Chapter 26
Twenty-Six
Grace
“M om, can we get these?”
Glancing over at Beau and the giant bag of chips in his hand, my face scrunches up. “My gosh, those look vile. Why are they blue?”
“They’re the Blue Heat Taki’s, duh!” Blakely says with all of the attitude of a ten-year-old.
“Well, they look like an extended stay on the toilet,” I mutter under my breath as my phone dings in my purse. As I pull it out, I notice I have two new texts. One from my sister, and the other from Conway. The latter has a small smile tugging at my lips, but before I have a chance to open it, my attention is pulled back to my son.
“Can we, Mom?” Beau pushes. “Please?”
“Honey, we’re getting all these sub sandwiches and fruit to have at Aunt Georgia’s in a bit.”
Speaking of, I open her message, which is written in all caps.
Georgia: CAN YOU GRAB WINE, PLEASE?? I JUST DROPPED THE BOTTLE I HAD AND IT SHATTERED ALL OVER MY FLOOR. *crying emoji*
Me: Smooth, Georg.
Georgia: Shut up, I know. Not my finest moment. You haven’t left the store yet, have you?
Me: Nope, I’m still here. I’ll grab a couple bottles.
“I can eat the chips with the sandwiches and fruit,” Beau persists.
“I want some!” Blakely chimes in, messing with the half a dozen friendship bracelets covering her wrist.
“And Sutton likes them too. Please, Mom?”
“Fine, but that’s it.”
Beau tosses them in the cart before Blakely pushes it down the aisle toward the checkout area. I glance back down at my phone, noticing a response from my sister.
Georgia: Have I told you that you’re my favorite sister lately?
I chuckle.
Me: No, but you say this like I don’t already know. *angel emoji*
Butterflies flutter in my stomach as I exit out of her message and open Conway’s.
Conway: What are some good smelling scents?
Me: Well, hello to you too. And I’m going to need some context if you want me to answer that.
Conway: Scents for baths.
Me: Like, bubbles?
What a random question.
Conway: Sure.
Me: I’m going to be honest with you. I did not picture you as a bath guy, but it’s kinda hot.
Conway: Can you just answer the question, Grace?
I snort, imagining the unamused look on his face.
Me: Well, I’ll have you know, you’re asking the right person. Bubble baths are my favorite way to relax, especially if there’s wine. But to answer your question… for me, personally, my favorites are cozy vanilla season and shea butter and almond oil, both by the Dr. Teal’s brand. Smells SO GOOD, and it makes a ton of bubbles. Pair it with a candle and some wine, and you’ve got yourself a nice self-care evening.
And because I can’t help myself, and apparently turn into a horny teenager around Conway, I send another one.
Me: I definitely request proof of you in this bath, though. Like… naughty proof. Think of it as a thank you for sharing my superior bath secrets with you. ;)
It’s our turn at the register, and as I’m about to stick my phone back in my purse, Conway responds. Well, actually, he thumbs up reacts to my text, and I can’t help but roll my eyes. Boring. He better do it, though. Seeing a big man like Conway soaking in a tub full of bubbles under candlelight would be sexy as hell.
Who am I kidding? Everything that man does is sexy as hell. He could do something normal, like shaving his face or folding laundry, and I’d probably start panting. It’s kind of absurd how attracted to him I am.
After I pay for the groceries, the kids and I load them into my trunk. It’s The Bachelor night, which means wine and girl gossip time, and I’m dying to fill them in on everything Conway related. Including how his son, also known as my freaking ex-boyfriend, is back in town. I’ve told Charley about that, but I haven’t had time to fill in Gemma and Georgia yet. I’m still thoroughly cringing over sitting in Conway’s living room with both of them while I wore lingerie under a trench coat.
“Grace, hey!”
Closing the trunk, I turn my head in the direction of where the voice came from, clamping down on my molars when I see who it is. “Oh, hey, Cole.”
Speak of the freaking devil.
Shifting his gaze from my kids back to me, he smiles. He kind of looks like his dad when he smiles, and I more than kind of don’t like that. “Are these your kids?” he asks.
“No, found them in the frozen foods aisle,” I say with a shrug.
Blakely snorts beside me, whacking my hip. “She’s lying.”
