CHAPTER 3
GRAYSON
TWO MONTHS AGO
M y brother is a rat.
That’s the only thought I have in my mind as I pull up to the annual Fourth of July festival being held in the town square.
Once upon a time, I loved coming out to celebrate with the people of my town. I was proud of the effort each and every one of them put into today. I still am. But now it’s just a reminder of the last day I had with my best friend.
Hunter knows this. Yet he all-but begged on his hand and knees for me to be here today. Something about scoring points, he’d said.
So, here I am, on a day I’d rather get black-out drunk in front of the firepit, attending a fucking festival to impress the best friend of my brother’s girl.
I park next to Killian’s truck and climb out just as him and Noah do the same .
“Hey, man. Weren’t sure you’d come,” Noah says, holding a teddy bear wearing a tutu.
I shrug, nodding my head at the stuffed toy in his hands. “What’s with the bear?”
Noah smiles proudly. “It’s for Savannah’s kid. Think she’ll like it?”
I shoot Killian a look that says, ‘ is this guy serious?’ which has him barking out a laugh. “Sure, Noah. I’m sure she’ll love it.”
Killian leans over and whispers in my ear. “Apparently her best friend’s hot,” he gestures towards the bear in Noah’s hands, and suddenly my little brother’s intentions become crystal clear.
Seems like Hunter isn’t the only one trying to score points.
I was surprised to find out that Savannah – the blonde from the bar – had a daughter, but I was even more surprised that Hunter wasn’t deterred in the slightest by that fact. If anything, it just seemed to make him more determined to win her over.
The three of us make our way into the festival, heading towards the designated meeting point and it’s not long before my brother approaches, Savannah at his side clutching the hand of a miniature version of herself.
It’s the woman on the other side of Savannah’s daughter that has my attention though. Killian had said that she had a hot best friend, but as I take in her long tan legs, midnight black hair and soul-piercing blue eyes, I realise hot is too trivial a word to describe her.
No, the woman walking towards me is breathtaking. She holds the kind of beauty that could bring life to the deadest soul. The kind that would have the attention of every person in the room the moment she entered it. And the most powerful thing about her is, she knows it .
For the first time in four years, my body reacts. The hairs on my arms stand on end and my skin tingles as an unfamiliar excitement courses through my body, directly to my dick.
Noah practically bounces up and down with glee as they walk towards us, while Killian hides his hysterical laugh behind his fist. I keep my expression neutral, not wanting to give away the internal reaction my body is currently experiencing.
“Holy hotness,” I hear Savannahs friend whisper, and my lips twitch, a smirk fighting to break free.
“Noah, Killian, Grayson, you remember Savannah. This is her best friend and daughter, Olivia and Reign,” Hunter says, gesturing to the two girls we haven’t met before. “Girls, these are my brothers.”
Savannah gives us a small wave, “Hello again. Reigny say hello.” She says to her daughter, whose eyes haven’t left Noah since they walked up to us.
“Hello,” she says, her voice shy and unsure. She instantly reminds me of a younger Sapphire, and the thought has a rare smile escaping me.
Noah, being the attention whore he is, kneels in front of the young girl, handing her the teddy with a megawatt smile. “Hi Reign, this is for you. I’m Noah.”
She smiles widely at him before taking the bear and hugging it to her chest tightly. They exchange a few more words that have the others laughing, but I don’t hear what is said because my attention is focused on Olivia, who’s staring at my brother with hearts in her eyes as he stands and introduces himself. He lifts her hand to his mouth and places a kiss on her knuckles. The interaction has an unexpected anger coursing through my veins .
She smiles sweetly at him, and I glare at the side of his head, watching as a boyish blush creeps into his cheeks. I look away from him and my eyes immediately land on hers.
Blue.
Blue that rivals the cloudless sky behind white-capped mountains. The colour of the ocean on a tropical island. The kind of blue that is almost white in certain light.
I don’t offer any more than a tip of my hat as she stares into my soul as if she can see beyond the scowl on my face. I just return her perusal with my own uninterested one.
It doesn’t matter what kind of reaction my body has to the woman; I have no desire to entertain her.
She holds strong for a beat before breaking the eye contact and moving on to Killian. “Christ, do they put something in the water in this country?” She asks, fanning herself and drawing a laugh from the others.
Her accented voice wraps around me like an unwanted caress, and I turn my gaze away from them, instead focusing on the chaos happening around me.
Children’s laughter surrounds me as they zoom past us on fair-rides while their parents stand back taking pictures of them, capturing the moment forever. The smell of fried food and donuts are heavy in the air, and up-beat music plays somewhere in the background. The whole thing is joyous and exciting, but I can’t find any happiness in it at all.
