Chapter 23
Layla
KIERAN
I know it’s your day off this Sunday but do you want to come to family day at Grayson’s?
Emmy would love for you to come
LAYLA
I’d love to
for Emmy of course
KIERAN
*I’m coming to see your sexy face*
think you had a typo
Bella continues to blink, her jaw open, all while Cindy stands beside her grinning from ear to ear.
“I-I’m sorry, he did what?” Bella stutters out.
Peering over my shoulder to make sure he’s not in earshot, I step forward, lowering my voice to a whisper. “He rented out a bookstore for me, and at the end, he grabbed all the books I said I wanted to read and bought them.”
Cindy whistles. “I fucking called it.” She cackles wildly. “I knew it!”
“Shh!”
She waves me off. “Oh please, they’re all outside talking about hockey. They won’t hear me. Besides, they’re used to my loud shenanigans.”
Bella turns to Cindy. “And to think this happened because you stuck your nose in their business and forced Layla to give that guy her number.”
“I take full matchmaking credit.” She smiles at me smugly. “I told you, the man is smitten.”
Bella scoffs. “Matchmaking credit, my ass. The two of them met because of me.”
“No one is taking matchmaking credit! I told you, it’s an arrangement.”
“Potayto, potahto,” Cindy mutters into her wineglass.
“Was I this annoying when I was in denial about Grayson?” Bella asks.
Blowing out a raspberry, I’m about to harp on them again that he has no real feelings for me, but Allie steps inside with Emmy on her hip.
“This gorgeous girl wants a juice box,” she declares.
Before she can do it herself, and more so to give myself a reprieve from my persistent friends, I grab a juice box out of the fridge, passing it across the countertop.
“Thanks, honey.”
Allie leaves as quickly as she arrived, muttering something about an egg race outside with the other kids. I have to be honest, I thought I knew all the players but I was wrong. There’s twenty-three men in total, and some of them even have kids.
Turning back to Bella, I try to switch topics. “It was sweet of Grayson to come up with the family Sunday idea. Gives Emmy a chance to socialize with no pressure.”
Bella smiles as she looks out the kitchen window, and I can tell the moment she finds Grayson, her face melting with love and awe.
“He’s a sweetheart.” Her joy suddenly clouds over.
“It’s days like this where I really miss my mom, though.
” She sniffles, waving her hand in the air. “Ugh, sorry, I’m ruining the mood.”
“Never,” I say quickly. “It’s understandable, B. We all miss her.”
My heart clenches at the memory of Trisha, the woman that was like my second mom.
“I bet it’s even harder when Grayson’s parents stay in town,” Cindy whispers, and I have to admit, I didn’t even think about how it would make Bella feel. Guilt thunders through me, I should have reached out sooner to see how she was doing.
Sniffling, Bella nods. “I can’t tell them not to stay here, but it’s just…it’s really hard sometimes to see him getting love from his mom.” She gives us a wobbly smile. “Allie is amazing, though. She pours all that love toward me too and I adore it but—”
“You wish it was your mom?” I whisper.
Tears fill her eyes before she blinks furiously and puts on a tough exterior. “Anyway! Enough about me. Besides Kieran being absolutely smitten and planning the perfect date for you, how was it?”
Cindy gives me a sad smile behind Bella’s back before giving her shoulder a squeeze and topping up her wineglass. I, however, try to ignore my body betraying me with my flaming cheeks and act nonchalant instead. “It was fun.”
The wine bottle in Cindy’s hand freezes midair, the girls exchanging a knowing look before Cindy smacks the bottle down and squeals. I’m surprised it doesn’t smash.
“We need all the details!”
My nose wrinkles. “Details of what?”
“Oh, come on!” Cindy whines. “Something happened. Look at your cheeks.”
Screw my damn genetics.
Bella’s head rears back. “Oh my god, she’s right. Did something happen between you two?”
My lips part, my mouth opening and closing, and I feel incredibly stupid. Why can’t I be a fabulous liar?
Cindy steps forward and clutches my arm. “That man moves fast. Was it good?”
Bella whacks her shoulder. “She didn’t sleep with him in a bookstore!” Her eyes cut to me. “You didn’t, right?”
“You two aren’t going to drop this, are you?”
“Nope,” they say in unison.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “This is very invasive.”
Bella clicks her tongue. “I do believe you sent me a million texts asking for details about Grayson, and one of them told me to climb him like a tree.”
