Sixteen
SIXTEEN
Cierra
A ripple of excitement moved through me when I got in my car after work.
It was Thursday afternoon, which meant I didn’t have lessons scheduled with Greyson. Of course, not seeing him wasn’t what made me excited. I knew he was still at work and that we’d talk later, though.
Today, I was merely glad to have the time now to be able to run to the local nursery, so that I’d finally be able to purchase some flowers I wanted to plant in the landscaping around my house this weekend.
And since I did have lessons with Greyson tomorrow and Saturday morning, I figured today was the best day to get it done.
But no sooner had I closed the door and started the car, my phone rang. As I reached over to fish it out of my purse, I thought about the fact that I was in my car and driving myself again.
I still hadn’t been able to stop thinking about how Greyson showed up on my doorstep Monday morning, because he remembered that my tires had been slashed and my car was no longer sitting in my driveway.
While I didn’t want to spend my time comparing Greyson to anyone—there really was no comparison—there was a small part of me that couldn’t help noticing how much he went above and beyond for me. He did things for me that previous boyfriends had never done. When I took the time to really think about it, Greyson did things that I could see my dad doing for my mom. And it was that which made it difficult to not feel myself falling harder and harder for him.
Because I knew how much my father adored my mother. He took care of her; he did things to make her life easier, and he’d bend over backward to make her happy.
The more time I spent with him, the more he showed me the kind of man he was. And I’d have been lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to my parents’ return trip home to Steel Ridge, because I wanted them to meet the man who’d come into my life. I had a feeling they were going to like him almost as much as I did.
When I pulled out my phone, I saw a name on the display I hadn’t seen in a while. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling as I answered. “I’ve been dying to talk to you.”
My best friend’s laughter came through the line. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I finally found ten minutes in my packed schedule to give you a call. I was worried you’d be busy and wouldn’t answer. What’s going on?”
“Oh, Naomi, I’ve got so much to fill you in on.”
Naomi sounded both thrilled and uneasy. “I’ve been so upset that I haven’t had a chance to call you since that weekend you told me about Richard getting out of prison.”
Despite her being on the phone and unable to see me, I waved my hand through the air, as though dismissing the notion she hadn’t been a good friend. “It’s okay. Honestly. You’ve sent me texts to check in.”
“I know. But doing that at night when I’ve had such a long day and can barely keep my eyes open is not the same as talking to you on the phone,” she reasoned.
“It’s been busy, I’m sure.”
“Yes, it has, but that’s not an excuse. I’ll be so happy when the school year is over, and I can at least breathe a bit. I’m running so ragged right now with everything. Even Colt says I need a break.”
Colt was Naomi’s husband, and that man would move mountains for her. But sometimes, my best friend was her own worst enemy with all the extra work she piled onto herself. It often left Cole scratching his head and needing to pick up the pieces when Naomi eventually melted down.
I let out a laugh. “That poor man. Tell him I’ll be praying for him to make it through these next couple of weeks with you.”
Naomi huffed. “Colt doesn’t need prayers. He’s managing just fine. I put in the effort to make it up to him when he takes the steps to ease my stress. He might complain outwardly to others, but he knows I take care of him just as well as I do with everything else in my life. Except for, apparently, my relationship with my best friend. So, tell me, what’s going on?”
I was grinning, because Naomi was going to lose her mind. “I met someone.”
“I’m sorry, I think my phone cut out. It sounded like you said you met someone.”
After hesitating a beat, I insisted, “I did.”
“What?!” Her voice was so loud I had to pull the phone away from my ear. “Who is he? What does he do? Where did you meet him?”
A vision of Greyson flashed in my mind, and the words spilled out of me effortlessly. “His name is Greyson, and he’s a self-defense instructor.”
She gasped. “Are you kidding me? You’re dating your self-defense instructor?”
“I’m not kidding you. And Naomi, I’m not even remotely joking when I tell you he’s the best man I’ve ever met, and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”
My best friend groaned. “Oh, why does everything have to be so chaotic in my life right now? You’ve met a whole man who’s made you this happy, and I can barely figure out enough time in my day to pee.”
“We’ll get together soon. I promise.”
She sighed. “Okay. Tell me more about him.”
