Chapter 18
Chapter eighteen
Greyson
Clean up in Silas’s bathroom!
~ Two Days Later / January ~
Today is Dante’s birthday party, and Em and I weren’t sure about going with Gracie since she’s only been better since yesterday. But Cecilia assured us it was fine and that she wasn’t worried, so we’re making our way over to their place right now.
It’s just before noon, and even though the party ends at 4:00, I know we’ll most likely be there until way later. That’s always how it is when the whole gang gets together.
Gracie is dressed as a princess, per usual, and Emma is wearing one of her vintage dresses again.
It’s a knee-length, sleeveless, navy-blue swing dress with large lapels and two rows of black buttons on the sides of her torso.
There are also two strips of black and white polka dots on either side of the skirt and some covering her chest between the lapels.
Her hair is in big Hollywood curls with one side pinned up to her head, exposing her ear. Her eye makeup is light, but she has a dark red lipstick on, making them pop out. She’s so fucking beautiful.
We haven’t had our talk yet about where we stand or where we’d like things to go, but I think our kiss from when Gracie was sick sealed the deal for us. I’ve kissed her again since, and we’ve been touchier than ever.
Although we still haven’t had sex again, and I’m fine with that. As much as I want to sleep with Bunny, I also feel like we’re connecting on a deeper level by not having any. Something I haven’t wanted in a long time.
She told me about the picture taken of her and Gracie at our hockey game in Toronto after I had already seen it. She felt bad about it and wanted me to reach out to the photographer to fix the mistake, but I told her it was fine, that it didn’t bother me.
If I’m being honest, something settles in me every time I think of Emma as Gracie’s mom. I know it’s unfair to Stephanie, but Gracie still deserves to have a mother figure in her life.
We park the car in the Hayes’s enormous driveway that’s quickly filling up with cars, as well as along the street. Being captain of a hockey team means everyone shows up for your kid’s birthday.
I gather the pile of gifts for Dante from the covered bed of my truck and walk inside the house behind Emma and Gracie. Once our winter coats and boots are removed, we wander over to the rest of the partygoers.
“Oh, you guys are here! Hi, sweetheart. I heard you had a little bug this week.” Morgan comes up to us and takes Gracie into her arms.
“Yeah, it was a little scary seeing her so down, but she’s all better now. Aren’t you, Little Tulip?” Em coos.
Walking around the kitchen, I kiss all the women’s cheeks, including my sister and Ronnie, then head over to the living room where Silas’s parents are playing with Dante. I shake John’s hand, then kiss his mother's cheeks. “Hi, Mira. You look beautiful.”
“Greyson, how are you, my boy? How’s the little angel?”
“She’s wonderful. And I’m good,” I tell her.
“I heard Emma has been taking good care of her… and you.” She raises a brow and chuckles.
I shake my head with a smirk. “She’s been good to the both of us.” It’s the only information I give her.
“Good, I’m glad. It’s about time you found yourself someone to love.” She pats my cheek lovingly. I wouldn’t say we’re at the love stage, but I won’t correct her.
I bend down and pick up Dante in my arms. Jesus, this boy is heavy and growing like a weed. He’s definitely his father’s son. “Hey, little guy. I heard you’re one now, a couple more years and you’ll be joining us on the ice. What do you say?”
When he begins fighting out of my hold, I let him down before he hurts himself, then watch as he walks over to his hockey stick and brings it to me. “Key, key!” he says in that baby voice where you aren’t sure if it's actually a word or not while holding out the stick.
“We should have known one of his first words would be hockey,” John says, laughing.
The boy is clearly smart. I ruffle his hair and kneel down. “You want to play hockey, little bud? How about I go spend some time with your mom and dad, and later you and I will play together, sound good?”
He takes back his stick and walks away to Milo, Silas and Cecilia’s Alaskan Klee Kai. He hits him in the leg with it like it’s a puck, and the dog endures the hits without even batting an eye. I’m guessing he’s used to it by now.
I walk back over to the group just as Gabe and Noah join in. “The favorite uncle is finally here,” Gabe declares, loving being the center of attention.
Noah elbows him hard in the ribs, making him fold over. “You might be the favorite uncle, but I’m the favorite player.” He looks over to the girls and winks.
“Player being the key word,” Ronnie mutters just loud enough for everyone to hear, causing us all to laugh.
