her eyes and she couldn’t help it when one or two escaped down her cheek. She tried to brush them away without Walker noticing, but it was Walker. He noticed everything.
“Baby, what’s wrong? Are you okay?” Walker’s voice had a slight panic and she knew she needed to divert attention. She needed to group chat with the girls quickly before she arrived at Dante’s.
“I’m fine honey. I was just sitting here thinking about Kresley and Cade having a baby. It’s such a special time when a woman is pregnant and I’m so happy I can be here to witness it.” She hoped that would appease his mind and she looked over at him and gave what she thought was a convincing smile. Walker didn’t look convinced, but he didn’t say anything else. He held her hand and squeezed it, bringing it to his lips to kiss. Then he and Jaxson began talking about bowling again. Grace got out of her phone and sent out a group text.
Grace: Hey, 911! I need y’all to help me before we get to Dante’s.
Kresley: What’s up? We’re already here. I’m trying to keep Cade from eating all the bread sticks.
Birdie: I’m on the way. Gertie is driving. We’ll be talking as one response.
Grace: I just had a brain zap the size of Texas happen. Y’all...I LOVE WALKER!
Birdie: And? That’s a duh
Kresley: Yeah, that’s not new Grace. Oh wait, are you seriously saying you’re JUST now realizing that you are head over heels in love with that man?
Francie: late to the party. Just walking in the door to the private room at Dante’s. Oh my gosh y’all. Kresley has it decorated in baby décor stuff. So cute! Anyway, Grace, of course you love him. We’ve all known it for months and months.
Grace: I mean, I’ve known I’ve had developing feelings for him. But the “L” word just kinda flew out of my brain a few minutes ago and I actually said the word without feeling afraid. Not out loud because we’re in the car. But in my head. I, Grace Puckett, love Walker Collins. What do I do????
Kresley: You tell him. Simple. He deserves to know. And you deserve to hear it from him. I have no doubt you will.
Grace: What if he doesn’t say it back?
Birdie: Gert said you are such a dumbass. Blonde for sure. I agree. Grace, he’s giving up his apartment. You wanted him to. He’s moving ALL of his things to your house. You call it “our house”. Where do you think this is going? Duh? Love, honey. Love. Embrace it. Your brain is blocking you from being happy. Part of this is partnered with Gertie Counseling Services.
Francie: Lawd, Birdie. LOL Listen, Grace, that man loves you. It’s evident on his face every time he looks at you or Jaxson. In his mind, he’s already put a ring on your finger and said I dos and probably trying for a baby with you. Just tell him.
Kresley: Grace, I guarantee when you both say it that it’s going to be the most incredible, freeing thing you’ll ever do. When Cade and I said those words to each other, it felt for me like I had opened a door that had been locked all of my life. Remember what you told me once about fear? Tell it to freakin’ take a flying leap? That’s what you need to do. I promise not to say anything to Cade because he’ll go straight to Boomer. But do it soon Gracie. You both deserve to let love fill you and make you whole.
Francie: All of what Kresley said. Okay, girls, when we’re all together, not one word to Grace or Boomer that makes it uncomfortable or like we know something. Birdie, I’m talking to you. But Grace, do it soon, sweetie. I can’t wait to see you glow with happiness.
Grace: Okay. I will. Soon.
Grace looked over and saw that Walker had been watching her intently as she typed. She scrambled to think about what was so important to text now. “You’ll laugh. Francie was texting, talking about how Kresley’s decorated the private room in baby stuff. Of course, Birdie was giving her a hard time. You know how they are.” She smiled sweetly and reached over, tracing her fingers down his cheek. “Have I told you how sexy you are today?”
“Well, no you haven’t. Not since this morning any way. We’ll save it for later tonight, okay? Because we’re here.” Walker laughed as he leaned over and kissed her after parking. He got out and told her to wait, then got Jaxson out on his side of the car. He and Jaxson walked around to Grace and opened her door with a flourish. “May I escort you inside, Ms. Puckett?” Walker asked her with a flourish of southern manners, all the while winking at her with a sexy grin.