I took the next few minutes to tell Naomi all about Greyson—what he looked like, how he treated me, and that he was the uncle of one of my students. Of course, I told her about my lessons, seeing Greyson out at the store randomly, and our impromptu date at the pizza shop. I shared the news about my tires—something she was both devastated and terrified to hear. But I didn’t stop there, because I had to let her know how Greyson had handled that situation, how he’d taken me out to dinner that night, and how we’d decided to explore what we both felt developing between us. And finally, I let her in on some of the details of our picnic at the park on Sunday and Greyson’s chivalry in showing up at my place on Monday and Tuesday to take me to and from work while my tires were being replaced.
When I finished, I held my breath and waited for her response.
“You know, when I called you this afternoon, all I was thinking was that it had been two whole weeks since we last had a verbal conversation. It’s a long time to go without speaking to your best friend, but it doesn’t seem nearly long enough for your best friend to meet a man and get swept off her feet. Oh, my gosh, Cierra. How has all of this happened?”
“It’s crazy, isn’t it?”
She was silent for a beat or two. “I don’t think so. You remember how it was for Colt and me. Who’s to say it can’t be the same whirlwind romance for you, too?”
As soon as she said it, my mind went back quite a few years, two before the stabbing incident. That’s when Naomi met Colt. Until she mentioned it, I hadn’t thought about it, but now that I was recalling it, I remembered precisely how it had been for her. So much of how I was feeling now was how she’d been feeling then.
And things progressed rapidly between her and Colt. Within a month, they’d told each other they were in love. Four months after that, Colt proposed. A month after that, they were married in a small ceremony with fifty of their closest family and friends.
It had only been two weeks between Greyson and me, but if everything I was seeing from and experiencing with him now was what I could expect every day with him in the future, I’d happily marry him.
But I didn’t want to get ahead of myself or get my hopes up too much. The disappointment if that didn’t happen would be crushing.
“It’s only been two weeks,” I warned her. “Let’s not go crazy with the assumptions.”
“Cierra, I’m telling you, it’s possible. You know what you feel for him. I know you know, because I can hear it in your voice. And I know you’re only telling me the G-rated details now, but I’m sure that man is worshipping you in the bedroom, too.”
“Um…”
“Um, what?”
“We haven’t exactly done?—”
“Okay, now you’re joking.”
“No.”
“But… you… How is that possible?”
I hadn’t thought it was a bad thing. Greyson and I were simply dating, getting to know one another. “It’s only been two weeks. We’re getting to know one another.”
“Cierra. I realize I haven’t met him yet, but after everything you’ve told me about him, I can’t imagine how he’s done everything you’ve told me he’s done, and you haven’t wanted to take that step with him.”
“I didn’t say that,” I murmured, as my stomach flipped at the thought.
The truth was, it had been on my mind a lot. The thoughts hit me hard on Sunday night, and every time I saw him throughout the week this week, it had crossed my mind. Greyson was being a perfect gentleman, though. Sure, he kissed me, and Greyson made it clear he knew what he was doing. It had gotten hot and heavy between us a few times, but he hadn’t pushed us beyond the kissing.
“So, you want to have that with him?” Naomi asked.
“Of course, I do. He’s incredible.”
“Well, maybe you should find a way to let him know you do.”
I bit my lip and considered it. Had Greyson been holding back because he wasn’t sure if I was ready?
“We’ll see.”
“Are you seeing him tonight?”
“No. I’m getting ready to head to the nursery to pick up some flowers to plant this weekend. Then I’ve got some things I need to take care of when I get home, but I’ll see him on Friday and Saturday for our lessons.”
There was no mistaking the giddiness in her tone when she replied. “Make sure you build in some time for things other than self-defense and gardening.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll do my best.”
“I’m so happy for you, Cierra. A few more weeks of craziness, and then we need to get together. I want to see you, then I want to meet this new guy.”
My mouth curved into a smile, my heart brimming with happiness. “I can’t wait.”
With that, Naomi and I said our goodbyes—not before she insisted on me being extra cautious in case of things going awry with Richard Lynch, of course—and I took off to the nursery.
Time was ticking by, and I had things to get done before I saw Greyson tomorrow.
Greyson
It seemed that no sooner had I walked across the hall into the training room I intended to use for my lessons with Cierra today and put down some of the props we were going to use, the door opened.
I turned around and felt my heart beating a little faster. The mere thought of Cierra had the power to do that to me, but when she was beaming at me like she was right now, it took everything to another level for me.
She was carrying something in her hands and had a large bag slung over her shoulder. I would have gone over to help her with whatever she had, but she bounded over to me before I could move.
