15. Avery
Chapter fifteen
Avery
Three months have gone by, and Gray is finally back to his normal self again—which is to say, obnoxious, bossy, and infuriatingly attractive. The only difference now is the small scar on his right cheek, a barely-there reminder of everything that happened.
Oh, and the estate still has the very faint whiff of fresh paint, since the decorators just finished up a few weeks ago.
But the strangest part? The fire did something to him. And I don’t mean physically, though I’m sure he’d love another excuse to gloat about his near-death experience. No, it changed him—in a weirdly positive way.
He seems to have fully embraced his role as Maddie’s new father, which, considering the man couldn’t stand kids before, is nothing short of a miracle. And Maddie?
She’s still as naughty as ever—but she’s not stupid. Not even close. She knows exactly what he risked getting that photo of her and her Mom, and while she still gives him hell, there’s something different in the way she looks at him now. Like he’s hers, and she’s his, and that’s just how it is.
And me?
Well, a couple of months ago, I finally finished my novel, ‘Seduced by the Storm’, and after a whole lot of coaxing, pestering, and borderline blackmail, Gray convinced me to let him read it.
I was so damn nervous. I seriously thought it was garbage, absolute trash, the literary equivalent of an unflushed toilet. But then… He fucking loved it.
Gray. Loved. My. Book.
I still can’t believe it. He did mention that the steamy parts would need toning down a bit, but then offered me a publishing contract with Pacific Crest.
Pacific freaking Crest.
Then with his encouragement and the support of his publishing team, my manuscript was polished and published, and last week, it happened.
My book topped the New York Times Best Seller list, the USA Today Best-Selling Books list, and Amazon’s top charts. After a huge advertising campaign, it sold over ten thousand units in the first week.
Over ten thousand people are out there reading my words right now.
It doesn’t feel real. I still think I’m gonna wake up, and none of this is going to be true. I’ll open my eyes and still be sitting in my bedroom, staring at an empty page, while debating whether or not to just give up before I start.
But it is real. My novel is real. My success… somehow, thanks to Gray, is real. Who’d have thought?
And if that wasn’t enough, he insisted we hire another nanny so I could focus full-time on my writing and promotions. Which, honestly, is a blessing, because between Maddie, my novel, and the constant rollercoaster that is my body right now, I’m barely functioning.
Being just over three months pregnant is a special kind of experience.
I’m exhausted a lot of the time, my body apparently thinks standing up too fast is a crime punishable by immediate dizziness, and I now have an unholy hatred for chicken.
Raw, cooked, grilled, fried—it doesn’t matter.
One whiff, and I’m dry-heaving like I’m in a frat house on Sunday morning.
Which brings me to this morning.
Right now, I’m waiting for Peggy, one of my colleagues from Evergreen Nannies, to come meet Maddie, who is currently downstairs torturing—sorry, helping—Clara to make an apple pie.
And this afternoon? I have my first book signing at Powell's Books.
Oh, and I’ve moved out of my bedroom. I sleep in Gray’s room now.
When I told Cassy, she just stared at me for a long second and then said, “You couldn’t make it up.”
Which, to be fair. I don’t think you could!
I glance at the time, then groan. I have exactly fourteen minutes to make myself look like a semi-respectable adult before Peggy arrives.
With a sigh, I slide off the bed—our bed. The sheets are still warm, the faint scent of Gray lingering in the air, and for half a second, I consider crawling back in and waiting for him to get back from his run.
No. Focus. You have things to do. Be professional. Be responsible. Be a grown-up.
I sigh again, grab a hair tie from the nightstand, and head downstairs.
Ding-Dong.
Of course. Right on cue.
As I reach the bottom step, Clara and Maddie emerge from the kitchen. Maddie is mid-ramble, talking at a speed most people can’t comprehend but Clara somehow keeps up with it.
“—so technically, I can have three slices of apple pie with extra cream because an apple a day keeps the doctor away, cream is milk and milk makes my bones grow stronger, so, that means eating more apples with more cream is even better, right? So three slices is, like, super healthy. Right, Clara? Right? Clara?”
Clara just hums, her expression long-suffering in the way only someone with a shit-load of patience can manage.
I shake my head and step toward the door. “It’s okay, I’ll get this. Can you take Maddie into the library and wait for us in there?”
Maddie immediately screws up her face. “But I don’t want to go into the library! I want to see my new nanny!”
I cross my arms. “Library. Now. Or you’ll end up scaring her off before she even makes it through the door.”
She glares at me like I’ve just ruined her entire existence, kicks the floor hard enough to make a point, and mutters, “Life is just so unfair,” before stomping off, Clara following behind with a small, knowing smile.