“Oh! My little vixen is here. Good, I was starting to miss my girl.” Gabe walks over to Ronnie and places his arm over her shoulders. “By the way, you didn’t give me your number last time,” he tells her.
She takes his arm off her shoulder and lets it drop. “Yeah, and you’re not getting it now, either. Oh! And I’m not your girl.” She glares at him and steps aside, creating some distance.
Noah, wanting to show he’s the better man, steps up to her and takes her hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing the top. “Hi, Veronica. I love what you did to your hair,” he says in a flirtatious way with another wink. Ronnie’s hair was electric blue last time, but now it’s a bright orange.
She offers him a seductive smirk and doesn’t pull her hand back right away. She hums as she watches him, then tilts her head to the side before addressing her question to the room. “He’s as bad as pretty boy, isn’t he?”
“Yup,” we all answer as one.
She giggles and pulls her hand away, patting him on the cheek just like Mira had done to me earlier. “Nice try, Casanova. But thank you for the compliment.”
He smiles widely at her and crosses his arms at his chest. “I think she has a soft spot for me. We’ll win her over eventually, bro,” he says to Gabe, who agrees with a nod.
Ronnie throws her head back and laughs. “Oh God! Are all hockey players this delusional?”
“Yes,” the girls all answer in unison, gaining a frown from all male presence in the room.
I walk over to Emma and put my arm around her waist, bringing her to me. “You think I’m delusional?”
“Hmm, maybe a little. But not as much as the rest.” She giggles.
“Are you just trying to win some points with me, Bunny?” I whisper in her ear.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She bites her lip, but her smile still shines through.
I bring my face down to hers and kiss her in front of everyone. Her hand comes to my nape as she sighs against my lips, melting in my hold.
“Wow, a lot has happened over Christmas break,” Morgan says from her seat at the island, where she bounces a giggling Gracie.
I pull away, and Emma wipes my lips with a heart-stopping grin. I wasn’t sure how she’d feel about letting our friends in on our situation, but from the look of pure joy on her face, I take it she’s on board.
The doorbell suddenly rings, and after a moment of expecting someone to go, I head over to open it since no one else seems to have heard. When I open the door, I find someone I wasn’t expecting to see standing on the other side.
“Lance?”
“Hi, Greyson. How are you, son?” he asks as I let him inside. He carries two gifts; one wrapped in superheroes and the other in princesses.
“I’m good, thanks for asking.”
“Daddy?” Emma joins us and hugs her father. “What are you doing here?”
“Cecilia invited me for Dante’s birthday party. I hope it’s okay that I’m here?”
“Of course, I know she’s like a daughter to you, too,” Em says, pulling away and smiling up at her father. “How are things with Mom?” she asks cautiously. “I know you said things were really rocky when we talked at Christmas…”
Lance sighs as his shoulders drop. “Your mother and I are getting a divorce.” Well, shit. I know my speech was intense, but I didn’t think it would cause this.
“And before you think it, no, you aren’t the cause of my decision.
” He directs his words to me. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while.
And after what you said at dinner, I realized how much I’ve let her walk all over my life and my daughter’s.
” He turns back to Em. “I’m sorry I didn’t realize sooner how your mother’s toxic behavior was affecting you.
I know you’re all grown up now, but I hope this can be my first step in making our relationship right. ” He smiles affectionately at her.
“I want to be more involved in your life, Sunflower. The way I should have been when you were a little girl. I hope you’ll let us have that.
” His voice may be calm, but his eyes are practically pleading for his daughter to give him another chance.
“And if you choose to cut your mother out of your life for good, I’ll fully support it.
She doesn’t deserve having you in hers.”
“It’s all I want, Daddy.” Emma sniffs, and I instantly pull her into my arms, kissing the top of her head.
Her dad smiles at me, then at his daughter. “I told you he was into you.”
Em laughs and buries her face against my neck.
“By the way, you look absolutely beautiful, Sunflower. Now, where’s my granddaughter and grandson? I have gifts for them.”
“Daddy!”
“What? You take care of the little flower like a mother, and you two are dating. In my eyes, that makes her my granddaughter. If she’s important to you, Sunflower, she’s important to me, too.”
I have to admit, I like him thinking of my daughter as family. It just gives her more love. “Dante’s with Mira and John in the living room, and Gracie’s with Morgan in the kitchen. But you didn’t need to get her a gift, it’s not her birthday,” I tell him with a grin.