Chapter 33
Chapter thirty-three
Emma
Best birthday gift ever.
~ Gracie’s Birthday / May ~
It’s Gracie’s birthday party today, and guests are just starting to arrive.
Greyson, Cecilia, Morgan, and I have been here since this morning.
We decorated what we could in the indoor playground while Silas and Clay stayed home with Dante and Gracie.
But now that the party is about to begin, I start wandering around the bodies already crowding the place to find the birthday girl, who should be arriving any minute.
Greyson stays back to greet everyone while I head for the entrance.
I spot Silas holding on to Dante’s hand, with Clay a few steps behind carrying an adorable-looking Gracie.
I had gotten her ready before we dropped her off at Clay’s, and I’m really happy to see she still looks decent.
Which is surprising; usually I have to fix her hair at least three times a day.
When they finally enter the building, Clay stops before me, passing over Gracie. “I fixed her hair before taking her out of the car,” he informs me with a knowing smirk. Well, that explains it.
Her light-blonde hair is in two high pigtails with a huge pink bow on the center of her head. She’s wearing a cute dress with ‘One’ written on the front over her chest and a big puffy pink tulle skirt finishing it off. She looks absolutely adorable.
Clay kisses the top of her head with longing in his eyes. “Happy birthday, princess,” he says before smiling sadly at me and walking away.
My heart aches for him and Morgan. Seeing the kids grow up can’t be easy on them. They’ve been trying for a baby for around two years now with no success. It’s unfair, but it will happen. I know it will.
I carry the birthday girl farther into the throng of people, getting stopped every few steps by people wishing the sweet little girl a happy birthday. I’m heading back toward the main table, where Greyson will most likely be, when I spot a familiar face.
“Nadia!”
She swivels on the spot, looking around.
She seems a bit nervous, but then her gaze finally falls on mine and she smiles warmly, the nerves visibly leave her body.
“Emma, hi!” She walks over quickly and hugs my side, kissing my cheek, then turning to Gracie.
“Hi, sweetheart. Happy birthday! God, you keep getting bigger every time I see you.” She peppers her with kisses a few times, then pulls away and blinks rapidly, fanning her face.
“Jesus, why do I always get so emotional around her?” She chuckles.
I place my hand on her arm. “It’s normal, it brings up memories,” I say softly with a tender smile. “Come, let me introduce you to everyone.” I wrap my arm around hers and drag her along with me.
“Hey guys, I’d like you all to meet Nadia.
She’s Gracie’s other aunt from her mom’s side.
Like you guys,” I tell the girls. “Nadia. These lovely women before you are all Gracie’s family.
Cecilia, Morgan, and Ronnie. Mira, Cecilia’s mother-in-law, and Nancy, Gracie’s paternal grandmother. ” I point to each as they wave.
I then look around, noticing one particular blonde head is missing. “There’s only one person missing, aside from the boys… oh! There she is.” I point out in the crowd. “That blonde babe is Aubrey, Greyson’s little sister and Gracie’s biological aunt.”
“Is that?” Ronnie questions as we all watch Brey interact with a certain gentleman.
“Yup. Just look at her, she’s all red,” Cecilia says with a giggle.
“I can’t wait for them to move past this awkward stage. I still don’t understand why they keep denying their attraction,” Morg muses.
“That’s only because she thinks her inexperience and the fact that she doesn’t have her life fully figured out yet makes her not suitable for him,” I say without thinking.
“Shoot, I don’t think I was supposed to tell anyone that.
” I look at all the girls. “You guys heard nothing.” They all nod rapidly.
“I give it till the end of the year before something happens between the two,” Mira adds with an affectionate smile.
“Is that Shane Jefferson?” My eyes go round at the sound of Nancy’s voice. Shit. I forgot she was there. And by the looks on the girls’ faces, so did they.
“Umm…” I start, not sure what to say, but then Nancy waves her hand at me in dismissal.
“Oh, no need to pretend. I knew there was someone getting under my daughter’s skin.
I snuck into her room after she received that gift at Christmas and saw the note with the initials ‘S.J.’ I just hadn’t put two and two together.
Although now I know why she was so hell-bent on getting Greyson off her back after reading the note,” she tells us with a smirk.
Well, at least we know her mom would approve of their relationship. I think Grey will be the hardest to get on board.
“Why are they hiding their attraction?” Nadia leans in, whispering over to me.
“Because that man she’s infatuated with is Greyson’s coach. And he’s just as crazy about her,” I giggle.