I exhale, roll my shoulders back, and pull the door open.
Standing there is Peggy.
She looks… exactly the same as I remember. Very sensible. Very strait-laced. Late forties. Crisp navy blazer over a white blouse, slacks pressed within an inch of their life. Her black hair is cut into a sleek bob, her makeup minimal but well done, and her expression? Kind.
“Hi, Peggy, come in.”
She steps inside, looking around with mild interest as she unbuttons her blazer. “Good to see you, Avery. How’ve you been?”
“Good, thanks. Really good.”
Her lips quirk up. “Oh, Charlotte said not to be a stranger. You should pop in and see her at some point.”
I grin. “I will. But for now, come on—I’ll take you to meet Maddie.”
And if Maddie’s already plotting ways to test her new nanny? Well. That’s Peggy’s problem now.
I lead her into the library, which, luckily, didn’t get too badly burned in the fire. Most of the furniture survived and was reupholstered, but a lot of the books? Total loss.
Water damage from the fire hoses turned them into bloated, wrinkled, unreadable bricks. Gray’s been slowly replacing most of them, though he keeps grumbling about how some were first editions and can’t just be reordered off Amazon like a new toaster.
Maddie, meanwhile, is sitting on the sofa, very obviously trying to cheat at rock-paper-scissors with Clara.
“No, you can’t do paper after I’ve already shown rock!” Clara argues, pointing at Maddie’s sneaky little fingers.
Maddie, completely unbothered, shrugs. “Why not?”
Clara sighs.
I clear my throat, and Clara looks up. Her smile is warm, and she immediately straightens as I motion to Peggy.
“Clara, this is Peggy, the nanny I’ve been telling you about.”
“Nice to meet you,” Clara says, giving her a nod before glancing down at Maddie. “Alright, little troublemaker, time for me to go.”
Maddie leaps up, ready to bolt after her.
“Oh, no you don’t, munchkin,” I cut in, grabbing her before she makes a break for it.
She huffs, arms folding across her chest like she’s just been personally betrayed.
I gesture between her and Peggy. “Maddie, meet Peggy. Peggy, meet Maddie.”
Peggy smiles. “Hello, cutie-pie.”
Maddie eyes her very seriously, looks her up and down, then wrinkles her nose. “Don’t like your blazer.”
Oh my god.
Peggy just shoots me a smile like she’s seen—and handled—this kind of thing a thousand times before.
“Well,” she says easily. “Good thing I have other outfits then, isn’t it?”
Maddie considers this. Then shrugs. “I guess.”
Peggy sits beside her, launching into conversation like they’re old friends. I watch for a moment, then head over to Gray’s desk and drop into his chair, observing.
“So, Maddie,” Peggy crosses one leg over the other. “What do you like to do for fun?”
Maddie perks up. “Make apple pies. And lemonade. And, um… dig for worms.”
Peggy doesn’t even blink. “Sounds fun.”
I bite back a laugh.
A few minutes in—miraculously—it actually looks like they might just get on. And then Gray walks in dressed in his jogging gear.
Since he’s been back from the hospital, he’s been on a whole new fitness régime. Early morning runs. Gym sessions. Something about “taking better care of himself,” and “not wanting to feel like he got hit by a truck again.”
Seriously though, he looks good. Annoyingly good. Slightly sweaty, slightly out of breath, and completely oblivious to the fact that my brain is not where it should be right now.
I stand as he walks over, motioning to Peggy. “Gray, this is Peggy.”
He gives her a quick once-over, then shakes her hand. “Avery’s told me a lot about you.” Then, with zero fanfare, “Okay, carry on.”
Peggy doesn’t miss a beat, just nods, and returns her focus to Maddie, while Gray turns to me, still slightly breathless. “Okay, the book signing has been brought forward to twelve. Let me take a shower, then I’ll have a word with Peggy, then you can get ready, and we’ll head off.”
“Got it. Wait. Do I really need to do this?”
Idiot Avery, you know you have to do it.
He smirks nodding his head, “Of course. But don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”
Oh, shit.
As he turns to leave, he pauses, giving Peggy another assessment before saying, “Come into my study in fifteen minutes. We’ll discuss details.” Then, just like that, he’s gone.
Peggy watches him leave, glances at me with a raised eyebrow, then turns back to Maddie, diving right back into conversation.
I sink back into Gray’s chair, exhaling slowly. My mind is already shifting to the book signing at twelve, which—oh God—I have no idea what to expect. People. Actual people. In a bookstore. With my novel; ‘Seduced by the Storm’, and wanting me to sign it.