18. Well That’s a Hail Mary of A Different Color
18
Well That’s a Hail Mary of A Different Color
LEIGHTON
Leighton
Congrats on the win today.
Paxton
Thanks, Sis. Excited for some r he'll make it quick.”
“And Axel?”
A humorless chuckle. “Now that kid is a little unhinged. Best of luck.”
“This your idea of a pep talk?” I bit out, chest heaving as I fought to steady my breathing.
“You didn't come here for a pep talk.”
“No,” I admitted, collapsing into the stiff leather armchair in the corner of his study.
“You came here for advice.”
“You're the last person qualified to dole out romantic tips.”
He held up his left hand, the gold band gleaming. One dark brow arched pointedly.
“Don't act like hot shit—you coerced Alice into marrying you, jackass.”
“Semantics.”
“Besides, I already tried your tactic.”
He scowled before narrowing his eyes at me. “Ollie, tell me you didn't.” When I just grimaced, he blew out a haggard breath, unceremoniously standing from the desk and heading to the gold and crystal drink cart in the corner.
When media allegations targeted Grey over the summer, he'd correctly deduced that publicly confirming years of speculation about him and Alice would divert attention. Miraculously—and due to Alice's self-destructive sense of justice—she agreed. Somewhere along the way, her brand of crazy matched his enough to make it real.
But his initial proposal likely hadn't been any smoother than mine.
Grey grabbed two glasses in one hand and a bottle of Macallan with the other. “You're an idiot,” he muttered, returning to set down the glasses before pouring a healthy finger of scotch into each.
“Tell me something I don't know,” I growled, accepting the offering.
“You're in love with that woman, so tell me why in the hell you'd do something so stupid?”
I blinked. “What?”
“Please, Ollie. You couldn't hide the way you feel about Leigh if I paid you to do it. You've been smitten since she first opened that ridiculous mouth.”
“ Watch it ,” I snarled. The asshole just smirked, brow flicking up again.
“Way to prove my point. Which brings me back to my question—why, on God's green earth, would you scare her off by going and doing something as impulsive as proposing ?”
I knocked back my glass, welcoming the smooth heat with a heavy swallow before blowing out an agonized breath, my shoulders slumping. “I panicked.”
“ You think? ”
“It was bad, man.”
“The woman is embodied wildfire, and you tried to lock her to a ball and chain. When did she find out about the baby?”
I grimaced, rubbing at the back of my neck. “This morning.”
“ Fuck you, man .” He palmed his face. “What the fuck?”
“That sums it up.”
“That's why she was so spacey at yoga?”
“You do sunrise yoga with the girls?” I asked skeptically.
“Not a chance,” he snorted. “Alice was worried about her.”
“I thought I was going to have a heart attack waiting to hear back from her, and when she said she needed me, I was terrified something was wrong.”
“Because of the mitral valve thing?”
I jerked my gaze to his, scowling. “Alice told you?”
“ Please , the woman is a vault. She'll give me a run for my money by the time we're done training her.”
“Then how…”
“Ollie. It's my business to know things.”
“Fucking psycho.”
“Plus, there are only so many procedures that leave a scar like that.”
“Why the fuck are you looking at her tits, man?”
Greyson didn’t flinch. “Like you don’t notice a woman in a bikini. It’s not exactly subtle.”
“Keep your eyes to yourself.”
He rolled his. “Go on.”
“I got us in with a high-risk OB this afternoon.”
“Dr. Swift?”
I leveled a glare at him, but the asshole just chuckled and turned to swipe the scotch bottle again. Perks of him being in charge of security—his guys reported to him, not me.
“Yeah.”
“And?”
“Everything looks perfect,” I said, the tension in my chest loosening when Grey’s shoulders sagged in relief.
“Then what happened?”
“I just... I panicked, man.”
“Because of Cruella ?”
“That’s a bullshit excuse.”
“Maybe. But narcissistic abuse leaves wreckage, Ollie—and you tolerated hers for years under the banner of ‘keeping the peace.’”
“Maybe.”
“Keep going. Fill me in so we can sort out your mess.”
On a groan, I buried my face in my palms, then collapsed back into the chair, grateful when he handed me a second pour. So I told him everything. From the high of seeing the first ultrasound and realizing one of my kids would finally have an incredible mother—to the spiral that followed. The gut punch of hearing about her valve repair. The freefall of trying to get it right and reaching for control in all the wrong places. The coffee shop tension. The Bentley meltdown. The accidental proposal.
“Alright,” he said, nodding slowly. “Give her time.”
“ What ?” My stomach lurched at the thought. “No. I need to fix this now.”
“You go after her now, you’ll just piss her off more. Let her breathe. Try again tomorrow—or better yet, Monday.”
