Chapter Forty-One
RHYLAND
D ylan was getting her cardio when I got to the park, in the form of chasing after her daughter from the swings to the slides and roaring at her not to do things Grav then proceeded to do with an evil giggle. I smirked to myself as I swaggered toward them. They were chaotic and messy and a whole fucking lot but also kind of adorable.
Fluffy and Mittens were wobbling at my side on their leashes. I figured I could use the chance to take them out on a walk. I was still in the process of finding them a home. Two people had emailed me back after I sent a mass email with pictures of them attached, saying they were interested in adopting them, but I was waiting to see if there were any better candidates before I replied.
“Don’t run into the street!” Dylan was screaming now, so of course, Gravity dashed straight into the fucking traffic. I blocked her way to the busy road, tucking the leashes of the dogs into my pocket and football-tackling the kid. She giggled and wriggled her feet in the air.
“Uncle Rhyrand! What are you doing?”
“Bribing a three-year-old, apparently,” I muttered.
“What?” She continued squirming as I led her back to the depths of the park and away from the street.
“How about we make a deal, little stinker? If you play nicely and refrain from trying to kill yourself for the next twenty minutes, I’m going to buy you a whole-ass Barbie house. How ’bout that?”
We were nearing Dylan, who was standing with her arms crossed and a face that said she knew I was using language I shouldn’t with her daughter.
“I don’t like Barbies anymore.” Gravity blew a raspberry.
“What do you like, then?”
“Dinosaurs.”
I forgot she was her mother’s daughter.
“Right, well, I can’t buy you one of those, as they’ve been out of stock for, er, let’s see…sixty-six million years. But I can buy you a big dinosaur stuffie.”
“Uh-huh.”
“So you’ll play nicely?”
“Yes.”
“Do you promise?” I hedged.
“No.”
We were already close to Dylan, so I had to take whatever I could from this arrangement.
“All right, stinker. Go play.” I put her down and patted her shoulder, watching her bolt back to the slides, and—of course—climb them in reverse while closing her eyes. She was so much like her mother it was frightening.
Dylan and I shared a peck on the lips. “How’re you feeling?” I asked. After everything that had happened with Tuckwad last night, I wanted to make sure.
“Mad as hell.” Dylan tipped her chin up. “I’m determined not to let Tucker anywhere near Gravity after what he did. Oh, and the asshole sent Row, Cal, and Kieran pictures of us making out. As I’m sure you’re aware.”
“Yup. Row already told me to update my will.”
“Was he very mad?” Her bottom lip was pinned to one side by her teeth.
I pulled out my phone and showed it to Dylan wordlessly.
Row: You have some nerve. Dylan is like a sister to you.
Row: ANSWER MY CALLS, FUCKER.
Row Casablancas Unsent a Message.
Row Casablancas Unsent a Message.
Row Casablancas Unsent a Message.
Row: Cal told me to unsend the messages that could land me in jail, so I guess you’ll have to see what I have in store for you when I arrive in New York.
Row: (which is in three hours, by the way)
“Hmm.” Dylan stared at the screen, notably blasé about the fact that her brother was going to skin me alive. “And I thought I was the one with the anger issues in this family. Did you answer him?”
“Not yet. I wanted to see where you and I stood before I had that conversation with him.” I searched her face.
Her spine stiffened, and she looked momentarily startled, as if a huge grizzly bear had walked into the playground and she couldn’t move. She forced herself to roll her shoulders.
“What do you mean? We both agreed it’d be casual.”
“Does this feel casual to you?” I assessed her frankly. I’d never been eager to enter a relationship—never, in fact, been in one before—and I had a feeling I would definitely find a way to fuck it up with Dylan. But unlike past instances, I actually wanted to try.
The sex was incredible, she made me laugh, she was smart as hell, and though the idea of Gravity certainly appeared to be baggage, in practice, she was kind of hilarious. The only drawback I could think of was that if I did screw this up, it’d affect my friendship with Row.
