Chapter 26
Grant
Thank god for numbers. They were, at the moment, the only thing keeping him sane as he waited for Edie’s friends to vacate the premises. Despite his assurances to Jesse, he wasn’t entirely convinced things wouldn’t go completely sideways down there.
But at least he had his numbers and reports to keep him somewhat distracted as he waited for everyone to leave. Enough so he didn’t notice they’d actually left until he heard footsteps on the stairs.
“Daddy!”
He managed to set his laptop aside just in time to catch his babygirl as she launched herself at him. “Hey there, little outlaw. Did you have a good time with everyone?”
“The best time. And Edie said I was so good, I could have a reward!”
Looking up at Edie, who was leaning against the doorframe of the guest bedroom watching them with an indulgent sort of smile, he raised an eyebrow. “Did she, now?”
“I did. She earned it.”
Somehow, the idea of Edie granting their babygirl rewards was an even harder pill to swallow than the idea of letting her decide on punishments. Obviously, something he needed to work on.
But, the reward had already been promised, and he wasn’t so much of a controlling asshole that he was going to deny his babygirl just on principle. “Well, what kind of reward did she say you could have?”
He turned his attention back to Jesse in time to see the glint of mischief in her eyes. “She didn’t say. I was thinking I could pick.”
What was his babygirl up to? “How about you can suggest something, and Edie and I will discuss it.”
“Fine,” she said, dragging the word out in a way that had him fighting back laughter. “But you two have to promise to keep an open mind.”
Alarm bells began ringing in the back of his mind. And judging by the way Edie’s eyes narrowed slightly, he wasn’t the only one. “What are you up to, little outlaw?”
“Nothing bad, Daddy, I promise. It’s just, you two can be kinda stubborn.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed that about your Daddy,” Edie said, her suspicious look giving way to a grin.
Grant shot her a playfully warning glare. “Starting to think I didn’t spank you nearly hard enough yesterday.”
“Probably not, honestly,” she agreed with a shrug. “I might be a little stubborn too, at times. So go on, babygirl, tell us what you’re thinking.”
“Okay, well, here’s the thing.” To his surprise, Jesse was actually looking a bit nervous. “I already know both of you super well, right?”
The alarm bells in his mind rang even louder. “Yes. What’s your point?”
“My point is, if we’re going to make this work as a trio or a throuple or whatever you want to call it, you and Edie need to get to know each other as well as I know both of you. So for my reward, I want you guys to go on a date. Alone.”
It certainly wasn’t what he’d expected when she’d mentioned a reward. And a quick glance at the frown on Edie’s face told him it wasn’t exactly what she’d been expecting, either.
Which, perversely, made him all the more eager to grant his babygirl’s desire. Keeping a woman like Edie McDowell on her toes was a challenge, and he did love a good challenge. “I think that’s an excellent idea, little outlaw.”
“Perfect!” With a quick kiss to his cheek, Jesse bounced off the bed and made a beeline for the bedroom door. “I’ll help Edie get ready and I’ll see you two again in the morning.”
“Hold up,” Edie said, her expression turning even more suspicious than it had been at the beginning. “What do you mean, see us in the morning?”
“Cuz you’re gonna stay at a hotel so you can get it on in private, duh.”
“Nobody said anything about ‘getting it on’, little girl.”
Planting her hands on her hips in a move he recognized all too well, Jesse matched Edie glare for glare. “That’s part of getting to know each other!”
Because he could sense a storm brewing between his girls, Grant rose from the bed and moved to stand between them, pinning Jesse with a warning look. “If and when Edie and I decide to explore a sexual relationship between just the two of us is between just the two of us. If you try to push us into anything we haven’t explicitly stated we’re ready for, I will ensure you do not get to enjoy the pleasure of either of our company until we are ready. Am I making myself perfectly clear, little girl?”
Jesse’s eyes went wider than he’d ever seen them. “Yes, Daddy. Crystal clear. It’s just?—”
“No. You’ve made your argument, and I do agree it’s important for Edie and I to build a relationship apart from you. But the pace of that relationship, both physically and emotionally, is entirely up to us, and you will not interfere.” He put as much steel as he could muster into his tone in hopes of getting across to her how important it was for her to obey him. “I’m serious about this, Jesse Lynne, and I promise you will not like the consequences if you try to get around me.”
“I’m just trying to help,” she whispered, tears filling her eyes.
“I know, baby. And I appreciate that. I’m sure Edie does as well.” He glanced over at Edie, who hesitated a moment before nodding. “Thank you for thinking of us, but now you need to trust us to take it from here. Okay?”
“Yes, Daddy.” Sniffling dramatically, her bottom lip trembled as she looked up at him with what he thought of as her puppy dog eyes. “Are you still mad at me?”
“Nobody’s mad at you, baby. I just needed you to understand this isn’t a game. There are real feelings involved and that’s not something to take lightly.”
He held his arms open, scooping her up when she rushed into his embrace. Turning toward the door, he juggled Jesse so he could extend an arm to Edie, inviting her to join them. Which, to his relief, she did.
God, he could get addicted to this. As different as they were, he enjoyed having them both in his arms. He was starting to worry Edie might actually rip his heart out, at the end of all this, if she rejected them.
Pushing aside those niggling doubts, he lowered Jesse to the floor and gave them both a nudge toward the hall. “You girls go get ready and I’ll meet you downstairs in an hour.”
“Make it two, just in case!” Jesse called over her shoulder as she dragged a suddenly terrified-looking Edie from the room.