“She’s flying to Florida tomorrow.”
“Right. Well. Sucks to suck.”
“Fuck you.”
He just laughed, dragging a palm across the back of his neck. “Ollie. You’ll figure this out—but you’re gonna have to grovel.”
“You think?”
“Probably for months. She’s fucking feral.”
“I hate when you say that.”
“And I love that about her. So get the fuck over it. There are few people I’d want with me in a dogfight, and Leighton Rhodes is one of them.”
That caught me off guard. My eyes must’ve gone wide, because he just grinned.
“She’s young, yeah. But she’s sharp. Protective. Loyal as hell. Bigger balls than most men I know. She’ll make you work for it, but she’s worth every step.”
“What do I do?”
“Own it,” he said simply. “Own the panic. Own the mess. That whole proposal thing? That was a grasp for control if I’ve ever seen one.”
“I don’t want to control Leighton.”
“Bullshit. You were trying to anchor yourself to something—anything—you could actually hold onto. I get it. Kid on the way before you had a chance to properly lock it down. Her heart history. Your unresolved trauma from Carly. That’s a lot of shit. But proposing was a tactical error.”
“I just wanted her to know I was serious.”
“Then say that. Without the ring next time.” His eyes narrowed, spotting the telltale box as I tugged it from my pocket. “Oh, fuck. You have thought this through.”
“She's it for me, man. I saw her slipping through my fingers, and I just…panicked.”
“Christ, Ollie.” He downed his drink—and then, evidently thinking better of handing me mine, swallowed that too. “Okay. Here's what you’re gonna do. Tomorrow, you bring her one of those ridiculous bakery treats she likes, and ask for the chance to drive her to the airport. Apologize. Profusely. Then tell her you’ll go at her pace.”
“What if I can’t?”
He tilted his head. “Then you’ll lose her.”
I stiffened.
“Look, you don’t bullshit your way through a relationship with a woman like Leighton. She’s not some executive assistant waiting for you to take the lead. She’s going to need a life she chooses . One you build with her, not around her. You want compromise? You earn it.”
“How?”
“You shut the fuck up and let her lead. If she wants to stay in her apartment, let her. If she wants to keep her name on the baby’s birth certificate first, let her. You don’t get to negotiate before you prove you’re worth being in the room.”
“What if I already lost her?”
He shook his head. “Nah. Leigh might be quick to swing first and ask questions later, but the woman’s all heart. She doesn’t give up on people she loves.”
“And you think I fall in that category?”
“Don’t be dense. She’s been on call for you and your kids since the day you met. She practically lives at your house. You’ve seen her grocery list. She buys snacks based on Mattie’s cravings.”
I sucked in a breath, my throat tight.
“You’ve got a shot. But only if you slow the fuck down, apologize like you mean it , and stop trying to solve everything before she’s even asked you to.”
I nodded slowly, turning the ring box in my hand as I tried to picture what she’d say if I showed up with it tomorrow.
Grey snorted. “Not that. Save that move for next year. Maybe longer.”
Nodding, I palmed my jaw before pushing out of the armchair. “Okay. I’ll beg her for the chance to explain tomorrow.”
“Practice groveling,” Grey said dryly. “We’re not exactly hardwired for apologies.”
“No,” I agreed, my voice low. “We’re not.”
“Hey, Belle,” he called, his tone softening instantly. I turned to find Alice beaming in the doorway, radiating sunshine like always—and fuck, that smile. So much like her sister’s it made my chest ache.
“El had her baby! Also, my idiot big brother got a French bulldog and named him Gimli, and now I need one.”
“No more dogs,” Grey muttered, but Alice didn’t even flinch. I just shook my head. If Alessandra Hart wanted a Frenchie, Greyson would have her flying to Paris tomorrow to hand-pick the most genetically superior one on earth.
“Oh!” she added brightly, completely oblivious to the way the air had gone still. “And Leighton hopped on Paxton’s flight tonight—the shithead. Guess the Florida sun was calling her name.”
The words slammed into me like a truck.
My chest seized. My ears rang.
The room tilted.
I turned to Greyson, searching his face for denial—an eye-roll, a smirk, something that said this was a joke. But his lips curled tight against his teeth, his gaze dropping to the floor like he couldn’t bring himself to meet mine.
“Grey?” One word. Just one. And I hated how much it sounded like that six-year-old version of me, the one who’d screamed his name when the rattlesnake coiled next to my ankle. I was just as helpless now.
Fuck. I’d done it again.
Pushed too hard. Reached for control when all I had to do was trust her.
Grey sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. “Well… shit. You’ve done it now, kid.”
“What—?” Alice stepped forward, frowning between us. “What did I just walk in on?”