If I still had one, that is.
“It, well…” She rubbed the back of her neck, peering around us. “I mean, it’s definitely more intense than I anticipated.”
“Understatement of the fucking century.” I tried to keep my composure about me. “I thought I’d get you out of my system after three fucks.”
Okay, that definitely sounded better in my head.
She started to laugh. “Wanting to have sex with someone doesn’t make a good reason to start a relationship with them.”
I took a deep breath. “I don’t only want to fuck you. I also want to talk to you. Like, all the time.”
“I do too,” she admitted miserably. Her gaze skittered to her daughter, who was now picking up flowers and sticking them in Fluffy’s and Mittens’s fur beside me. “What are you saying?” She dared look up at me again. “That you want to give it a try?”
“I mean, why not? We’re already exclusive, and we have fun together, the sex is insane, and we’re neighbors, so it’s convenient. What’s the downside?”
“That we’re both extremely damaged and have never been in a healthy relationship?” She laughed.
“Good. So we’re starting this marathon together and can help each other out.”
“Might be a sprint.” Dylan shrugged, but the sassy mirth was gone from her voice. She licked her lips, staring at the tip of her sneakers as she drew circles in the sand. “Look, I find it really hard to trust men. Allowing myself to feel is betraying my own heart. I promised myself I’d never hurt it again.”
“Is it happy being numb?” I challenged, smoothing her hair out of her face. It was always everywhere. Like a flock of ravens. “Is it happy being guarded by a thousand fucking walls? Were you happy the past few years?”
“Yes.” Her brow furrowed in outrage. “Of course I was happy. It’s been challenging, but Grav—”
“Is only one facet of your life.” I cut into her speech. “And you know it. You have needs too. You have a life. Dreams. Don’t tell me you forgot about them, because I won’t buy it. You’re still a dreamer. You’ve always been a dreamer.” I grabbed her cheeks and pressed her forehead against mine, my lips moving over hers. “You’ve never stopped dreaming, and that’s why staying away from you has been so goddamn hard.”
We were both panting even though we were standing perfectly still. The dogs beneath me looked like a bouquet, but Gravity was true to her word and didn’t interrupt us.
Finally, Dylan broke free from my touch. “Trial relationship.” She erected a finger between us warningly. “That’s all you get.”
“Does this mean I’m getting my money back if I’m unhappy with the product?”
She punched my arm. I laughed.
“Take it or leave it, mister.”
“I’ll take it.”
She balled her fists, resting them on my pecs. “This is a gentle reminder that you should treat me like a blue jay with the sass of an eagle. I act all tough, but I’m flighty and get easily scared. So, you know…” She trailed off, shaking her head and chuckling at the awkwardness between us. “Just…don’t fuck it up, okay?”
“Trust me, I’m going to try my fucking hardest.”
“Potty word.” Gravity’s head snapped up from the dogs. “Ha! What do I get for not telling Grandma about it?”
“Nothing.” I gave her an incredulous look. “Your Grams is not my mother. I don’t care if she knows I use potty words.”
I was still embracing her mother, holding my breath that she wouldn’t say anything bad about it, like “get your filthy hands off my mommy, bozo.”
Instead, Gravity shrugged and said, “I want my dinosaur.”
Dylan shot me an inquisitive look.
“I bribed her so I could talk to you.”
“With a prehistoric creature?”
“With whatever it’d take to get a moment alone with you.” I locked her chin between my thumb and index fingers, tilting her head up for a kiss. “Gravity?” I asked.
“Hmm?” the small child answered, back to tucking flowers behind the canines’ ears.
“I’m going to kiss your mommy now. Can I do that?”
“Only if I get two chocolates and an ice cream.”
“You drive a hard bargain, but I’ll take it.”
Then I leaned Dylan back and gave the entire playground a display that almost landed me in jail.