“Why yes, I would appreciate that very much, kind sir. And who might you be, young man?” Grace looked down at Jaxson during this playful banter, enjoying hearing his giggles of laughter at her and Walker being silly.
“Mama, you sound just like those awful southern accents in the movies that you complain about. It’s funny. And it’s definitely funny hearing Boomer sound like that. He kind of sounds like Foghorn Leghorn from Looney Tunes.” Walker’s bark of laughter at that gave Grace goose bumps.
Grace was pulled to her feet by Walker, who never let go of her hand. Jaxson reached out and instead of taking Grace’s other hand, he took Walker’s instead. They walked inside Dante’s as a whole unit. A family, Grace thought, with tears choking her throat. Her family.
The sisters were true to their promise not to say anything about Grace’s epiphany and text for help. Grace and Walker were the last to arrive and ordering food soon became the main focus. Jaxson wanted to sit next to Aunt KK so he could make sure she was feeding the baby “good enough”. So that left Grace and Walker to sit beside each other without a child interrupting. Oh, wait, except for Birdie.
Ash, Braxton and Killian seemed exhausted tonight. They weren’t their usual animated selves. Francie was sitting beside Ash, and upon first sitting down, acted like she didn’t know he existed, even after their heated dance the other night. But she even noticed he was quiet and Grace overheard her talking to him.
“Ash, everything okay? You and the guys are quiet tonight,” Francie asked him, leaning towards him so he could hear her. Grace observed Ash and saw how he closed his eyes and took a deep breath of Francie as he leaned towards her. Wow, the man had it bad. And Francie had no clue.
“Yeah, Francie Pants. It was a long shift this time and it ended today with a major accident on the highway leading out of town. A four-vehicle pileup. Two didn’t make it.” Ash said that last part quietly, so Jaxson wouldn’t over hear it.
“I’m so sorry, Ash. Truly.” Francie placed her delicate hand over his for a moment, and Grace swore she saw sparks fly from them across the room. She heard Walker clear his throat at her and she looked up at him.
“You know what I see over there sweetie?” Walker asked her, indicating the direction of Ash and Francie.
“Yep. Do you think they do?” Grace asked, leaning towards him, her heart in her eyes for him to see.
“Nope. But they will one day. Sooner rather than later. And not two years later.” Walker added with a wink and a big smile. He leaned down and took Grace’s lips with his, unleashing a heated, carnal kiss to let her know he desired her.
“Reign it in Romeo. We have children in attendance. One still in the womb, but developing ears.” Cade laughed as he stated this. He cradled Kresley’s stomach with his hand and stroked it as he ate his alfredo with one hand.
“Just stick to your pasta and I’ll stick to mine over here Grantham.” Walker growled, hurling a breadstick across the room.
“No! No food fights. We got into so much trouble last time and had to pay the clean up fee. Red sauce doesn’t come out as easily as you think! Behave, both of you.” Kresley put her hands on her curvy hips and admonished the two men. “I’m practicing my mothering early with women and men who act like children most of the time.”
Killian laughed lo
udly at them. It was rare to hear such loud laughter from the man. Birdie looked at him as if he had just shown her the answer to a paradox. Wow, Grace thought, the Anderson women were falling down like flies, left and right.
Gertie and Braxton sat at the end of the table, heads close together, talking quietly. Braxton had a frown on his face and you could see that he was trying to talk Gertie out of something, but Grace didn’t know what. That was a conversation for tomorrow. Not tonight. She pulled her attention back to Jaxson and called out to him.
“Jax, baby, you need to eat. Remember? No dessert unless you have a clean plate. Or near clean.”
“But mama, I want gelato. It’s way better than eating spaghetti!” Jaxson began with a pout on his face, crossing his arms.
“Jaxson, remember us talking about bowling? You still want to, right?” Walker looked over at Grace as he asked, silently making sure he wasn’t overstepping. She nodded her head in encouragement, as if to say, by all means, have at it.
