Chapter 20
Edie
God, she hoped this didn’t blow up in all their faces.
But seeing the hope shining so brightly from Jesse’s face it nearly made her eyes hurt to look at it, she couldn’t find it in her to regret saying yes. Even Grant looked pleased by her answer, though on a far more reserved scale than his Little girl.
Their Little girl. For a month, at least. Or until they all decided this was a horrible fucking idea and went their separate ways.
She wasn’t going to obsess about that, though. She was just going to enjoy the time they had together and let the chips fall where they may. Go with the flow, as they said.
Right. Because she’d always been such a laid-back sort.
This was a horrible idea.
“Well, if we’re going to do this, we should do it right.” Grant grinned, his eyes dancing with what looked almost like mischief. “What’s the first thing you do when you’re getting to know a potential partner?”
Letting go of Edie’s hand, Jesse gasped and clapped her hands in excitement. “A date!”
“A date?” Looking from one to the other, Edie raised a brow. “And how, exactly, do you propose we do that without everyone finding out about… us?”
The look Jesse sent her was nothing short of withering. “Do you really think I don’t know how to keep myself hidden when I really want to?”
“From the paparazzi, sure. But you know as well as I do they’ve got nothing on a small town rumor mill.”
“So we won’t stay in town,” Jesse answered with a shrug. “Oh! We should head out to Folly. It’s March, so it won’t be as crowded as it is in the summer. We can sit and watch the water and talk. What do you say, Edie?”
It sounded positively lovely. And they’d be far enough from town that the risk of running into anyone they knew was minimal. The deciding factor was the pleading look Jesse was sending her way. She’d always been a sucker for that look.
Sighing heavily, Edie nodded. “All right. If you’re sure nobody will recognize you, then okay. Let’s do it.”
“Yay!” Jesse squealed so loudly it made Edie wince as the sound pierced her eardrums. “Okay, it’s going to take me a bit to get ready, so I should probably get a jump on that. You stay down here with Daddy and get to know each other better.”
Before Edie or Grant could protest, she was up and running for the stairs. Edie looked back at Grant, letting a smug smile lift the corner of her mouth. “You always let her boss you around like that?”
“No. And she knows she’s going to pay for it later, which I’d guess was half the point.” His gaze zeroed in on Edie, and suddenly she wished she’d followed Jesse upstairs. “She’s right, though. We should talk.”
“I, ah, thought that’s what the date was for.”
“The date is for all three of us. This, right now, is about you and me.”
“And if I don’t want to talk?”
“Afraid that’s not really an option, little pixie. So, you decide how we proceed. I’m just as comfortable having this conversation with you over my knee if that’s what it takes.”
Scowling at the threat even as her heart galloped in her chest, she folded her arms and slouched back against the couch. “Do you always rely on spankings to get your way?”
“Only when I’m dealing with exceptionally stubborn little girls,” he teased with a grin.
“I’m not stubborn. I just don’t like being bossed around all the time.”
“Which is something we should discuss.” His expression sobered. “I certainly don’t want to stomp on your boundaries, but I do think you could use some bossing around.”
She would not squirm. She would not. “What makes you say that?”
“For starters, the fact that you do a significant amount of manual labor and I’ve seen you drink maybe one glass of water in the time I’ve been here.”
“Well, we’ve been a bit occupied. I drink plenty of water most days.” Depending on how you defined ‘plenty’ and ‘most’, it probably wasn’t a total lie.
The sound of running water met her ears, and Edie glared at the entrance to the kitchen. “You stay out of this!”
“Please tell me you’re not talking to your… err…”
Looking back at Grant, she couldn’t help but smirk. “My dead husband? I am, because he’s being a nosy sonofabitch!” She let her voice raise on the last half of her answer, and the tap in the kitchen shut off.
The look on Grant’s face was full of such pained confusion she couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him. “He’s calling me out for lying about how much water I drink. He knows I tend to get… sidetracked by other things and forget to drink. And sometimes eat.”
Flicking his gaze to the kitchen, Grant shook his head. “At some point, you’re going to tell me how you do that. In the meantime, we’re going to set up some rules.”
