10. Gray
Chapter ten
Gray
It’s the morning after the funeral, and I’ve been in my office for twenty minutes. Feels like twenty years.
I pace, running a hand through my hair, staring out the window but not really seeing anything. My brain is stuck on one thing.
Maddie.
What the hell am I supposed to do now? I promised her that I’d look after her.
Nicole told me from day one—she wanted me to take care of Maddie if anything ever happened since there was a sperm donor for a father.
So now, it should be easy to take full custody and be Maddie’s legal guardian. My mine is spinning with all the details that have to be handled.
I pull my phone out of my pocket, and as I do, this morning’s breakfast flicks through my mind.
Avery looked worse than death warmed up. And Maddie…
I’m not gonna lie, when Nicole first dumped…
I mean asked me to look after Maddie, I could barely stand the kid.
She was loud and whiny; always up to something.
But lately? I don’t know. She’s… she’s growing on me.
This morning, she wasn’t her usual annoying, naughty little self.
She just looked… lost. Distant. Like a kid who knew the world just changed in a way she wasn’t ready for.
I exhale, rubbing my temples, then scroll through my contacts until I find the name I’m looking for.
Samuel Harrington.
We met years ago after Seymore, Pacific Crest’s Chief Legal Officer, introduced us.
Harrington owns one of the top family law firms in the city.
We used to play golf occasionally at the Westhaven Country Club.
Haven’t spoken in a year or so. Last time we played, I lost. Which I’m sure he’ll remind me of the second he picks up.
I hit call.
It rings. And rings.
I’m about to hang up when the line clicks and a familiar voice comes through.
“Well, call the papers, if it isn’t my old friend Grayson Hayes.”
“Sammy.” I exhale. “How’ve you been? I know it’s been a long time.”
“Oh, you know, same old, same old. I noticed you haven’t been to the Club in ages. Decided to give up on golf?”
I can already hear the smirk in his voice.
“Probably a good idea,” he continues. “Especially after that last spectacular defeat. What was it again? A brutal drive off the second tee? Or maybe that nasty slice into the bunker on the back nine? Oh! No, wait—my favorite had to be that god-awful three-putt on the 18th.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” I lean against my desk. “And no, I haven’t given up. We can have a rematch anytime you want. You just name the wager.”
“You know,” he drawls. “I might just hold you to that.”
I hear the click of a lighter on his end, the deep inhale of a cigar, and then, “Anyway, my friend, what can I do for you? I’m sure you didn’t just ring to talk about golf.”
“No. Look… I’ve been looking after my niece. Maddie. She’s ten.”
There’s a beat of silence before Sammy responds, “I didn’t even know you had a niece.”
“My sister, Nicole. She… she passed away a few days ago. The funeral was yesterday.”
Another silence. This one is longer. When Sammy speaks again, the light, teasing tone is gone. “Jeez. I’m sorry, Grayson.”
I nod, even though he can’t see me. “Yeah.” I clear my throat. “Nicole had Maddie with a sperm donor, so there’s no real father. She told me once that she was tired of waiting for the right guy.
Sammy exhales, long and slow. “Damn.”
“Yeah. So now, I want to take full guardianship of Maddie. What do you suggest? Can I use your firm?”
“Of course,” he says without hesitation. “Since Maddie’s biological father is unknown, you’ll need to file a petition for guardianship with the local family court. That means proving it’s in Maddie’s best interest to stay with you.”
“She has no one else,” I mutter.
“Exactly. With no other living relatives to contest the petition, the process should move forward in a matter of weeks. Maybe less, depending on the judge.”
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
“We can handle everything for you,” Sammy continues. “Even probate. Managing Nicole’s estate, distributing assets, and paying off any outstanding debts. Whatever needs to be done.”
I nod again. “Appreciate it.”
“Leave it with me. Just send me all your sister’s details and… Maddie, you said her name is?”
“Yes.”
“Send me everything you have on both of them, and I’ll call you back later.”
“Thanks, Sammy.”
“Anytime, my friend.”
I end the call and stare at my phone for a long moment. Then, without thinking too much about it, I open my contacts and start forwarding everything over.
The rest of the day is a blur. Meetings I don’t pay attention to, emails I don’t care about. By mid-afternoon, I’ve had enough. I tell Beth I’m leaving early, ignore the look of shock on her face, and head home.
By the time I get there, Avery’s already picked Maddie up from school.
The house is quiet. Too quiet. I find Clara in the kitchen, her hands deep in a sink full of soapy water.
I lean against the counter. “Can you call Avery down here? I want to have a chat with her.”
