Chapter 43 Grady
grady
. . .
I didn’t know if I’d ever seen someone move as fast as Cleo did when I walked into her bedroom.
One second, she was cuddling close with her father, and the next, she was standing in front of me, throwing her arms around my neck and pulling me close.
Out of all the things I prepared for on the way over, her eagerness had not been on the list. I assumed I’d be met with resistance, that I’d have to drop to my knees and beg her not to leave me, to tell her I couldn’t imagine my life without her.
After breakfast this morning, Liv had all but kicked me out of the house, telling me not to come back unless I got my girl.
It seemed great until I was halfway here, realizing all the things that could go wrong.
Then I panicked so severely I had to pull off on the side of the road so I didn’t throw up all over my ex’s rental car.
Cleo pulled back, staring up at me with silver-rimmed eyes. “What are you doing here?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but stopped at the sound of a throat clearing behind me. We turned to see her mother staring at us with amusement. She looked over my shoulder at her husband and jerked her chin. “Come on, Dougie. Let’s leave the kids be.”
Doug stood from the bed, grumbling under his breath about being comfortable, and moved to follow Ruby down the hall.
He stopped at the threshold, rapping his knuckles against the frame.
“Just remember this is still my house, son,” he said, narrowing his eyes at me.
I loved the fierce protective look, wondering if one day I’d be doing the same for my own daughter.
Abso-fucking-lutely, I would. “No funny business.”
Ruby gave an exasperated sigh. “Douglas Hayes! Don’t make me tell you twice.”
To his credit, Doug didn’t balk. He held my gaze, waiting for a response. “Yes, sir,” I said, giving him a little nod. “She’s safe with me, I promise.”
He held my gaze a moment longer before his expression softened a touch. “Good. Come find me before y’all head out.”
“Love you, Daddy,” Cleo whispered, clinging to my arm.
We watched her parents disappear around the corner before she dragged me inside her bedroom and shut the door.
It looked just like it did when she was a kid, a fact that made me so damn happy.
It was so predictably Cleo. She wouldn’t have wanted to put the time and effort into re-decorating a space just for the sake of it.
The room was practical, so she left it alone.
“This takes me back,” I said, perching on the edge of her bed. “The only thing missing are all the boy band posters. Are they hidden in your closet somewhere? We could drag them out and pretend we’re sixteen again, making out in a rush while your parents were working in the barn.”
Cleo leaned against the door, watching me with a dreamy smile. “Sorry to disappoint, but I trashed those the moment I got back from college.”
“Damn. It won’t feel the same, but I’m game if you are,” I said with a wink.
She laughed, but it quickly died. “What’re you doing here, Grady? I told you I would be back by.”
There were a million things I wanted to say, but they were filled with flowery bullshit I just didn’t have patience for. Might as well shoot straight and hope I hadn’t misread her excitement at seeing me standing in her doorway as anything other than relief.
“I wasn’t sure what you meant when you said that,” I replied honestly, staring down at my hands in my lap.
“I got scared, bluebird. I thought maybe you weren’t going to come back, or if you did, it would just be to end things.
Please know, I had no idea Liv was going to stop by. If I did, I would’ve told you—”
“I know that,” she said, letting her head fall back against the wooden frame. “And honestly? Your fear is valid. I was scared, too. Scared of my own insecurities, of not being enough, of feeling like an outsider. I panicked and ran.”
Hearing her admit that had me feeling like I’d failed her.
Though I couldn’t undo years of trauma in a matter of weeks, I was enamored by the idea that I’d done enough to reassure her of my feelings.
That she had always been a part of me, of my life, even when we were apart.
How my love for her was written into my music, immortalized in every song I’d sung across sold-out stadium tours.
It hurt at first to put those feelings down on paper, but then it became solace.
Should I have gone to therapy somewhere along the way?
Yeah, probably. But music had always been my way of working through even the toughest emotions.
In the weeks after my mom passed, I became consumed with thoughts of grief and death, dealing with them the only way I knew how: by writing some of my most heartbreaking songs to date.
“The moment I pulled out of your driveway, I wanted to cut the engine and run back to your arms,” she whispered. “I felt so stupid and silly, Grady. That wasn’t the kind of first impression I wanted to make on Olivia, who, I’m sure, thinks I’m a complete basket case.”
“Are you kidding? She kicked me out of my own house and told me not to come back unless you were with me,” I chuckled.
“A woman after my own heart.”
I held out my hands, elated when she pushed off the door and took them. “Your heart’s already spoken for, bluebird. I claimed it twenty years ago when I asked you on our first date, and I’m here to claim it again if you’ll let me.”
Cleo blinked, letting a single tear fall down her cheek. “It’s yours. It’s always been yours.” I widened my stance, inviting her to step even closer. “I don’t really know what the future looks like, baby, but I know I want to figure it out by your side. No matter what is thrown our way.”
I never considered myself a man in need of reassurance, but I realized I was different with her than with anyone else in my life.
Cleo and I had hurt each other in the past, whether intentional or not, and things weren’t always going to be a walk in the park.
We’d need to feel comfortable checking in with one another, to be able to talk through situations that’d likely play upon our fears, especially once word got out about our relationship.