“Two it is,” he agreed with a laugh. Two would give him plenty of time to get ready himself and plan an evening of romance his little pixie would never forget.
Edie
She hadn’t actually expected it to take a full two hours to get her ready for a date with a man who had already seen her naked on more than one occasion. But Jesse, apparently, had different ideas.
First had come a lengthy shower during which she’d been instructed to shave everything and then been handed what felt like thirty different products to scrub her skin within an inch of its life. Then she’d been given a cream that smelled like a field of wildflowers on a summer day to massage into her tortured skin.
She couldn’t really argue with the results, though. Her skin was so soft and smooth, she could barely keep herself from running her hands over her arms and legs as Jesse flitted around her like a hummingbird. At one point, Jesse had attacked her eyebrows with a pair of tweezers, all the while rolling her eyes at Edie’s protests and reminding her she should be grateful it wasn’t the nineties, whatever that meant.
After the plucking and more creams, Jesse had slathered what felt like a pound of makeup onto her face. Edie had drawn the line at the giant fake eyelashes, though, which had Jesse sulking for a solid fifteen minutes.
Which was about fourteen minutes less than it took Jesse to scan the contents of Edie’s closet and decree that nothing she had on hand would work for tonight. Before Edie could argue, Jesse darted across the hall to the guest bedroom and returned with an armful of options.
The short, dark red dress they agreed on was a compromise, considering Jesse’s first choice had been a black dress that left all of Edie’s back and half of her front completely bare. But seeing the glint in her babygirl’s eyes as she wiggled into the red number, Edie couldn’t help but wonder if this had been Jesse’s endgame all along.
All thoughts of scheming Little girls flew out the window when Jesse finally allowed her to actually see her reflection. The last date they’d been on, she’d simply felt like a prettier version of herself.
But now… now she barely recognized the woman staring back at her from the full-length mirror. Gone was the sturdy, if somewhat miniature workhorse she generally thought of herself as. In her place stood a goddess, come down from Mount Olympus for the sole purpose of bedding as many mortal men as possible during her stay.
The deep wine color of the dress made her skin glow, and whatever Jesse had done with her makeup had given her eyes a dark, sultry look. Her cheekbones looked sharp enough to cut glass, and even her hair somehow looked sleeker and sexier than she was used to.
“Holy shit.” Lifting a hand, she waved at her reflection, somewhat shocked when the woman in the mirror waved back. “There’s no way that’s me.”
“It totally is,” Jesse said, joining her in the mirror. “And not to toot my own horn or anything, but you look fucking spectacular. I might actually be a little jealous of how gorgeous you are right now.”
“You don’t have to be jealous of me, babygirl.” Turning away from the disconcerting image in the glass, she slid her arms around Jesse’s waist, yanking her toward her in a move that had Jesse gasping in surprise. “You will always be the most stunning woman in any room.”
“Sugar, I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit.” The corners of Jesse’s lips curved upward in a wicked smile. “After all, I am well known for having impeccable taste.”
Since she was wearing the one pair of black stilettos she owned, for once in her life Edie didn’t have to bring Jesse’s head down to meet hers. She simply had to lean in and capture her babygirl’s lips with her own to taste the sugar on her lips from the donut she’d snuck downstairs to get while Edie was in the shower.
Everything else faded away. For one glorious moment, it was just her and her woman, locked together in perfect bliss.
But like all good things, even truly excellent kisses had to come to an end, and Edie reluctantly pulled away. Her own disappointment at being forced to end the kiss was mollified somewhat by the dazed look in Jesse’s eyes.
“I forgot what an amazing kisser you are,” Jesse said, her words a little breathless.
“Mmm. You know, we could always forget this whole ‘date’ thing and just stay in bed all night.”
Unfortunately, her words had the opposite effect of what she’d hoped, seemingly shocking Jesse out of her lust-induced stupor. “Nope. You are not wasting that dress on takeout and sex, no matter how good the sex is. Come on.”
Resigned to her fate, Edie let herself be led out of the bedroom. Jesse stopped at the top of the stairs, her expression suddenly serious. “I promised I wouldn’t push, so I won’t. But if either of you have any reservations about me, I just want you to know that nothing in this world would make me happier than the people I care about being happy. So if it feels right tonight, please promise me you won’t let your worries about me or how I’ll react hold you back. I’m good with you two being together, without me. More than good.”
“What if we can’t make it work?” It wasn’t in Edie’s nature to be vulnerable, but her nerves were starting to get the best of her. “What if he only wants me because you want me? What if we have nothing in common? What if?—”
“And what if we all woke up tomorrow with horns on our heads and candy corn for teeth,” Jesse answered with a roll of her eyes. “That’s about how ridiculous you sound right now, Edie.”
“It’s not ridiculous. It’s practical.”
“No, it’s ridiculous.” Cupping Edie’s face in her hands, Jesse leaned in and brushed a comforting kiss across her lips. “There is nobody else in this world I would want to share Grant with. You know why?”
“Why?”
“Because you are the best person I’ve ever known. I didn’t stay in love with you for ten fucking years just because you’re gorgeous. You’re smart, with a wicked sense of humor, and a heart the size of Texas. And I promise you Grant is going to fall just as in love with you as I did that summer.”
Edie’s heart tripped in her chest, damn near coming to a complete stop at Jesse’s words. “You make it hard to be pissed at you for slapping all this gunk on my face when you say shit like that.”
“Good. Now, go get our man.”