Chapter 1 #2
By the time Grayson drove to his aunt’s house to pick up Emma, he’d already had a full day.
His cousin Ella had taken him to see the apartment she’d recently vacated, and he’d immediately snapped it up, along with the bed and sofa she’d given him.
She was moving in with her fiancé, Gavin, and didn’t need either item.
Grayson was happy to check three things off his to-do list. She’d even suggested turning over her landline number to him.
He hadn’t had a landline in Boston in years, but in Butler, Vermont, the place where cell service was nonexistent, it was a necessity.
Even though he’d been busy apartment hunting, shoveling snow and doing odd jobs around his mother’s house, Grayson had kept a close eye on the clock, which seemed to move in reverse today.
Emma.
His first thought that morning had been of her, of the secrets they’d shared, the stories they’d told and the spark that had burned so brightly between them.
That spark had him more intrigued than he’d ever been by a woman.
Sure, he’d heard about the spark and had even seen it happen to some of his cousins and friends, but it had never happened to him, until Emma.
And Simone… For it was not possible to consider one without the other.
He already knew Emma well enough to understand that there would be no such thing as a relationship that included only her.
For a guy who’d never had the urge for a family because he’d already helped to raise his younger siblings, it surprised him to realize he was glad the adorable, smart, funny, sweet, respectful Simone was part of the package.
Pulling up to the big red barn his aunt and uncle called home, Grayson cut the engine in his Audi SUV but left the headlights on so he could get to the door without falling on the ice.
His uncle’s Range Rover was gone, so they must’ve been out for their usual Friday night dinner.
He was secretly glad that he wouldn’t encounter his beloved aunt and uncle when he picked up Emma.
Grayson was nervous enough without adding a family inquisition to the agenda for the evening—and it would be an inquisition with his uncle Linc involved.
Serving as a surrogate dad to the fatherless Colemans, Linc was always interested in whatever they were up to.
Normally, Grayson welcomed his uncle’s interest. Tonight, he was grateful for a little privacy.
The light over the back door helped to guide him as he made his way, carefully, to the door.
He let himself in and greeted George and Ringo, who gave him a thorough sniffing before allowing him to proceed into the mudroom, as if to say, He’s one of us. This had been his second home growing up, and he felt every bit at home here as he did at his own mother’s house.
“Hello?”
“Hi there,” Emma called from upstairs. “I’ll be down in a minute.”
“Take your time.” As Grayson leaned against the counter in his aunt’s tidy kitchen, he thought about his last first date, his good mood souring at the memories of his ex-girlfriend, Heather.
He’d been so blown away by her beauty and captivated by her charm as well as the best sex of his life that he hadn’t realized she was actually a stone-cold bitch until he’d already been completely sucked into her web.
Extricating himself had been nasty, and he hadn’t been with anyone in the year since he ended it with her.
Hearing Emma’s footsteps on the stairs, he shook off those memories to put himself in the right frame of mind to spend this evening with her. It was high time he moved on from the debacle with Heather.
Emma came into the room, and Grayson could only stare at how lovely she looked in a simple black turtleneck sweater that she’d paired with sexy jeans and boots.
Her hair was down around her shoulders, and she’d done something to her big blue eyes with makeup that made them stand out. “You said casual, right?”
“I did, and you look great.”
“So do you,” she said with a shy smile.
He liked that she was shy, that she hadn’t dated in years, that nothing about her was fake or fabricated.
And he really liked when the spark of attraction from last night flared between them once again, still vibrant and vivid after they’d both had a day to reconsider.
He hadn’t changed his mind, and judging from the way she looked at him, she hadn’t either.
“I should leave a note for Molly so she doesn’t worry,” Emma said. “I didn’t know what to say to her about my plans for tonight, so I didn’t say anything.”
“You could’ve told her where you were going.”
“I didn’t know if you’d want me to.”
“One thing you’ll quickly learn about this family—and this town—is there’re very few secrets.”
Emma smiled and dashed off a quick note to Molly, leaving it on the counter where his aunt was sure to see it.
Over her shoulder, he saw that she’d written, Went to get dinner with Grayson. See you in the morning. Emma.
“You’re planning on an all-nighter?” he asked.
“What?” He hated that she looked and sounded stricken by his comment. “No, of course not. I was just assuming they’ll be asleep when we get home.”
“I was teasing, Emma. Sorry.”
She laughed. “Wow, call me out of practice. I missed that completely.”
He chuckled at her adorable befuddlement, also loving that she was out of practice when it came to men and dating. What a breath of fresh air she was. In the mudroom, he held her coat and waited for her to zip up and put on gloves. “Ready?” he asked, extending his hand to her.
She took hold of his hand. “Ready.”
He led her out into the night, excited to spend time with her, to simply be with her.