Chapter 18 #2
“While they were duking it out, I remembered something from school. Vanders contested, but Dr. Miles had the final say and approved the brain MRI I suggested. He called me this afternoon to tell me I was right, and that the patient can now be treated correctly. Then—without warning—Dr. Miles started telling me how much he values my input, and that he regularly recommends me for hospital accolades. I—I was astonished when he said that. Like, I couldn’t formulate real words, Grant. ”
Grant walked over, sat on the stool beside her, and rubbed her shoulder affectionately. “Friends in high places! I’m not the least bit surprised, Grier.”
She couldn’t smile with him, however. The acid in her stomach churned uncomfortably as she approached the real reason for their conversation—and he could see it on her face.
“Why do you look like someone took the wind out of your sails?” He looked genuinely concerned. She felt invasive, like she was prying—but, she knew that they needed to discuss this.
She sighed and sat up straighter before continuing, “After the meeting, Dr. Rhodes pulled me aside.” She felt him stiffen beside her and noticed the almost imperceptible silence that indicated he was holding his breath.
“She thanked me for supporting her position against Vanders…” She paused—this was it.
There was no turning back. She struggled to meet Grant’s eyes, while he seemed equally intent on avoiding hers.
“And then she said something that caught me off guard.”
Grant waited, still holding his breath. She pressed on—if only to keep him from passing out.
“She said she’d heard I was seeing a sexy helicopter pilot.
” She gave a small shrug. “The fact that she knew doesn’t bother me—I’m not hiding it.
But it’s how she knew.” Her gaze landed on her brother, who was suddenly fidgeting in front of her, a flush creeping up his cheeks.
“Alix and Maren are the only people that I’ve told, and they haven’t been talking. Which means…”
He beat her to the punch. “Which means she heard it from the only other person who knows—me.” He met her gaze, uncertainty and hope written plainly across his face.
What she had anticipated would be a moment of extreme grief instead morphed into relief and shared affection as she watched his emotions flicker across his features. He had been terrified to share this with her—likely for all the reasons she had been terrified to hear it.
She stood and enveloped him in a hug. The relief she felt as he melted into her embrace was monumental. She squeezed him briefly, then released him and returned to her stool.
“Does this mean you approve?” he asked, sheepishly.
She gave his arm a light punch. “You don’t need it. But if it helps—then yes. Haleigh is wonderful.”
He exhaled sharply. “It’s new, but I’m trying to let her in. She’s been incredibly patient with me—she even said how exhausting it’s been to dance around you at the hospital. I’m sure she’ll be grateful she doesn’t have to do that anymore.”
“That won’t be necessary,” Grier said, a small smile tugging at her mouth. Maybe it might even be a little fun.
“No more sneaking around, okay? Go on a real date—let me stay home with Delta. Haleigh is the kind of woman who deserves to be wined and dined. Do it already!”
He guffawed. “You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to take her out!” Grier hugged him again as his laughter filled the kitchen.
“See! Rain gear!” Grier exclaimed, spinning like a runway model in front of Tobin, after arriving for their date.
She wore her favorite hiking pants—naturally moisture-wicking and visibly loved, marked by patches and scuffs from past misadventures through the forest and cliffs.
She’d debated adding a base layer, since it was often cooler beneath the canopy, but ultimately skipped it in favor of her bright red and royal blue rain jacket.
The splash of color was a welcome departure from her otherwise neutral wardrobe palette, and she loved how it brightened her mood. It made her feel vibrant and free.
Tobin laughed freely, her face rapt as she watched Grier spin with an absorbed gaze that Grier adored—mostly because it made her feel adored.
She loved everything about Tobin’s reactions to her, especially the way her pupils dilated and the greens of her eyes seemed to make room for the sultry grays and browns to dance like an inferno within their depths.
“Good, because I think you’re gonna need it,” Tobin said. “It looks like the rain might be heavier than predicted. You sure you’re okay with this? Spring rains can turn on you fast.”
“Well, if we have to take cover to ride out a storm,” Grier teased, her voice dropping, “I can think of a few things to keep us entertained—alone, in a cave, in the middle of the forest.”
She winked, and the sound of Tobin’s inhale was sharp and immediate.
Grier loved how easily her unfiltered flirtations caught Tobin off guard.
