Two
TWO
Greyson
“What’s on the agenda for this week?”
I glanced up and found my best friend, Huck, walking in my direction. I held out the clipboard with the schedule. “Looks pretty close to last week’s schedule. You and I have a class to teach in two hours.”
“Cool.” Huck looked over the schedule. “It’s kind of crazy.”
“What is?”
Before Huck could respond, the door opened. Kane, Jake, and Brix all walked into the room. Kane was the first to greet us. “Hey, guys.”
“What’s going on? How was the training this morning?”
It was Monday afternoon, and Huck and I had been teaching a couple of classes we’d had for self-defense training this morning. Kane, Jake, and Brix had been in one of the other parts of our training facility hosting a session with local law enforcement.
“Routine. But we had a good time. It was a nice way to ease back into the work week.”
Huck looked up from the clipboard. “I can attest to that, even if I was hosting classes here with Greyson. After this weekend, I wasn’t fired up to return to work this morning.”
My brow furrowed. “What happened this weekend? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. Yeah, everything is good. That’s the problem, I guess.”
I still didn’t understand, but when I glanced around at the three other men in the room, they seemed to agree with Huck.
Jake enlightened me. “Enjoying the weekend a bit too much makes the desire to come back to work a little less powerful. I think it’s safe to say we all love our work and what we do here, but we love what we’ve got at home more.”
Suddenly, it all made sense. He didn’t need to say another word for me to get it, even if I technically couldn’t fully appreciate what he was saying.
They’d all spent their weekends with their significant others. Brix was lucky enough to not just have Liv, but he also had their baby, too. And Kane and Ellery were now expecting their first baby in a few months.
As much as I didn’t want to spiral into a mess with this, I had to admit it felt a bit defeating. The truth was, I was one of a few guys left at Harper Security Ops who was still single. Of the guys who worked in the self-defense and tactical training unit, the team that I worked on, I was the only one who didn’t have someone.
I was glad for my friends, thrilled that they’d all found the woman they intended to spend the rest of their lives with. But I’d have been lying if I wasn’t hoping I’d find myself in a place where I’d be wishing the weekend was just one more day longer, so I could spend it wrapped up in the woman I loved.
At this point, I would have settled for simply finding someone I was interested in taking out on a date. Then again, I wasn’t quite sure I had anyone else to blame for that predicament.
As happy as Huck, Jake, Kane, and Brix all were now, things hadn’t exactly been easy for any one of them when it came to finding love. Huck and Brix had wound up with women they’d known since they were kids, and those relationships hadn’t come without some outside challenges. Jake and Kane also faced terrifying situations with each of the women who now warmed their beds.
I’d witnessed what they’d all gone through—the fear and terror—and couldn’t say I was eager for that experience. But I was hoping I’d eventually stumble upon the woman who was going to change my life. Even if I’d been content in recent years to not have to go through the turmoil my friends and coworkers had, things were changing for me.
I was ready.
I had been feeling this way for at least a year now.
When was I going to meet my lady?
After hearing day in and day out about the guys and their women, being right there by my best friend’s side as he reconnected with his high school crush, I found myself thinking about when it would be my turn.
Had I already met her? Did I miss the opportunity?
I could have stood there asking myself one question after another, none of which would put me in a good mood or help me get through the rest of the workday, so I returned my focus back to the conversation. “Ah, now it makes sense.”
Huck took a few steps in my direction and clapped a hand on my shoulder. “I think your turn is coming soon.”
“Yeah, I’m not going to hold my breath.”
“She’s out there,” Brix insisted.
I didn’t need this. I realized they were all doing their best to be encouraging, but I’d only wind up feeling worse about it in the end. “I’m sure she is. And when the time is right, we’ll run into each other.”
Kane opened his mouth to speak, likely to offer additional reassurances about my love life, but he didn’t get a chance to impart any of those thoughts to me, as my phone rang on the opposite side of the room.
I held out the clipboard to Jake, and after he took it from me, I crossed the room to grab my phone. At the sight of the name on the display, my body tensed.
I quickly answered. “Morgan?”
“Greyson?” Her voice was shaky, worried.
“Yeah. Is everything okay?”
“I don’t know yet. I… I had an appointment today, and they saw some things, so the doctor wants me to stay for a few additional tests. If I stay for the tests, there’s no way I’ll be able to make it to the school to pick up Tucker on time, and Eric is too far out. Is there any way you?—”
“I’ll take care of him.” My eyes shot to the clock on the wall. “I’ll leave now to get him, but I might be a few minutes late.”
“That’s okay. Thanks, Greyson. I’ll call the school to let them know the situation.”
“Don’t mention it. Are you okay? Is the baby?”
There was a long pause before Morgan answered. “Technically, I feel fine, but I’m freaking out. I just hope they give me good news. Eric left work and is on his way here.”
“Focus on you and the baby. I’ve got Tucker covered.”
The two of us said goodbye and disconnected. I glanced up from my phone and found four concerned friends staring back at me.
Huck cut to the chase. “What’s going on?”
I moved toward the exit. “That was Morgan. She’s at the doctor’s office, and they need to do some additional tests.”
“Is the baby okay?”
My stomach pitched uncomfortably. I wished I’d had an answer to that question.
Morgan was my younger sister. She’d met her husband, Eric, in high school, and they’d been together ever since. They got married a year out of high school, had Tucker, and were now expecting their second baby after years of struggling to get and stay pregnant. They’d suffered a few devastating losses.
The only time I’d seen my sister as happy as she’d been when she learned she was finally pregnant again was when she’d had Tucker. If something was wrong now, if something happened to this baby, I wasn’t sure how she’d survive the loss.