“I remember Boomer,” Jaxson said, sitting up straighter.
“Well, none of us can bowl unless we eat our dinner. Isn’t that right guys?” Walker looked around at the other men at the table. They all nodded agreement, shoving forkfuls of pasta and salad in their mouths. “See, buddy? Even grown men have to eat before they can have fun.”
“That’s just plain horse shit,” Birdie quipped, not even thinking before it popped out of her mouth. Grace kicked her under the table and Birdie gave an abrupt, “Ow! What the hell Grace?”
“Birdie, I think Grace is telling you to find the filter that you’re supposed to use around kids.” Killian leaned towards Birdie, with a scowl on his face. Grace couldn’t tell if he wanted to choke Birdie or kiss her.
“Oh. Got it. Sorry, Grace. Won’t happen again. Happy now, daddy Killian? Want to admonish me about something else?” Birdie asked with narrowed eyes and venom rolling off her tongue.
“Nope, not right now. I’ll let you know in a bit. And don’t ever all me daddy again. It’s creepy. Because I sure as hell am not your daddy and don’t think of you that way,” Killian growled, not realizing what he said before he said it. He looked surprised at the slip, then smoothed his facial expression once again and went back to eating.
Birdie, for her part, looked totally flustered and excused herself to go to the restroom soon after. The guys looked at each other, confused about what had just happened, especially Killian. The girls exchanged glances with each other, communicating in the way all females can, silently.
Walker turned to Grace, observed the silent talk going on and asked her what was going on. Grace just shook her head, letting him know now was not the time. He then saw her turn her attention to Killian and when Killian all of a sudden let out a yell and winced, looking towards Grace, Walker realized she had kicked him under the table.
“What the hell was that for Grace? Damn, you’ve got sharp toed shoes.” Killian grumbled.
“All I’m going to say is let up on Birdie some. Okay? I won’t tell you why because it’s not my business. And don’t mention anything to her because she’ll kill me and close off any communication with you. But she’s hurting. And she has a huge reason to feel that way. She doesn’t need you crapping all over her just because you don’t know how to handle feelings for a woman past middle school level.”
Killian opened his mouth to say something several times, finally giving up and just nodding his head in understanding. Birdie chose that moment to walk back in to the room and she sat silently. Picking up her fork again to eat, she glanced around, asking Grace if she missed anything. Grace just smiled sweetly at her and told her, “Nope. Just a bunch of hungry people eating so we can get to the fun stuff.” Birdie smiled at that and went back to eating quietly, her hand in her lap and her shoulders slumped forward. Killian observed her with new eyes and Grace noticed that he had a look of real concern on his face. Good, let him stew for a bit. Birdie was tough to handle, but Killian was the man who could do it if he chose to stay the course. But both of them had a long road before them if they were going to try.
Soon, all of them found themselves at the cosmic bowling alley. Jaxson was absolutely in awe at the glow in the dark colors and bowling lanes. Even the balls glowed in the dark. He wanted to be on the guy’s team and they welcomed him with high fives. Ash went to find him a special bowling ball for his age.
Walker eased up to Grace. Well, swaggered up to her was more like it. “Baby, I hate to tell you this, but I’m going to kick your ass tonight at bowling. You won’t hold it against me later will you?”
“I won’t as long as you hold ME against you later tonight.” Grace smugly grinned, knowing what she said would throw him off his game just a little. And true to her thoughts, Walker’s eyes widened at the carnal image she put in his mind. He growled at her and pulled her to him abruptly, plastering her from chest to hips against him. She could feel him hardening into a slight erection.
“You better start thinking of rainbows, unicorns and kittens unless you want to explain that to my child when you walk back over there.” Grace indicated his stiff manhood with her eyes. She looked back up at Walker and batted her eyelashes. “But for the record, I like it like that. Makes me feel wanted.”
“Oh, baby you are definitely wanted. To the extreme. Every day. In the shower when I’m bathing, rubbing soapy suds all over myself. At work when I’m behind my desk. And in our bed, when I’m holding you tight at night.” Walker walked back over to the guys after that hot, sexy as hell, statement. He turned back to look at her and smirked. He knew what he was doing.