She glances up, wiping her hands on a towel. “Of course, Mr. Hayes.” She scurries off, efficient as always.
I head outside, settling onto one of the patio chairs. Clara brings out a cup of coffee and puts it on the table in front of me before disappearing back inside.
The heat from the mug seeps into my palms as I take a slow sip, staring out at the back lawn.
The trees sway lazily in the breeze, the sky a deep, cloudless blue.
It should be peaceful. It should be calming.
It isn’t. My mind is running a hundred miles an hour, jumping from Maddie to the legalities of guardianship to work deadlines I couldn’t care less about right now.
The patio door opens behind me. Clara steps out first, a second cup of coffee in her hand, followed by Avery. She’s barefoot, her hair piled into some messy thing on top of her head, looking both wary and slightly annoyed.
I gesture to the seat across from me. “Sit.”
Avery hesitates for a split second before lowering herself onto the chair. She pulls the coffee cup closer, wrapping her fingers around it, waiting for me to get to the point.
I watch her for a moment, then, before I even know why I’m asking, the words are out of my mouth. “You okay?”
She brushes a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her lips curving slightly. “Umm... maybe I drank a little too much last night when I was out with a friend.”
The corner of my mouth twitches. “Oh, well, you certainly wouldn’t be the first,” I also wonder if it was a male or female friend.
Grayson… not your business.
Something shifts. The air between us tightens, crackling like an impending storm. I should ignore it. I should move past it. But my eyes keep drifting to hers.
Damn, she’s beautiful. Not just in a way that’s easy to say, but in a way that makes it difficult to look anywhere else. And suddenly, I’m remembering that night. The heat of her against me. The way her breath hitched. The way she—
She clears her throat, dragging me back to the present. “You wanted to talk?”
Right. Focus.
I shift in my seat, interlacing my fingers. “Yeah. I wanted to let you know that I've set the wheels in motion for full custody of Maddie. My friend, a family lawyer, is handling everything.”
She blinks, setting her cup down. “Wow... how long could that take?”
“Hopefully not too long.”
She nods, absorbing the information. I lean forward slightly, resting my forearms on my knees. “So, if—or rather, when—I get guardianship, would you be interested in staying on indefinitely to look after Maddie?”
She hesitates, her brows knitting together. Then, after a brief pause, she lifts her gaze to mine. “Yes. I think would.”
“Good.”
There’s a beat of silence, the weight of everything hanging between us. I glance down at my nearly empty cup before looking back at her. “Oh, you’ll never guess who called me last night.”
She leans forward, curious. “Who?”
“Your brother. Jake. We’re going out for a drink sometime next week.”
Her eyes widen slightly, surprise flickering across her face. We hold each other’s gaze for a moment longer than necessary. I drain the last sip of my coffee, setting the cup down with a quiet clink. The air between us shifts again—charged, heavy. I stand, pushing my chair back.
“Right, well... You better go back up and see how little Miss Madam is getting on up there. She’s far too quiet for my liking.”
Avery’s lips curve into a smile, the tension breaking just slightly. She stands as well, and somehow, we end up too close. Inches apart.
Neither of us moves. Neither of us breathes.
Damn, I want to kiss her! No, I don’t. Yes, I do…
Her lips part slightly, her eyes flickering to mine, and then lower. My pulse kicks up and my gaze drops to her mouth. We’re moving closer. Barely a breath between us now.
Then—
“THIS WATCH IS TRASH! IT’S brOKEN!” Maddie’s voice slices through the moment like a sledgehammer.
Avery steps back so fast you’d think she touched a live wire. I exhale sharply, rubbing the back of my neck as Maddie comes barreling up to us, waving her smartwatch in the air.
***
A couple of weeks have gone by, and Maddie and Avery seem inseparable. It’s weird. Maddie seems back to her usual self for the most part, but there’s still something missing.
Something I can’t fix, no matter how much I want to. Maybe she still can’t stand me, but now and then, there are flickers—moments where she lets her guard down, where I feel like she actually wants me around.
At least last week, Sammy managed to arrange access to Nicole’s apartment so we could retrieve the rest of Maddie’s belongings.
That had been… rough. I had expected it to be bad, but walking into that place, knowing Nicole would never be coming back—knowing Maddie would never hear her mother’s voice there again—hit harder than I’d anticipated.
Maddie had been eerily quiet as we went through her things, clinging to Avery like a lifeline. I’d let her take whatever she wanted. Hell, I would’ve carried the entire apartment out on my back if it would’ve made things easier for her.