Cierra marched right up to me, pressed up on her toes to kiss me, and said, “This is for you.”
A crease formed between my brows. “You brought me something? What is this?”
She shrugged, feigning a look of innocence. “You’ll have to open it and see.”
Truthfully, I didn’t care what I’d find inside. If it was from her, if it made her look at me like she did when she walked into this room, I’d happily accept it and love everything about it.
Carefully, I opened the lid on the container, and as soon as I realized what was inside, I blinked in surprise. “It’s a cake.”
“You were right.” Cierra reached into the oversized bag over her shoulder and pulled out a stack of paper plates, napkins, forks, and a knife. “With your help, I made it two weeks, and while I have days where I feel more soreness than others, I’m doing so much better. And since I made it this far, I thought we should celebrate.”
Disbelief was coursing through me. “You want to eat this now?”
She beamed at me and nodded her head furiously. “Yeah. Don’t you want to?”
“I don’t mind at all, but I didn’t know how you’d feel about having cake before lessons. If you want to celebrate first, I’m all for it.”
Cierra licked her lips. “I thought we could celebrate before and after lessons.” There was a hint of something seductive in her tone, but she quickly looked away and moved to set her things down, and I thought I imagined it. “Here. Would you like to cut it?”
“I’m awful at things like that. I’ll likely cut slices that are all different sizes. You should probably do that.”
Seemingly unbothered by that, Cierra held the plates, napkins, and forks out to me. “Okay. Can you hold these while I do that?”
Cake.
I was about to sit down and eat cake with Cierra when I’d been anticipating having self-defense lessons. I’d been looking forward to those lessons all day long, especially because I liked how they’d changed recently where I now got to have her body pressed closed to mine while she attempted to free herself from my hold.
But now, I didn’t care about the lessons so much. All I wanted was to sit and enjoy this cake with Cierra and celebrate her accomplishment with her.
She got two slices cut and plated for us. And the next thing I knew, my head dropped back, my eyes closing as I groaned at the taste. After chewing and swallowing that first bite, I asked, “This is homemade?”
“It is. What do you think?”
I took another bite. “It’s amazing. I might be tempted to eat the whole thing, but I’d probably be useless when it came to lessons then.”
Before Cierra could respond, the door opened, and Kane stuck his head in. “Hey, sorry to interrupt, but… Is that cake?”
“Yes,” I muttered. “What’s up?”
Kane’s eyes narrowed, his lips twitching. “Uh, is it… is today your birthday, Cierra?”
She shook her head. “No. No, Greyson and I are just celebrating me making it to the two-week mark of my self-defense lessons. Would you like to have some?”
Kane shifted his gaze to me, and I shot him a glare. That cake was mine, and I was not keen on sharing with anyone.
Before Kane could respond, Cierra added, “I actually brought extra plates, forks, and napkins, because I thought the rest of you might want to have some. Are the other guys around?”
I heard a commotion outside the door, and Kane looked away briefly. “No, I didn’t get to ask him about the scheduling for next week yet, because we’ve just been invited to celebrate.”
Another murmur on the other side of the door.
Kane responded by opening it wider and revealing Brix and Jake.
A look of delight washed over Jake’s face as all three men strolled in. “Is that cake? What are we celebrating?”
“We are celebrating Cierra making it two weeks with her training.”
The woman sitting on the floor beside me spun around to face me again. A look of concern washed over her face, like she couldn’t understand the reason for the tone I’d just spoken to my friends in.
“That’s awesome,” Brix said. “Congratulations. How have the lessons been going for you?”
He already knew. They all already knew how the lessons had been going, because they hadn’t stopped pestering me about them.
“Great. Honestly, I’m really surprised that I’ve stuck with it. Greyson’s been an amazing instructor, though, so I’m sure you guys already expected he’d get me to stick around.”
“Oh, yeah. We expected at least that much from him when it came to you,” Kane assured her.
She waved them over. “Well, come and join us. I made this huge cake, because I thought you all might want some. Or, at the very least, Greyson would have plenty left over to share with you afterward. You don’t have any classes right now, do you?”
Jake shook his head and grinned. “Not at all.”
Damn it. Cierra hadn’t yet sliced any additional pieces, and I could feel the frustration building. These guys were going to demolish my cake.
The door swung open as she picked up the knife, and Huck appeared. “Did I miss the memo? I thought Kane was coming in here to ask Greyson about next week’s schedule. What’s happening in here?”
“Cierra made a cake to celebrate making it through two weeks of training with Grey.”
