Chapter 23
Chapter twenty-three
Emma
Little flower turned dinosaur.
How is it possible to miss someone the minute they walk out the door? I never felt this way with Tommy. Even in the beginning, we could go a full week without seeing each other, and it never really bothered me. Actually, I preferred it like that.
I’m not naturally a clingy person, and I don’t like clingy people. But with Greyson, all I want to do is build a nest on his body and make it my permanent residence. Talk about being clingy and obsessed... Oh my God, I’m a stage five clinger!
“The puck ladies have arrived!” Cecilia shouts as she throws the door open and marches in with Dante in her arms, followed by Morgan, Ronnie, and Aubrey.
“We changed our name?” I ask with a laugh as I take out the blender for some margaritas.
“Well, she couldn’t exactly say the B word with the kids around. Plus, it makes us sound classier,” Morgan says as she wanders over to the liquor cabinet to retrieve what we need.
“True, but it doesn’t sound as good. We’ll have to work on it.” I point to her. Smirking, I take out five margarita glasses and set them on the island. “So how were your nights?”
“Ugh! I will never eat brussels sprouts ever again! Do you know how hard it is to take care of a toddler when both his parents are stuck on the bowl!?” Cece says, looking mortified.
“She’s right, that was brutal. Aubrey couldn’t stop laughing at me every time I ran back to the bathroom.” Ronnie gives Aubrey a disapproving glare.
“Hey! It’s not my fault. I warned you not to eat too many.” Brey giggles softly as she takes a seat at the kitchen island.
“Clay officially banned me from cooking any for the next year. So you’re all safe for now,” Morg laughs.
“I wonder how the guys are doing today. I know Noah and Gabe devoured a lot more of them than the rest of us,” Aubrey says with a worried expression.
“From what Greyson told me, Gabe spent most of the flight in the bathroom. So I can’t imagine they’re doing too well. Let’s hope that clears up before their game.”
“Can you imagine having diarrhea in the middle of a game? What do they do when that happens?” Ronnie questions after my comment.
“You know, I’ve never even thought about that. I’ll have to ask Clay if it’s ever happened,” Morg states while pulling out her phone, likely to text her husband.
“Okay, enough poop talk, please. I can’t deal with any more of that. Let’s talk about why we’re really here. BIRTHDAY PLANS!” Cecilia shouts as I pass her a glass, then deliver one to everyone else.
“Mmm, that’s delicious. Yes, what are we doing for your birthday, Em?” Morgan asks.
I’m about to answer when I feel a little hand tapping on my leg.
Looking down, I smile when I see Gracie stretching out her arms my way.
I pick her up and place her on my hip. “Hmm, I don’t know.
What should we do for my birthday, Little Tulip?
” I rub my nose against hers and giggle when she tries to pull my hair.
“Why not have a themed party? I love those,” Ronnie suggests, looking all excited.
“Oh, yes! But what theme?” Cece questions next.
“What about movie characters? And the couples could go as iconic movie couples?” Aubrey offers with a shrug.
“Oh my God! You’re a genius, baby Brey! Let’s do it!” I bounce on the spot with Gracie, which makes her giggle and squeal in delight.
“Are we letting Morg take care of the food?” Ronnie asks with a snicker.
“Hey! I’m a good cook, okay!” She frowns and crosses her arms, gaining a laugh from all of us.
“Yes, Morgan is still in charge of cooking. But no repeats of yesterday! The mess I had to clean off Gracie is something I don’t plan on doing often!”
“It won’t happen again, I promise,” she assures us all.
By the time I’m done with my margarita, Gracie and Dante are due for a nap. So Cecilia and I settle them down while the girls get more drinks made and lay out some snacks on the island. When we get back down, the girls are talking about summer plans.
“Brey, are you gonna be allowed some time off since you just took on the manager position?” I ask her while sitting down on one of the empty barstools by the island.
“Clara said I could still have my two weeks off during the summer since I’m doing her a big favor.”
“What about you, Ronnie? Are you taking time off work?” Cecilia asks her. Apparently Ronnie dropped out roughly around the same time as Aubrey and has been working odd jobs here and there.
“Well, that will depend on if I have a job by then or not,” she snorts.
“Wait, you don’t have a job? I thought you were bartending at that nightclub in New York City?” Morgan looks at her confused.
“I was, up until two nights ago. Apparently punching a perverted asshole in the face for sticking his hand down my shirt is against their policies. So I ended up getting fired, and he got a free drink. Explain to me how that makes sense?”
“You’re kidding right?!” I ask incredulously.
“Ha! I wish I was kidding. But it’s okay, I left there with a bang.
I waited out of sight until he had his free drink, walked back up to him and grabbed it, threw it in his face, and smashed the glass on the floor.
Then I ran out of there before they called the cops on me.
I’m good friends with one of the bouncers, so he let me slip out. ” She smirks as she tells her story.
“Veronica, you’re my idol. Who knew we had such a bad A-S-S in our group?” Morgan stares at her with admiration.
“Morg, the kids are napping. You can swear right now.” Cece taps Morgan’s hand and offers her a warm smile.
“No, it’s okay. It’s good practice for when Clay and I will finally get pregnant,” she says with a disheartened tight smile.
Aubrey places her hand on Morgan’s arm and squeezes lightly. “It will happen; you can’t lose hope,” she tells her reassuringly.
“I know… It just sucks that it’s taking so long to happen.” Her voice cracks as her eyes gloss over. Oh, Morgan…
Wanting to change her current mindset, I throw out an idea that’s been simmering in my mind.
“Morg, I’m predicting that this will be your last summer without a child, so let’s make it a crazy one.
Let’s all go on vacation together, the whole gang.
We could rent a yacht or a private island for a week or two, with the kids, of course.