“What kind of rules?”
“Sixty-four ounces of water a day, minimum. Two full meals, preferably three, but I’ll allow for a healthy snack if you’re having an exceptionally busy day.”
Nerves danced up her spine at the steel in his tone. “Sixteen ounces, one meal.”
His jaw firmed, letting her know this wasn’t a fight she was likely to win. “While many aspects of our relationship will be up for negotiation, your health is not one of them. Sixty-four ounces of water, two full meals and one healthy snack. And for every ounce of water you miss, it’s one swat with the hairbrush. An extra ten for each meal or snack you neglect to eat.”
“I can take care of myself, Grant. I don’t need you babysitting my food choices.”
“And I won’t be. I’m not too concerned with what you’re eating, as long as you’re fueling your body with something. And hydrating properly.”
It had been so long since she’d had someone take control, her instinct was to balk. To tell him to fuck off and leave her the hell alone.
But he’d been very clear that being in a relationship with him would mean submitting to him. Still… she had to know for sure. “And if I say no?”
“Then I suppose you and I will have to settle for just being friends.” His dark gaze bored into hers. “But I have to tell you, I’ll be rather disappointed if that’s the option you choose. I love Jesse with everything I have, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to getting my hands on you again. And I’d hate to lose that opportunity just because you’re scared to let someone else be in control for a bit.”
“I am not scared.” But even as she said the words, they rang hollow. Truth was, she was terrified of handing someone else the reins, even for a bit. Nibbling at her bottom lip, she rolled the problem around in her mind. She’d seen the way he was with Jesse, and it was clear he was a good Daddy.
And, if she was being brutally honest with herself, she certainly hadn’t hated the spanking he’d given her to help her calm down earlier.
“There’s really no room for negotiation?”
“Not on this one, I’m afraid.”
“Ugh. Fine.” After all, it was only for a month. Surely she could stay on top of things for a month. “I agree to your food and water rules, but I want it noted that I think they’re a bit over the top.”
“Noted,” he replied with an easy smile that sent those butterflies in her stomach dancing again.
“Anything else?”
“Just the basics. Respect, honesty, personal safety.”
She could handle that. Probably. “What about Jesse?”
“What about her?”
Heat rushed to Edie’s cheeks as she shrugged. “You know what kind of relationship we had before. I don’t want to step on your toes, but just like you need to be in charge of both of us, I need to be in charge where she’s concerned. I’m not sure I can be with her any other way.”
It had been a long time since she’d had a man’s focus so completely locked on her. And there was something about the way Grant looked at her that was… disconcerting to say the least. “Jesse told me that you weren’t her Mommy when you two were together, but that you basically acted as one. Is that what you’re looking for now?”
Was it? She wasn’t entirely sure. The word ‘Mommy’ had her stomach fluttering in a not-altogether unpleasant way, but it also felt heavy. Important, in a way she couldn’t quite explain even to herself. “No… not exactly. That feels very—I don’t know how to explain it. Big? Permanent?”
“That makes sense.”
Raking her fingers through her hair, she let out a short bark of laughter. “I’m glad you understand what I’m saying, because I’m not even sure it makes sense to me.”
“It makes sense to me because I’m the same way. For some, those titles are just what they like to be called. But for me, and I’d wager for you, they mean something. Those titles are a promise, to love and protect someone. Maybe not forever, but more permanent than just for now.”
“Yes.” Relief lightened the weight sitting on her shoulders. “That’s exactly it.”
“Okay. Then how about this. I’m willing to let the two of you negotiate your own dynamic, but I will ask that you run any new rules by me to make sure they mesh with what she and I already have in place. And if I am disciplining her, you don’t interfere.”
“And you’ll do the same for me?”
He hesitated, clearly thinking it over for a moment before he nodded. “Unless I think something is very wrong, or clearly outside of Jesse’s limits, I won’t interfere. Edie…” Reaching over, he took her hands in his much larger ones and squeezed. “This is new ground for all of us, and I’m sure there are going to be some missteps along the way. But the only way this works is if you and I trust each other and communicate. Can you do that for me, little pixie?”
“I can try.”