Nadia’s eyes go wide. “Ohhh…”
“Yup,” I laugh.
Aubrey suddenly turns to us, her eyes widening when she notices we’re all staring. She quickly excuses herself and rushes over.
“Have a nice chat?” I question with a knowing look.
Her blush takes over, going a deeper shade of red by the second. “It was nothing, he was just asking about the cake I made for Gracie,” she blurts out. She’s probably telling the truth, but the cake talk was clearly only an excuse from Shane to talk to her.
“It’s all right, sweetheart. I won’t say a word to your brother,” Nancy tells her with a motherly smile.
“Why would you say anything to him? There’s nothing to say. Nothing’s going on. So no need to involve Grey into this conversation.” Her eyes grow even bigger, basically popping out of her head, the tips of her ears and nose now alarmingly red. God, she’s adorable. And so bad at lying.
“There you are!” Greyson shows up at my side and wraps an arm around my waist, kissing my temple before cupping his daughter’s cheek with his other hand. “And there’s the beautiful birthday girl. Did you have fun with Uncle Clay, Buttercup?”
Gracie babbles instantly, gifting her father with dazzling smiles that make Wolf’s eyes light up with pride.
He chuckles at how enthusiastically she’s responding to his question, then turns his attention to our latest guest. “Hey, Nadia. Nice to see you again. So what are you girls chit-chatting about all snuggled up here?”
“Nothing!” Aubrey rushes out too quickly, making him furrow his brow. She clears her throat and tries again in a more restrained and calm tone. “Nothing. We were just finishing off introductions. All that was left was you men.” Her eyes turn to mine, pleading with me to save her.
“Right, yes. Nadia, you know Greyson. This is Silas, Cecilia’s husband, and their son, Dante. Beside him is Clay, Morgan’s husband, and then there’s the twins, Gabe and Noah. They aren’t actually twins, but you’ll catch on quickly why we call them that.” They all say hello and wave as I name each.
Gabe walks around our group, heading straight for his target of the last few months. “Hey, Vixen. Looking sexy as always.” He places an arm around Ronnie’s waist, pressing her side into him.
“He’s right, you look delicious, Veronica. That hair just makes you even more gorgeous,” Noah says, throwing his arm around her shoulder, caging her in between them.
“Ugh! Will you two ever give up? There’s fresh meat right in front of you.” She nods over to Nadia, who suddenly looks like a deer caught in headlights. “Go fetch,” Ronnie finishes, trying to push out of their hold, but they won’t let up.
“Nah, baby. We’ve only got eyes for you now.” Gabe leans in with a heated gaze.
She instinctively leans her head away from him, moving closer to Noah, who takes advantage of her position. He brings his mouth closer to her cheek and says, “Only for you, Kitten.” When she turns her head swiftly to face him, he quickly presses his lips to hers before she has time to react.
Ronnie, being the fierce woman she is, slaps Noah right in the face, making everyone looking at the spectacle gasp.
When he pulls away, stunned by the sting of her hand, she grabs his face between her thumb and fingers, bringing his face an inch away from hers and pinching his cheeks together like a fish.
“Don’t you ever try that again, Casanova!” Ronnie then pushes his face away, smacks Gabe’s hand off her waist, and walks away with fury in her eyes.
Noah rubs at his reddened cheek, keeping his eyes on his prey as she walks away. “Damn, why does her anger make her even hotter?”
“I don’t know, man. But I’m all for it.” Gabe smiles wickedly as he watches her, too.
“Now I see what you mean by twins. Double timers,” Nadia whispers to me again, causing me to giggle.
Suddenly, she visibly tenses at my side, straightening her back. “What are they doing here?” She nods toward a couple in their fifties that I don’t recognize. That must be Stephanie’s parents if Nadia knows them.
“Grey invited them, we weren’t sure if they’d come,” I tell her, then look up to Greyson, who still has a hand around my waist and plays with his daughter’s hand between us. “Wolf, I think they’re here.” His eyes lift to mine, then turn in the direction I nod.
He releases his hold on me and takes Little Tulip from my arms, securing her on his hip and lacing our fingers together to lead us toward the couple. We come to a stop before them, and I instantly sense the anxiety surrounding them. I smile warmly at the woman who has her eyes on me.
“Hi, you must be Stephanie’s parents. I’m Greyson, Gracie’s dad. We’ve talked on the phone.” He lets go of my hand to shake theirs. “This is my girlfriend, Emma,” he says, placing his hand at the small of my back.
I reach a hand out. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you both,” I say genuinely as they both take turns shaking it.