Cindy snorts as I wince. “I did do that, didn’t I?”
“Oh yeah, baby. Spill the tea.”
I check to make sure everyone’s still outside before blurting, “We didn’t sleep together, okay?”
“Why not?” Cindy asks.
Bella whacks her shoulder again. “Rude, Cin.”
“I recant my statement.” She cocks her hip. “What did you do, though?”
My heart starts beating wildly. “We, ah… Kieran put his…”
“Girl, spit it out!”
“Kieran made me come on the bookstore’s couch and anyone walking by could have seen.”
My chest is heaving by the time I’m done blurting it out, and Cindy and Bella’s wide eyes just serve to speed up my already frantic heart rate. “Say something!”
“I feel like a proud mom right now.” Cindy takes a sip of her wine before chuckling to herself. “Damn, Lil.”
“In public?” Bella squeaks.
I nod emphatically, my excitement over it showing.
I’ve been thinking about it nonstop ever since. Have barely been able to function with it playing repeatedly in my mind. How Kieran made me feel is nothing compared to how I’ve made myself feel. It was electric and so addicting, I understand why the puck bunnies beg for him.
“It was amazing, really,” I breathe.
Cindy rubs her hands together. “I can’t wait to see where this goes.”
“It’s not going anywhere,” I say dryly. “This is going to work for us, you’ll see.”
She hums under her breath. “I suppose we will.”
“Trust me, Kieran is more than happy with our agreement.”
“Talking about me, sunshine?”
My spine snaps upright, my head swinging behind me. I find Kieran leaning against the open patio doors, his white T-shirt clinging to his body like a second skin as he folds his arms across his chest, his grin smug as hell.
“No!” I blurt at the same time Cindy snorts.
“Sure, sure.”
Kieran’s dark chuckle does something to my body. My stomach clenches, the hair on my arms standing on end as he pushes off the doorframe, the backwards black hat he’s wearing making him even more attractive—if that’s possible.
He struts toward me as if he doesn’t have a care in the world until his shoes brush mine. My head tips back, my heart pounding furiously as his arm reaches past me. He pulls back, a grape clutched between his fingers.
“What are you telling them?” he asks, popping it in his mouth.
My cheeks flame. “Nothing.”
Cindy groans. “Jesus, you could cut the sexual tension with a spoon.”
Kieran’s lips tip upwards. “Good to know, Cin.”
“She’s not said much,” Bella whispers in an attempt to help.
It doesn’t. Kieran’s grin turns downright devilish as he drawls, “Perhaps I haven’t given her enough to talk about yet.” Winking down at me he goes on, “I should rectify that.”
I’m utterly mortified as a small sound escapes me, and I can’t tell if it’s a whimper or a squeak.
Thankfully, an even louder squeal takes away from my mortifying noise. Emmy comes barreling into the house, Bambi on her heels, and she doesn’t stop until she smashes into the back of Kieran’s legs.
“Wow,” he says with a laugh. “Hello, little munchkin.” Bending, he scoops her into his arms, his smile wide and full of love. “What are you and Bambi doing running around like chickens with your heads cut off?”
Emmy giggles into her hands before laying her head down on his shoulder. He wraps his free arm around her, laying his cheek atop her head and you can practically feel the air change as all three of us women watch Kieran snuggle his daughter.
“Grayson wanted me to let you know that lunch is ready and off the grill. Everyone’s eating, and considering how many players are down there, I’d hurry to snag food.”
Cindy whose eyes fill with dark clouds seems to shake herself before marching off with another bottle of wine in her hand that she somehow acquired. “I’m going to kill Asher if he didn’t put food aside for me.”
Bella snorts, trailing behind her. “Same with Grayson.”
“Grayson grabbed you a plate. Forced everyone to wait until he had your food.”
Her lips twitch. “Of course he did.”
The girls head outside, leaving me standing in the kitchen with Kieran and my crying ovaries. He’s so cute with Emmy. They’ve grown so close these passing weeks, he’s really flourished as a dad.
Maybe now that I’m healthier I can start daydreaming about a future in which I have my own children. I’ve never allowed myself to imagine that, but…perhaps I should start letting myself.
Kieran turns to me. “I saved you a plate too. I didn’t know what you would want so I got a little of everything.”
And there goes my heart, joining my ovaries and crying right alongside her.