Chapter 14 Greyson
Chapter fourteen
Greyson
Got to clean up that ice cream.
~ One Week Later / Christmas Eve ~
“Emma, we need to get going. Are you almost done?” I shout from down the stairs while getting little Gracie into her winter coat.
We’re on our way to the Burkley residence for our annual Christmas dinner with the team, or Christmas brunch in this case.
Since we’re flying to my parents tonight, Morgan thought it would be best to host the party during the day, and kids tend to be less fussy during that time compared to at night.
The outfit Gracie wears is way too cute for her own good—a red plaid long-sleeved dress with ruffles over the shoulders. Green tulle peeks out beneath the dress, and a big green bow wraps around her and ties at the back.
I added black nylons beneath and cute little red flats with bows on the top that look a lot like the shoes Dorothy wore in The Wizard of Oz. I also put her hair in two tiny pigtails like Bunny always does and added a red plaid bow to each.
Who knew dressing up your kid would be so much fun?
It’s become an addiction of mine. Every time I see a cute outfit, I get it.
Emma seems to be suffering from the same addiction.
Gracie now has so many clothes that we started putting some in the spare room beside hers, and we plan to turn it into a closet for her.
I stand from the couch, grab the diaper bag, and come to the base of the steps, waiting for Emma. Around five minutes later, I finally hear the telltale sound of her heels clacking against the hardwood. I look up, and the air is instantly stolen from my lungs.
She looks like a queen. A goddess.
“Bunny…”
“My parents know, so I guess it’s time my friends do, too.” She offers me a hesitant smile and takes her first step down.
A pair of white Mary Jane platform pumps with low ankle straps make their way toward me.
They’re accompanied by an olive-green off-the-shoulder vintage dress with a butterfly print that falls just below her knees and has a light V-shaped neckline accentuating the top of her breasts.
And on her arm she carries an ivory cashmere cape with a fox fur trim.
When she reaches the bottom step and stands before me, her eyes search mine as I examine her features.
Her makeup is heavier than usual, but it still looks stunning.
A thin strip of eyeliner graces her eyes with gold sparkling eyeshadow.
Black mascara enhances her long eyelashes, a soft pink blush highlights her cheekbones, and crimson matte lipstick covers her pouty lips.
Her hair is in a sleek French-twist updo with curls. It’s beautifully flawless and shows off her red hair even more. “You look absolutely magnificent.” My hand comes up to her cheek, caressing her soft skin with my thumb.
“You don’t look so bad yourself, Mr. Ford.” She winks and fixes the lapels to my suit jacket, then my tie.
I’m wearing a fully black three-piece suit and tie. I don’t usually dress this formally for our Christmas get-togethers, but I knew Emma would go all out, so I thought I’d do the same.
She rests her right hand on my chest and gazes at me in that same way she’s been doing all week, with a feeling I’m not ready to think about. But to say my emotions for Bunny aren’t changing… would be a lie.
Since our second time together, we’ve gotten a lot closer in some ways. There’s more touching here and there, more standing close to one another, more laughs, and little looks. I find myself enjoying this version of Emma and craving more of her at every turn.
I know she’s said twice already that there can’t be anything between us and that mentally and emotionally she’s not ready for any form of relationship. But when she looks at me like that, I get the sense that maybe she’s changing her mind as well. Maybe a part of her questions the ‘what if?’.
Emma takes her left hand and cradles the side of Gracie’s face. “Well, don’t you look beautiful, Little Tulip. You’ll be the prettiest one in the room. I have no doubt.”
“Or a close second,” I whisper to Emma.
Her eyes whip back to mine, a beautiful hue joining her blush-covered cheeks. God, I wish I could always make her blush like that… We’re stuck in a moment, both wanting the same thing but neither of us willing to admit it.
She licks her lips and looks away. “We should get going.”
I clear my throat and adjust my daughter on my hip. “Right, yeah.”
Ten minutes later, we're walking through a winter wonderland and into Morgan and Clay’s home. Silas, Clay, and I all live within five to ten minutes of each other, which is convenient with the amount of time we spend together.
I remove Gracie’s coat first and hand her over to Silas, who greets us at the door accompanied by his wife.
He walks off with Gracie, most likely putting her down to play with Dante.
Next, I help Emma out of her cape and hang it up in the entry closet.
She thanks me with an adoring smile and turns back to her best friend, who stares at her with wide eyes and a hand over her gaping mouth.