Huck’s eyes slid to mine, and a knowing look washed over his face. “Nice.”
“Would you like to have some cake, too, Huck?” Cierra asked from where she had just put a piece on a plate with a fork and held it out to Jake, who thanked her for it.
The amusement was written all over Huck’s expression. All of them, if I was honest. They knew exactly what they were doing. “I’d love some cake.”
With Cierra busy cutting them slices, I sent each of them looks to indicate I was not even remotely impressed by their tactics. Whatever it took, I was going to make sure they paid for this.
After everyone had a plate in their hands, and I looked at what was remaining—barely enough left for me to share a single piece with Cierra alone—the guys pressed her about her training.
On the one hand, there was a small part of me that liked they were willing to be so welcoming to her. Obviously, I wanted her to meet my friends and get along with them. Eventually, she’d meet the women in their lives, and it would be great for all of them to get along.
But on the other hand, they could have chosen another time and place to be so hospitable. They should have told her they were busy tonight. I wasn’t too proud to admit I was selfish and wanted to keep her to myself right now.
The time ticked by. The guys monopolized the time I was supposed to be spending with my girl, and I could tell they knew just how much they were irritating me—none of them bothering to care. If anything, I think it fueled them to keep her engaged in conversation with them.
When Jake and Kane both had empty plates, Cierra asked, “Do any of you want another slice? I think we’ve got enough left.”
“This cake really was delicious,” Jake began, his eyes shifting momentarily to me. I narrowed mine on him, and he ignored me. “I think another small slice would?—”
“What would Brynn say if she was here right now, Jake?” I cut in. “All that hard work she puts into making healthy foods for her husband, and he’s here stuffing his face with cake.”
Kane looked like he was about to laugh, so I decided to let him have it, too. “And you? Your wife is home right now, pregnant with your baby, and you’re here enjoying cake without her. Ellery deserves to have her husband bake her a cake for all the work she’s doing to grow a child for him. Don’t you think so?”
Going for the gusto, my eyes landed on Brix. “It’s late on a Friday evening. Your wife is home with the baby. Liv is probably exhausted right now and would love nothing more than a decadent dessert. It’s a shame to think her husband is enjoying one without her.”
I didn’t get a chance to look at Huck before Cierra spun around. “Greyson?” Her voice was filled with horror. “What’s gotten into you?”
Huck didn’t hesitate to fill her in. “He wants you and your cake all to himself, and he’s upset we’ve intruded.”
Her head shifted from side to side and looked between the rest of the guys and me. She ultimately settled on me, moved closer, and lifted a hand to the side of my face. “Oh, Greyson, don’t be upset. I can make more cake. This was fun, don’t you think?”
As much as I wanted to throttle each of the guys in this room with us, I couldn’t bring myself to disappoint Cierra. She enjoyed this. I should have had more self-control. “Yes. You’re right. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed yourself.”
She gave me a kiss and beamed at me.
“We’ve got to get going,” Kane said as he stood. “It was nice being able to celebrate with you, Cierra.”
“Yeah, I’m happy to hear Greyson’s doing such a great job and that the training is going well.”
“Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.”
As they all moved toward the door, I kept a pointed stare on their backs. Cierra might have smoothed things over for them, but I was not going to forget this. I’d find a way to repay them for their sudden interest in cake and feeling the need to be hospitable.
I was still going through ideas to make that happen, even after the door had closed behind the last of them.
“Aw, Greyson, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
I shook my head and focused my attention on her. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Cierra. They know what they were doing.”
She shifted closer to me. “What if I make it up to you?”
Her fingers were curled around the side of my neck. “What do you mean?”
Cierra’s hand drifted around to the back of my neck and slid up until it was resting at the back of my skull. She tipped her chin down slightly and batted her eyelashes at me. “What if we were to skip my lessons tonight? You can run home to shower while I do the same. Then, you can meet me at my place, where I’ll make dinner for you. For us. Afterward, maybe we can find another way to celebrate.”
There was no missing the intention behind those words. “Are you… are you serious?”
She bit her lip and nodded.
I held her stare for several moments, wondering if I had heard her right. Then, because I didn’t want to risk missing the opportunity, or having someone else come in to interrupt us, I said, “You deserve the night off from cooking. How about we stick with your plan, but I pick up dinner tonight and bring it over to you?”
She grinned. “That works for me.”
Seconds later, we had gathered up our things and were out the door.