The only thing I can focus on is the fact that Rueben should be here, experiencing all of this with his daughter.
***
“My mummy told me that I’m not supposed to say this, but you all have funny voices,” Reign tells me as she walks along next to me, and I can’t hold the surprised laugh that escapes me.
“Is that right?”
The little girl nods at me, her eyes wide and innocent as I come to a stop and kneel in front of her. “Can I let you in on a little secret, Reign?”
She nods again. “You have a funny voice, too,” I whisper, earning a giggle from her that has a real smile breaking out.
“You’re funny, Gwayson,” she says, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the ring toss.
If only you knew, kid.
It’s funny to me that I prefer the company of a four-year-old child more than a typical adult. Much like horses, children are effortless. They have low expectations, and they’re a lot less judgmental.
Now, I’m not saying that children are completely nonjudgmental because that’d be a lie. I’ve been humbled more times than I care to admit by Sapphire. What I mean is; they’re just happy talking about the most mundane thing. They don’t want to know your innermost thoughts. Don’t push you to talk about your feelings and problems. They just have a way of making things lighter. And unlike most people in this town, they’re undeterred by my scowl.
Which is why I’m more than happy to allow Reign to drag me from stall to stall where I proceed to win her another bear. One that just so happens to be bigger than Noahs one, and a small, pettier part of me is smug over that fact.
Hunter and Savannah return from wherever it is they snuck off to, declaring it’s time to ride the Ferris wheel and the seven of us join the queue.
“Babybell!” Noah yells, waving to Killian’s sister, Bella, as she approaches us .
“Hey guys. You ridin’ the wheel?” she asks, greeting all of us with quick hugs, before returning to Noahs side. He instantly wraps his arm around her neck.
“Yep. You’re comin’ with me.” Noah says, flashing Bella a wide smile and earning a shake of the head from her.
Olivia comes to stand in front of Killian and me, her gaze flitting between us. “So… which one of you handsome fellas are riding with me?”
I resist an eye roll at her brazenness. Killian takes a step backwards, his face white as a sheet and hands raised in surrender. “That’s all Gray. I’m not one for Ferris-wheels.”
Olivia turns her attention to me, her eyes running the length of my body with a smirk. “Better buckle up, grumps,” she winks before turning away and I run a hand through my beard in frustration.
Fuck my life.
We board the ride in silence, and I try to ignore the way my body ignites as Olivia’s bare thigh brushes up against my jean-clad one. The smell of coconut teases my nose as she gets comfortable in her seat and the bar is lowered across our laps.
It takes less than sixty-seconds for Olivia to speak. “So, we didn’t properly introduce ourselves earlier. I’m Olivia, or Liv, whichever you prefer.”
I’d prefer if you took your edible scent and got as far away from me as possible.
“Grayson,” I reply, my voice gruff and bored.
“Mmhmm… and what does Grayson do?” she asks, her tone full of mockery. I raise an eyebrow at her, choosing to ignore her question.
Olivia continues undeterred, “interesting… do you have a girlfriend?” she asks, and the question takes me by surprise .
“No,” I mumble, adjusting my hat and looking over the edge.
Fucking hell, how much longer do I need to be on this ride?
“Cool, cool. Hunter and Savannah seem to be getting along well, don’t you think?” she asks, her tone displaying her happiness for her best friend, and I hold back a sigh.
I don’t want to be here. I especially don’t want to be entertaining Savannahs chatty best friend who somehow draws an uncomfortable reaction from my body.
“Yep.” I reply, popping the p .
“You’re not very chatty are you, Grayson. Are you always this anti-social?” she says, and I huff in annoyance at her assumption.
“No, I’m not very chatty. Are you always this annoying or do you just not get out much?” I snap, my tone dripping in sarcasm and the moment the question leaves my lips, I regret them. Olivias face drops, her mouth hanging open for a moment as she stares at me in disbelief.
Can’t say I blame her.
Her lips curl in disgust and I know before she even opens her mouth that I’m about to get my ass chewed out by this beautifully enraged British woman. The darker part of me welcomes it. “You know what, Grayson, I was just trying to be nice and get to know you a little bit, but respectfully, fuck you.”
I almost smile.
Almost.
I make a mental note to apologise to Hunter later on for possibly ruining his chances with Savannah by upsetting her best friend, but then I remember that the bastard forced me to be here. He didn’t tell me I had to be nice .
She holds my eyes, hers burning with anger, but I can’t find it in me to feel guilty for my rudeness when the fire in her gaze sends an electric jolt through me, straight to my dick, igniting something deep inside me that’s lain dormant for years.
I make a pact with myself there and then to do everything in my power to make this firecracker of a woman look at me like that as often as possible.