It will be so fun! What do you guys say? !”
I’m practically bouncing with excitement at the prospect of our vacation trip. Morg and Cece both join in my excitement as we stand from our stools and start jumping in a group. While Ronnie just stares at us with a bright grin plastered on her face, and Aubrey shakes her head while smirking.
“It’s a plan. We’ll get the boys on board, and you two make sure to have the time off. We’ll come back during the month with a date so we can book it in advance,” Cecilia says, looking at everyone, but mostly Ronnie and Aubrey.
~ Three Days Later ~
“RAAARRR, RAAAAAAARRRR!!!”
I giggle at the sound and look back through my phone at Greyson’s beautiful face. “She’s been doing that all day. Our little flower has turned into a dinosaur.”
“Duh, duh, doo, buhhh, ehhh, rah, DOOOO, RAAARR!”
Greyson throws his head back, a deep laugh filtering through the speaker. “Wow, she’s really testing her vocals.”
“Oh, that she is. It’s adorable, except when I’m trying to put her to sleep and she decides it’s roaring time.” I smile at the pretty roaring lady who’s playing with her blocks on the floor.
“I can imagine. I’m glad you called. I miss you guys.”
I turn back to the phone with an adoring smile. “We miss you, too. I can’t wait for you to come home tomorrow. The house feels lonely without you. You know I’ve been having to drink two coffees every morning because it feels weird drinking mine alone.”
“You have not.” He chuckles and lies back in his bed with his arm folded behind his head while the other holds the phone, his nude chest on full display. I feel myself growing hot as I ogle his perfectly sculpted, tatted torso. “Woman. You done checking me out?”
When my eyes flick back to his, he has a devilish smirk on his face, and his tongue peeks out to wet his lips. Oh, my wolf is being naughty again.
“Behave, Wolf.” I narrow my eyes. “And I was not checking you out, simply observing.” I look at the ends of my hair, acting indifferent.
“Sure, that explains why you got that hungry look in your eyes. Were you picturing eating my body? You got a little drool right there in the corner.” He points to the side of my mouth.
I gasp and sit up straight. “I do not!” I wipe the side of my mouth just to make sure, making Grey belly laugh on his end. “And yes, I have been drinking two coffees every morning, so I won’t be held responsible for all the crazy things I do while over-caffeinated. That’s on you, handsome.”
“You know what else I wish was on me right now?” he says with a mischievous grin.
“What?”
“You, doing that sexy bunny bounce on my cock with your perky tits in my face.”
“GREYSON!” My face flushes red as I look over at Little Tulip, who’s completely ignorant of the filthy words her father just spoke.
“No filthy language in front of the little one,” I rebuke him, then lower my voice and lean into the phone.
“But call me later tonight after your game so we can resume this conversation,” I wink.
“That was already the plan.” He smiles, then looks up on his phone and sighs. “I gotta get ready. Kiss Buttercup for me, and I’ll call you later. I miss you, Bunny.”
“I miss you too, and I will. Good luck at the game.” I blow him a kiss and hang up. I press my phone to my chest and throw myself down on the couch, contentment and thrill buzzing through my body.
~ The Next Day ~
“This little bunny loves to smell cute little flowers. Yes, she does.”
I bring my nose down to Gracie’s neck and sniff her in an exaggerated way while she squeals and giggles as she lies on her back on the floor. Then I pretend to nibble at her skin while she pushes me away with her hands.
She’s wearing a long-sleeved green dress with white daisies all over and a headband with daisies on it as well. While I’m wearing a gray camisole with gray leggings, a pink tutu, and bunny ears. I also painted on a nose and whiskers, giving the full bunny effect for our little pretend game.
The front door opens, and the man we’ve been waiting for finally walks through. “Oh, no! We need to hide, little flower! There’s a big bad wolf in the house. We can’t let him find us. Fast, fast!” I say loud enough for Greyson to hear me.
Gracie laughs as I tickle her sides, setting her off and crawling away.
I’m not sure if Greyson will join in on our fun or not, but it’s worth a try.
Suddenly, loud stomps echo loudly as they get closer and stop right behind the couch, and an evil growl sounds through the room.
I crouch down between the coffee table and front of the couch, knowing without a doubt that Grey can see me, but it’s still fun to pretend.
Greyson starts to stomp again, coming around behind me. “Do I smell delicious flowers and bunny rabbits around here?”
Little Tulip crawls away from us, most likely going to her toys, while Greyson and I continue our little game. “Save yourself, little flower!” I shout before standing swiftly and hopping away as quickly as I can. Which is not really fast.
Grey still gives me a head start before he starts thumping his feet once more and catches up to me. His arms come around my waist, grabbing me from behind, and lifts me in the air as I shriek and laugh, kicking my feet.
He sets me back down but doesn’t let go. Leaning over my back, he whispers in a sensual deep voice against my ear, “You know what big bad wolves really like to eat? Cute little bunnies that smell like flowers.” I shiver at the double meaning of his words.
He chuckles diabolically before licking and biting my neck and shoulder. “Okay, okay! I surrender! Have me, Wolf. Just do it quickly, I can’t suffer any longer,” I say, giggling as he turns me in his arms.
My hands come to rest on his chest, and all I can do is smile up at him. My heart feels whole now that he’s home. He lowers his head and presses his lips to mine. The kiss touches every cell in my body, all the way down to my soul.
I’m crazy about this man.
Gracie finally notices her dad’s presence and crawls quickly over, pulling on his pant leg when she reaches him. He smirks against my lips and pulls away, letting go of me to pick her up and place her on his hip.
He puts his other arm back around my waist, holding us both against him, then kisses her head before kissing my lips once more and resting his forehead against mine.
“Welcome home, Daddy.”