“Oh my God, Em! You look stunning!”
Bunny pops her hip with a hand to it. “I know, right?” she says jokingly with a beaming smile. Typical Emma.
I drop my head and chuckle under my breath, which earns me a glare from Bunny. She embraces Cecilia, then steps to the side, giving me access to her friend.
“Well, would you look at that. You’re in a suit and a tie. What’s the special occasion?” Cece lifts a brow, eyeing me curiously.
I smirk and take her into my arms. “How are you, Rose?”
“Perfectly content now that my whole family is here,” she says against my chest.
Cece is a full foot shorter than me, which means I have to bend slightly to wrap my arms around her. Not like Emma, who’s the perfect height at five-foot-eight.
With Bunny in mind, I look behind Cecilia and find her staring at us.
But the minute our eyes meet, she looks away, and I’m instantly filled with guilt.
I’ve never felt guilty about showing affection to Cece, but with how things seem to be progressing with Emma, I can’t help it.
Just thinking about her hugging another man fills me with jealousy.
I quickly let go of Rose and take a good step back, looking over at Em as I do so. Cecilia looks confused at first but then follows my line of sight and smiles warmly, reaching out to squeeze my forearm before walking away.
I take the few steps to Bunny and take her hand in mine, then head to the entertainment room where everyone is gathered.
I expect her to pull it away or to remind me that there’s nothing going on between us and that we’re not exploring whatever this is.
But to my surprise, her fingers tighten around mine, and she follows me as the smallest hint of a smile graces her lips.
As predicted, I find Gracie sitting in a closed-up section with a tuxedo-wearing Dante. I enter the enclosed area with a whole bunch of kid toys and kneel down beside my daughter. Kissing the top of her head, I then look over at Dante, who’s making his toy cars roll from one end to the other.
“Hey, little man. You look quite dashing in your little suit. If I’m being honest, you wear it much better than your dad, but don’t tell him.”
“I heard you, butthole!” Silas shouts from somewhere behind me.
I shake my head at the insult he used. Not swearing in front of kids is a lot harder than it seems. We’re always coming up with creative new words that just sound more ridiculous than insulting.
I look back at the two kids. Dante will be one next week, and Gracie will be eight months a day later.
Observing the four months’ difference between both is crazy.
Dante now walks, wobbly, but he’s doing it, and he says “mama” and “dada” constantly.
It’s adorable. I can’t wait for Gracie to say those, too.
An hour later, we’re all seated in the large dining room, feasting on any breakfast item you can imagine. Morgan always goes all out for these things, and most of the food is made by her. She’s an excellent cook.
“Em, you heading over to your parents tonight or tomorrow?” Cecilia asks her from across the table while she cuts up more pieces of waffles for her son.
“She’s not. Emma’s spending Christmas with my family,” I answer before she has time to.
Cece looks up from what she’s doing with a smirk. “Oh. Meeting the parents, huh?”
Bunny snorts beside me. “It’s not like that. Greyson told off my parents and said I wasn’t going to be going over anymore. And well, he didn’t want me to be alone for Christmas, so he invited me to tag along.”
“Good! About time someone put that bi—” Silas stops himself, looking at the kids. “Butch in her place,” he finally says, frowning at his choice of word.
“Oh, honey. That was not a good one.” Cecilia giggles at his side.
“I know, but it’s all I could think of on the spot. Anyway. Sorry, Em, but your mom’s something else. I've thought about telling her off so many times,” Sy tells Emma.
“Well, you don’t have to worry about her anymore. I have a feeling she won’t be around for a while. I've never seen my mother so angry in my life. It was pretty funny. I wish I had filmed the whole thing.” Bunny laughs wholeheartedly.
I watch the beautiful sound falling from her lips and notice a smear of red lipstick below her bottom lip. Without thinking, I pick up a napkin and grab her chin, turning her face toward me. Her eyes widen, and she stops laughing as I swipe the napkin just below her lip.
“You have a little smudge right here. Almost got it.”
Her pupils dilate as I purposely pass my thumb over her now parted bottom lip, leaving a light-red tint on my finger. “There, all gone,” I whisper, but I don’t let go of her chin until someone clears their throat. Shit, I forgot we weren’t alone.
I drop my hand and turn to our friends, who all stare at us with a mixture of emotions. Some looking giddy, others confused.