“That’ll do for now.”
Jesse
She was putting the finishing touches on her makeup when the knock came. Giving her lashes one final swipe, she stuck her head out of the bathroom to find Edie hovering by the bedroom door. Her dark hair was wet, making it look black in the dim light of the room, and she’d clearly thrown on the first thing she could find in her closet since the t-shirt she was wearing had a giant hole near the bottom.
And she was looking as though she’d rather be literally anywhere but where she was at the moment.
It was adorable.
“Need something?” Jesse asked, doing her best to keep her amusement at Edie’s obvious discomfort out of her voice.
“Maybe.”
To her increased amusement, Edie’s gaze traveled the room, never landing anywhere for long and never actually landing on Jesse at all. “What’s up, buttercup?”
That at least got Edie to look at her, and she couldn’t help but grin at the glare Edie sent her way. “You still say that?”
“Mmhmm. Stop changing the subject. You obviously came in here for something, so spill.”
“Maybe I just wanted to check on you, since you’ve been up here an hour already.”
“Perfection takes time.”
“I suppose you’d know.”
Crossing her arms, Jesse leaned against the doorframe. “Why, Edie. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that sounded like a compliment.”
Edie rolled her eyes. “You know you look amazing, Jesse Lynne.”
Hearing Edie use her middle name gave her a little nervous flutter in her tummy usually reserved for her Daddy. “I do. But I never get tired of hearing it.”
“I guess Grant likes that kind of thing? A woman who takes the time to get all dolled up for a date?”
Ah. There it was. “Grant loves all the versions of me. Even the version of me that wakes up hungover with my hair a mess and last night’s Oscar’s makeup smeared across my face.” Pushing away from the door, she looped her arms around Edie’s neck, pleased when her hands came to rest on her waist. “And he’s going to love whatever version of you he gets.”
“We’re very different people. You and me, I mean. Grant and me, too, now that I think about it. I’m just not sure where I fit.” The fast flow of words was as close to babbling as she’d ever heard Edie get.
“Ice cream and steak are very different, and you still love both of those things. It’s no different with people.”
“If you say so.”
“I do say so.” Jesse toyed with the damp ends of Edie’s hair. “But if it would make you feel better, I’d be happy to do your makeup for you. Maybe pick out an outfit for you to wear.”
“Why do I feel like I’m going to regret saying yes?”
With a happy squeal, Jesse grabbed Edie’s arm and dragged her toward the bathroom. “This is going to be so much fun!”
“Nothing too crazy,” Edie warned. “I still want to look like me. Just, you know, better.”
“Sugar, there’s no improving on perfection. There are, however, clever ways of highlighting your best features. Like those to-die-for cheekbones of yours.” Flipping the toilet lid closed, she gave Edie a nudge and Edie lowered herself to the seat, an odd expression on her face.
“Perfection, huh?”
Despite the pounding of her heart, Jesse gave what she hoped was a nonchalant shrug. “You’ve always been perfect to me. You know that.”
“No, I don’t. You never actually said it.”
Pausing her perusal of her favorite eyeshadow palette, Jesse frowned as she mentally scanned her memories of their summer together. And now that she really thought about it, she couldn’t pinpoint one time when she’d actually told Edie how beautiful she was. At nineteen, she’d been so wrapped up in herself and her own image, it had never occurred to her that Edie might need to hear those things from her.
“I’m sorry.” Setting the palette aside, she turned and cupped Edie’s face in her hands. “I should have told you years ago. But I think you are absolutely perfect. Not just physically, though you are hands down the most stunning woman I know. And I know a lot of beautiful women.”
“Trying to make me jealous?” It was an obvious attempt at a joke, but Edie’s eyes were suspiciously damp.
“Nope. Because you have nothing to be jealous of. I’ve played with other women, even dated a couple. But there was only ever you. Until Grant came along, I wasn’t entirely certain I’d ever be able to love someone else.”
“Oh.”
“Mmhmm.” Leaning in, she brushed her lips over Edie’s, delighted when the other woman sighed at the simple touch before she pulled away. “Now. Let’s go blow Daddy’s mind.”