Sending a look of defeat toward my friends, I shrugged. “I don’t know. But I need to go get Tucker from school. Can one of you cover for me this afternoon?”
“Go. We’ll take care of things here.”
“Thanks.”
Without another word, I took off jogging and left the training room. I grabbed my keys and my wallet and headed for the exit. Then I was in my truck and on my way to pick up my nephew, finding myself needing to figure out how to deal with what I was feeling over my sister experiencing a pregnancy complication before I made it to the school. The last thing I wanted was for Tucker to be worried unnecessarily. Plus, I figured if there was something awful for him to learn about this situation, it should be Morgan and Eric who broke the news to him.
God, I couldn’t even think about how that would go. Tucker had wanted a sibling for years. He was in fourth grade now, and ever since he was a baby, I’d watched him get excited over a multitude of things. But nothing had compared to the way he reacted when he learned that he was going to be a big brother. He’d be devastated if something bad happened.
By the time I’d pulled into the parking lot at Steel Ridge Elementary School, I hadn’t quite figured out exactly how I was going to keep my cool, so I was just going to have to wing it.
This kid needed me to do that much for him. If the time came that I learned more about Morgan’s pregnancy and she wanted me there to help my nephew through anything traumatizing, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
I parked my truck, got out, and made my way to the front door. When I was about fifteen feet away or so, the doors opened, and Tucker came running out. I was vaguely aware of someone walking out behind him, but with all the emotions moving through me, I kept my focus on Tucker.
He made it to me, his body colliding with mine as he wrapped his arms around me. “Hey, Uncle Grey.”
“Hey, Tuck. How was your day?”
“Good. They told me Mom called and said you were coming to pick me up. Are we going to do something fun?”
This was the perfect opportunity to keep things upbeat for him. “You do know I’m the cool uncle, right?”
Tucker’s head tilted to the side, his eyes narrowing slightly as he pressed his lips together. “You’re my only uncle.”
I nodded. “This is true. But even if there were others, I’d still be the coolest.”
“So, where are we going?”
“We’ll figure that out in a minute.” For the first time since those doors opened and he stepped outside, I looked away from Tucker to the person who’d come to a stop just a few feet away from us. And for a moment, I wondered whether there had been another parent who had stayed behind with Tucker. Was this woman the mother of one of his friends? She couldn’t be a teacher. “Hi, I’m Tucker’s uncle, Greyson West. Morgan is my sister.”
The woman smiled brightly at me, her waist length blonde hair falling in loose curls over the front of her shoulder. “It’s lovely to meet you, Mr. West. I’m Cierra Wallace.”
She extended her hand to me. As I shook it, noting just how soft and delicate it felt in my grasp, I said, “Please, call me Greyson.”
Cierra gave me a nod just as Tucker chimed in. “Miss Wallace is my librarian.”
That couldn’t be right. Tucker liked to goof around, but he wasn’t much of a prankster. Still, I thought maybe he’d taken up a new hobby. Librarians did not look like this woman, not when I was in school.
She was substantially shorter than I was, maybe seven or eight inches shorter, with a gorgeous smile, an adorable nose, and stunning hazel eyes. Her skin was flawless, and I wondered if her lips felt as soft as the skin on her hands. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see all that I would have wanted to see when it came to her body, considering she was wearing a coat, but it was obvious she was on the petite side.
I was still holding her hand, my eyes back on hers. “The… the librarian?”
Still smiling, she nodded again. “That’s me.”
I never thought I’d see the day when I was attracted to a librarian, but here I was, wondering if I should take up reading as a new hobby.
Begrudgingly, I released her hand. “I’m sorry if you had to stay later to hang with my nephew. This was a last-minute call I got from my sister. I’m not irresponsible or anything like that, and I’m always on time for things like this.”
Miss Wallace waved her hand in the air dismissively. “Oh, don’t worry about it. Tucker’s a great kid, and we had a nice conversation while we waited for you to arrive. I’m trying to convince him that reading is actually fun and a great way to learn new things.”
I was so captivated by this woman, she could have told me the grass was purple, and I would have agreed with her. “Reading is great.”
“Oh? You like to read?”
With seemingly perfect timing, Tucker interjected, “Uncle Greyson hates reading. He hates it as much as I do. It’s one of the things he tries to help me convince my mom not to force me to do.”
Damn it.
I had been considering taking my nephew for ice cream, but now I wasn’t so sure he deserved it. Tucker and I were going to have to have a talk about being a good wingman.
The gorgeous librarian raised a curious brow, one half of her mouth quirking. “You hate it?”
I shrugged, sending her a sheepish look. “I… well, I guess… maybe I haven’t tried reading the right stuff.”
Cierra let out a laugh, her eyes dancing. “Fair enough. Well, I should let you two get out of here. It’s so cold out. It was wonderful to meet you, Greyson.”
I would have stood out here in the cold all day to talk to this woman. “Likewise.”
She turned her attention to my nephew. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Tucker.”
“Bye, Miss Wallace.”
She smiled and waved at him before lifting her gaze to mine.
Not trusting myself to speak, I merely offered her a nod in return.
As she turned and walked off to head back into the school, I kept my stare on her. But then Tucker yelled. “Hey, are you coming?”
I snapped myself out of it, focused my attention on him again, and took off running after him. I wrapped my arm around him in a playful headlock and asked, “Want some ice cream?”
“Mom will kill us.”
I released the hold I had on him and grinned. “I know. Are you in?”
My nephew grinned back at me for several beats. “I’m in.”
The next thing I knew, we were on our way out for ice cream. And I’d managed to cover up just how terrified I’d been about my sister. Then again, with a pretty blonde woman who liked reading books on my mind, it wasn’t as hard as I had originally anticipated.