Watching her swallow hard only fueled Grier’s delight.
The villainous smile that spread across her face was entirely unrepentant as she imagined tracing a line of open-mouthed kisses down Tobin’s throat.
“I just need to grab my hydration pack, and then I’m ready. I thought we could walk to the trailhead from here—it’s only about half a mile away and makes for a good warm-up.”
“Sounds good.” Grier started past Tobin toward the house. “Mind if I fill my pack, too? I have a thing about warm water and want to make sure it’s ice cold for as lo—”
Tobin caught her wrist mid-stride, tugging her gently back.
Grier moved on instinct, turning into Tobin’s body as if drawn by gravity.
Tobin kissed her—firmly, but with the faintest hint of hesitation.
Grier readily compensated, deepening it with a soft moan meant for both of them.
She felt Tobin’s smile curve against her lips before she pulled away, leaving Grier thoroughly unsated.
“Sorry,” Tobin rasped. Her eyes searched Grier’s face—sharp with concern—dissecting her alive—looking for signs of regret.
“Tobin,” Grier said softly but with steady conviction, “don’t make a habit out of apologizing for kissing me.”
She stepped into her, nestling her nose against Tobin’s chest, breathing her in—inhaling her warmth and that intoxicating cologne.
“If you want it, take it.”
Her hand slid up the back of Tobin’s neck, leveraging her forward. Their mouths met again—this time with intention— abating the hunger that had been left smoldering from before in a deeper, more demanding kiss.
Grier released her and stepped back. Tobin looked positively giddy—her hair mussed from Grier’s touch, her lips a few shades darker.
She hadn’t wanted to break the kiss, but she knew if she didn’t, she’d inevitably strike a match she couldn’t extinguish.
She still wanted to respect their agreement to take things slow—if for no other reason than to give Tobin the space to decide Grier was worth delaying her timeline for.
Because Grier fully intended to fulfill every single one of her fantasies about Tobin—and she hoped to fulfill Tobin’s fantasies in return.
It was just going to take a little more time than Tobin had implied.
She could be patient. She just had to keep reminding herself how much she enjoyed playing with fire.
Grier could still feel the ghost of Tobin’s lips as they started down the road, the morning quiet settling around them. The silence between them wasn’t awkward—just charged. A few yards in, Tobin resumed their game of Twenty Questions. “Strangest thing you believed as a kid. Go.”
Grier thought for a moment. She’d believed a lot of fairytale things as a child. The thought made her ache a little —how precocious Delta had become, already unable to suspend disbelief or find magic in the world around her. She looked up to find Tobin watching, patiently waiting for an answer.
“I used to believe in gnomes. I spent a lot of time in the forest as a kid, with Grant and Grove. We’d wander through the woods until we found a hole in a tree we thought they might live in, then leave a gift and sit for hours, trying to catch them coming to the surface.
Eventually, we’d give up and go home, and when we returned the next day, we’d find a tiny note and a piece of shaped glass to use as a magnifier—thanking us for the gift and encouraging us to keep believing in magic. And to behave.”
She laughed at her own innocence, recalling with fondness how her childhood shaped her ability to still believe in magical things like happy endings and—she hoped—true love.
Tobin stopped and stared at her, curiosity clear in her eyes. “My parents,” Grier said, answering the unspoken question before Tobin had to ask. “I still don’t know how they always found the exact spot each time, but they did. They kept the magic alive for us.”
Tobin’s eyes softened as they resumed their hike.
“That’s incredibly sweet of them. Your family sounds close.
I mean, I know you and Grant live together, so that’s obvious.
And judging by the reticence with which Grove met me at your house, I can tell you’re fiercely protective of each other. But what about your parents?”
Grier warmed at Tobin’s gentle observation. She was inquisitive and perceptive, but never judgmental—regardless of what Grier shared.
“Yes, we’re very fortunate to be as close as we are.
Grant and Grove and I—as you noticed—are fiercely protective of each other and very involved in each other’s lives.
Our parents are retired now and travel frequently, but they come home often.
We joke that it’s to see Delta, their only grandchild, but really, it’s to see all of us. We genuinely enjoy being together.”
She carefully stepped over a fallen branch blocking their path. “What about you? You and Harrow seem close. Are there more of you?”