Shifting my gaze to my daughter, I gawk at her with a faux-offended expression. “Wow, throwing me under the bus in front of strangers. We are supposed to have each other’s backs, girlfriend.”
Flashing me a toothy grin, Blakely rolls her eyes. My little twin.
Glancing back over at Cole, I nod and breathe out a laugh. “This is Blakely.” I pat the top of her head before doing the same to my son. “And this is Beau. Guys, this is Cole. He’s Conway’s son.”
Blakely’s face scrunches up as she examines him. “You look kinda old to be Conway’s son.”
Behind me, Beau snorts.
“Blakely Ann,” I hiss as Cole chuckles. “That is not very nice. And Cole’s not old. He’s the same age as me, thank you very much.”
Looking up at me with an amused expression, she says, “What? I just meant because Willow is my age. How is it possible that Conway has a kid your age and my age?”
Cole huffs out a laugh. “That’s because my dad has a problem wrapping?—”
My eyes widen when it becomes apparent where this is headed. “Don’t you even think of finishing that sentence, Cole Levine,” I snap, pointing a finger toward him. Holding up his hands, he laughs some more, Beau and Blakely joining in. I turn toward my kids, nodding to the car. “Why don’t y’all get in. I’ll be in, in a second.”
“Sorry about that,” Cole murmurs, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans as the kids close the back doors. “I’m not around little kids much, so I forget to censor myself.”
“It’s fine.” I wave him off. “How long are you in town for?”
“Fuck if I know.” He shrugs.
“What do you mean, you don’t know?” My brow wrinkles. “Don’t you have a wife and a job in Charleston?”
“Wife, not anymore. Job, yes, but I took a leave of absence.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Cole.” The nosy part of me wants to pry and find out what happened, but I manage to keep the question to myself.
“Eh, it’s all good. Listen, I’ve been meaning to reach out since you came over to my dad’s place.”
I check the time on my phone before glancing back over at him. “I’ve gotta get over to my sister’s soon, but what’s up?”
“I wanted to see if you’d be down to grab dinner and catch up this weekend,” he throws out nonchalantly.
My eyes bug out of my head. “Huh?”
Cole chuckles. “It’s been years since I’ve seen you. It would be fun to catch up on what we’ve been up to over the years. That’s all.”
My mind cannot seem to comprehend what is happening right now. “Are you asking me on a date right now?”
“No, as friends,” he says before a grin spreads, and he adds, “I mean, it could be a date if you want it to be.”
“I don’t,” I blurt out, much harsher than I intend to before wincing.
“Ouch.” Clutching his chest, Cole laughs. “Why not? It could be like old times.”
I could think of a dozen reasons why not.
“I think that ship sailed a while ago, don’t you?” I ask with a smile, keeping my tone light. I may not want to go on a date with him, but that doesn’t mean I need to be mean. “And besides, I’m seeing somebody.”
Funnily enough, it’s your dad!
I’m going to hell.
Cole smiles and nods. “That’s awesome, Grace. Then not a date, but just to catch up. As friends.”
“I don’t know, Cole.” Why is this so awkward?
“Come on,” he says. “One meal with a friend.”
Before I have a chance to answer, the car door opens, and Blakely pops her head out. “Mom, can we go?”
“One sec, baby.” Looking back at Cole, I say, “Coffee, not dinner.”
He smirks and counters, “Drinks.”
“Coffee.” Lifting an eyebrow, I add, “And it’s one hundred percent platonic. I mean it, Cole.”
“Okay, okay. Deal. I’ll pick you up Saturday. How’s eleven?”
“Eleven is fine.”
With that settled, Cole heads into the store while I get in the car. By the time I make it to my sister’s, I still don’t know how I got roped into hanging out with my ex-boyfriend.
This should be positively awkward.
* * *
“Grace, what the fuck?” Georgia balks at me from across the room. “You cannot go on a date with that utter jackass.”
Taking a sip from my wine, I say, “It is not a date. I guess he got a divorce, though.”
“Not surprising,” she snorts. “You’ve always been too fucking nice for your own good. He probably purposely made you feel bad for him so you’d agree.”