“Woah girl. How can you possibly keep resisting him with this celibacy thing?” Kresley asked her quietly. “Because what he just said was hot as hell.”
Groaning in sexual pain, Grace turned her back to the men and eyed the women. “We need to beat their asses tonight. Seriously. I need leverage later on with Walker.” She laughed at that and they all agreed to try their best.
Both teams played well at their first game. Even though the firefighter guys seemed exhausted at dinner, they gained renewed strength in bowling, laughing and cutting up with the men and women. Cade was hilarious in how he treated Kresley, like she was fragile glass every time she went up to bowl. He checked her ball to make sure of the weight. He kept telling her to just put it on the floor and roll it softly. The girls all rolled their eyes and the guys became just as protective as Cade. Kresley growled at all of them and flipped them the bird. And then she threw a strike every single time, just to spite them.
Jaxon relished all the attention he was getting. He kept coming over to his mama for a hug or cuddle, wanting her to smile so he could see her white teeth glow. Grace observed Walker showing Jaxson countless times how to bowl and would go with him to the line and help him throw the ball down the lane, even helping him get a spare. He would look over at her and wink, sharing his joy at being with Jaxson and her. Grace honestly thought her heart would burst with the words she wanted to shout at him.
Francie scooted over a chair to her side, and stated quietly, “Soon, Gracie. Do it soon. You’ll feel free. And he’ll feel cherished. It’s something you both need and don’t even realize it.” Grace nodded to her without saying anything.
As the second game started, Grace went up for her turn. She hadn’t bowled great so far. She was so distracted by other things that she was only able to knock down a few pins each turn. She was standing in front of her lane, contemplating what she should do to get a strike, when she felt Walker’s hand on her shoulder, squeezing.
“Baby. Here.” Grace looked over her shoulder at him and saw he was holding a bowling ball. “This one weighs less than that one does and has different size finger holes for you. It’ll help with your game and let you get more pins. The ball you have now isn’t the best fit for you.” Grace’s heart squeezed so tight. He was so sweet. Always worried about her, even her stupid bowling skills. Lord she loved this man. Grace had no sooner thought that than she knew the time
was now. She opened her eyes wider and looked up at Walker. He stared down at her waiting for her to take the ball, brow furrowed.
“I love you.” Grace blurted it out quickly, but loudly. She waited for the words to be said back to her just as quickly, but only silence followed. She looked up at Walker and saw his face. It was tight, his jaw clenched and his eyes blasting a hazel green fire down at her.
He very gently, but deliberately, put the ball he held down on the ball return. He put his hands on her waist and picked her up, saying quietly at the same time, “Jump baby”. Grace gladly jumped up as he picked her up and put her legs around his waist. Their faces were near level to each other and Grace put her arms around his neck. They stood there in front of the bowling lane, not caring who was around or that they were becoming a public display.
“You love me?” Walker asked quietly, searching her eyes for something. Grace realized that what she saw in his face was anything but flat emotion. Walker was struggling to contain himself, almost not believing what he had heard.
“Yes Walker. I love you, baby. So much. I just couldn’t hold it inside any more. I love you.” Grace took initiative then and leaned in to kiss him. Walker kissed her gently, but thoroughly. He pulled back and put his forehead to hers.
“Baby, Gracie. I love you so much that there are not enough words in the English language to say how much I love you.” He raised his head at her giggle and he began to smile. Bigger and bigger it grew until he put his head back and yelled loudly to the ceiling. “She freakin’ loves me! Beautiful, wonderful, amazing Grace Puckett loves me and I love her!” At this, the whole bowling alley erupted in applause. Walker held her up, a butt cheek in each hand and bounced her up and down a few times in his happiness. Grace hung on to him for dear life. Laughter could be heard at her squeal of fearing he’d drop her. That’s when Grace realized that she and Walker were the night’s entertainment.