“I can’t tell you how good it feels to hear you say that,” I murmured, bringing her fingers to my lips. “Because once we walk out of this bedroom, there’s no going back.”
“You’re mistaken if you ever thought we had a choice to begin with,” she said. “Our past may have been riddled with storms, but we’re still standing after the rain.”
I smiled. “That sounds like a good line for a song.”
Cleo leaned in, leaving only a fraction of space between our mouths as she whispered, “If you’re good, I’ll let you use it.”
“I think you know exactly how good I can be, bluebird,” I whispered, eliminating the space between us in a kiss.
I meant for it to be quick, but Cleo deepened it before I had the chance to pull away.
Winding her fingers into my hair, she pulled me closer and forced me to give her exactly what she wanted.
Who was I to tell her no?
I hauled her into my lap, and she immediately began grinding herself down on my growing cock.
Gone was the shy girl I used to know. This dominant version of Cleo was quickly becoming one of my favorite sides to her.
It wasn’t even because of the sexual gratification I got out of it—which, don’t get me wrong, was fucking fantastic.
But it was more about the way she seemed utterly unapologetic and unashamed about the things she wanted.
She could boss me around in the bedroom all she wanted, and I’d say, “Yes, ma’am,” before obediently following orders.
My hands fell to her waist, feeling the roll of her hips as she moved.
I couldn’t help myself, couldn’t stop the low groan I let slip free.
She stopped, slamming her hand over my mouth before I had the chance to utter a muffled apology.
“We gotta get out of here before we get caught,” she said a little breathlessly.
I glanced down at my dick, which was straining against the zipper of my jeans. “Yeah, totally. Let me just walk into the living room with your dad while sporting a hard-on. That doesn’t sound like a one-way ticket to getting my ass kicked or anything.”
She giggled, climbing off my lap before yanking me to my feet. “Maybe that’s the key. Think about all the really painful ways he’d torture you if he found out what we were just doing.”
Suddenly, I was envisioning some kind of western-themed horror film where Doug chased me through the woods with a chainsaw, laughing maniacally. “Yup, there it goes,” I said, quickly adjusting myself. “All good now.”
“Good.” Cleo leaned up to kiss my cheek. “Let me grab some more clothes, and we can get out of here.”
“Can we pull over on a back road before we get home?” I asked, half-joking. When she gave me a wink before stepping into the bathroom, it took everything I had not to follow her in, consequences be damned, but I didn’t.
I was a good boy and stayed put.
My phone vibrated, and I pulled it out to see a message from Liv.
Liv
Well???? Any update???
Grady
Can you calm down with the question marks? They’re obnoxious
Liv
Don’t deflect
Did you get your girl????
I couldn’t help but grin like an idiot as I typed out my response.
Grady
I got her!
The following message was a picture of Charlie with her hands thrown up in the air in celebration.
“What’re you smiling at?” Cleo asked, coming up to stand beside me.
“Liv texted me to see how it was going,” I said, handing the device over so she could see for herself. She blushed as she read through the exchange before giving it back.
“She’s really okay with this, huh?”
“She’s probably a little too invested, if you ask me, but she’s supportive. That’s what matters.” I tucked the phone in my pocket, reaching for Cleo’s bag and throwing it over my shoulder. “Come on. Let’s say bye to your dad so he doesn’t bust down the door.”
Cleo opened the door, but paused for a moment at the threshold, looking around her childhood bedroom.
I said nothing, only squeezed her hand in a silent show of support and waited until she was ready.
With a sigh, she led me out and down the hall toward the living room.
Doug was reclining in the leather armchair while Ruby was crocheting something on the couch beside him.
They both looked up as we entered, eyes wandering to where their daughter and I were holding hands.
Pushing to his feet, Doug ambled over and stood in front of us. “This mean you’re moving out?” he asked, eyeing the bag over my shoulder.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” Cleo teased, stepping up to hug her father.
“Gettin’ you outta the house has been anything but easy,” he mumbled, glancing my direction.
She pulled back, brows furrowed as she asked, “What was that?”
“Nothing. I’m happy for you, sugar. That’s all,” he said, giving her a squeeze before stepping toward me with his hand outstretched. “You better not fuck this up, son.”
“Daddy!” Cleo exclaimed at the exact moment her mother said, “Douglas!” but the man didn’t flinch. He just stared at me, waiting for a response.
You’d think after thirty-six years, I wouldn’t feel the need to cower before my girlfriend’s dad, but here I was anyway. Not that I blamed him for whatever resentment he might have. I’d already broken his daughter’s heart once. If I were in his shoes, I’d be just as wary.
Instead of making excuses, I gripped his hand and gave it a firm shake. “I’ll protect her heart. You have my word, sir.”
The skin around Doug’s eyes crinkled as he cracked a smile. “Best see that you do. That’s my little girl you got there. She’s special.”
“Okay, I need you both to stop,” Cleo mumbled, wiping beneath her eyes. “I’m going to stay at Grady’s house for a few days, not shipping off to war. There doesn’t need to be a teary-eyed farewell.”
“A few days, my ass,” Doug snorted. “Guess we’ll see about that.”