I roll my eyes and breathe out a laugh. “Is the guy a douchebag? Absolutely. But I don’t think he’s conniving. He’s too stupid for that.”
Charley barks out a laugh, nearly choking on her wine. “I mean, Grace isn’t wrong there.”
“Okay, but what about the fact that you’re banging his dad on a regular basis? Does he know about that?”
“God, no. It is none of Cole’s business who I’m sleeping with.”
“Yeah, but if you guys get serious, he’ll find out eventually,” Gemma adds.
“Well, eventually isn’t now.”
Georgia’s wearing an unamused expression pointed at me. “Does Conway know?”
Good lord. “It literally happened right before I came here. You guys are the first people I’ve told, but it’s not a big deal. Surely, Conway is mature enough to see this for what it is. Platonic. Besides, it’s not like I’m his girlfriend.”
Georgia chuckles. “Are we talking about the same man who waited on your porch in the dark for you to get home from a date before railing you against the side of your house to mark his territory?”
Gemma and Charley laugh, and I can’t help but join them. “Okay, when you put it like that, you make him sound like a maniac.”
“Him proudly and possessively claiming you is hot as fuck,” she drawls. “There’s no doubt about that. I’m simply saying, he may not see it as black and white as you do, nor do I think he gives a shit about the technicality of you not being his girlfriend .”
My face screws up as I scoff. “Well, that sounds like a him problem then. He can go be a caveman elsewhere, if that’s the case.”
Gemma makes a show of clapping. “I’ve never been prouder of you.”
“If memory serves us right,” Charley cuts in, a smirk curled on her lips, “you seemed to thoroughly enjoy the caveman routine the first time.”
Breathing out a laugh, I bring the glass up to my mouth and take a sip. “Okay, you aren’t wrong,” I admit. “But being possessive and domineering in the bedroom in the heat of the moment and being so insecure and full of toxic masculinity that you believe a man and a woman can’t grab coffee and catch up without there being ulterior motives are two very different things. And I’d like to think the man I may or may not be falling for is more secure than that. Especially when Conway knows why Cole and I broke up.”
Charley looks at my sisters before her gaze darts to me, a smile splitting her face. “Uh, rewind, please.”
“Yeah, I’m going to need you to say that again,” Gemma adds.
My brows pinch with confusion. “Say what again?”
“You just said you’re falling for Conway,” Georgia offers, her voice soft, like if she says it too loud the world may implode.
With three sets of imploring eyes staring back at me, I replay everything I just said, and my heart stutters in my chest as I realize Georgia is right. I did say that.
Holy.
Shit.
Am I? And more importantly, when the hell did it happen? How could I possibly be falling for him ?
My cheeks heat as I realize they’re still watching me and waiting for some sort of a response. A small laugh that sounds painfully awkward spills out of me. “I don’t know why I said that. It’s not a big deal, and I’m not falling for him. Must’ve been a simple slip of the tongue.”
“Oh, but it is a big deal, and you most certainly are falling for that man,” Charley quips. “But we don’t have to talk about it now if you don’t want to. Just, you know, we’ll be here and waiting not-so-patiently when you’re finally ready to admit it to yourself.”
After that, the conversation mostly fades as The Bachelor starts, but I’m a million miles away the entire time. By the time the show finishes, I couldn’t recite a single thing that happened to save my life because my mind is so focused on that ridiculous thing I said.
Because it is ridiculous…right?
It has to be.
This is Conway Levine… the man who, at the beginning of the school year, I couldn’t even stand to look at.
My ex-boyfriend’s dad.
And the man who, at one of my lowest points, witnessed me make a drunk idiot out of myself in his truck.
There’s no way I can be falling for that man, because it would never, ever work. I’ve known this from the start.
It wouldn’t work.
I’m not the girl who gets the guy. Historically, I just don’t, and Conway will be no different. I dated his son, and not only that, but we were in a serious relationship. You can’t date your serious ex-boyfriend’s dad and have it be accepted and work out. The world doesn’t work like that. It doesn’t matter that Cole and I broke up a hell of a long time ago.
I can’t be falling for him.
It was a slip of the tongue. That’s all.
And yet, the rapid beating of my heart says otherwise.
Oh, god.