Chapter 39
Chapter thirty-nine
Emma
Storm incoming.
~ Two Days Later ~
“Ladies, your chauffeur has arrived,” Grey calls from the entrance as we collect our phones and purses from the kitchen island. The guys have arranged a shopping day of heels and gowns for the team’s fundraiser gala this weekend in support of a charity for sick children.
It will be a full day of giving, starting with a fun event with some of the sick kids and their families in a huge hall the team rented out.
There will be activities for all, with the whole team getting involved.
Face painting, arts and crafts stations, eating contests, board games, some more physical games for the kids that can participate, and much, much more.
Then later that night, there’ll be a gala for the donors with a live auction where the players are up for bid, and each female guest will be appointed one of the sick children.
If we win the bidding, we’ll get a friendly dinner date with the player, and the kid we were representing will get to spend the day with that player, doing anything of their choosing.
I’m already prepared to spend a lot of money on Greyson. There’s no way I’m letting any other female near him, certainly not over dinner. Friendly or not. I’m a jealous bitch, what can I say?
I walk over to Grey first, passing Daisy while waiting for the rest of the girls. “Take care of our babies while I’m gone.”
He pulls me in by the waist. “Always.” He kisses my forehead once, then rests his against mine with his eyes closed. “Buy something sexy. I want everyone to see how lucky I am to call you mine.”
“I’ll buy the sexiest dress I can find, then I’ll know your eyes will be solely on me all night,” I say, smiling.
“My eyes are always on you, Emma. Only you,” he whispers back, then pulls away, kissing my cheek.
The girls file past us, saying bye to the men and heading out the door to the waiting luxury van.
“Here.” Grey holds up his credit card. “For whatever you need.”
I frown down at it, just like I do every time he hands it to me.
“Just take it, Em. You’re my date. It’s my job to pay for your dress.”
I roll my eyes and snatch the card, placing it inside my purse, knowing full well I won’t be using it.
Every time he gives me his card, whether it’s for groceries or shopping, I never use it, even if it’s something for Gracie or the house.
I have more than enough money with multiple trust funds, inheritances, and investments. Might as well use my own.
“Mama, Mama, Mama,” Gracie chants from behind me as she slowly sidesteps against the wall, heading in my direction.
I take the few steps left between us and lift her into my arms, dropping a big wet kiss to her cheek and neck, making her squeal with joy. “My beautiful Little Tulip. Mommy will be right back, okay?”
My eyes go round as I realize what I just said. Having her call me Mama all the time now makes it hard for me not to respond the same way. When I look at Greyson, all he does is give me that smirk and wink.
I turn back to Gracie, ignoring him. “Be good with Daddy and your uncles.” I lean into her ear, pretending to tell her a secret. “But mostly be good to your future boyfriend, and make sure he treats you right. If he doesn’t, just tell your uncle Sy, he’ll deal with him.”
When I turn my gaze to Grey, he looks quite displeased with my comment and in total disapproval. Which makes the biggest grin spread along my lips.
“Don’t be putting thoughts in her head. I decide who she can and can’t date.”
My smile instantly dims at his words. Again, making it clear who has the real authority when it comes to Gracie. I clear my throat and pass him Gracie in his free arm, kissing her cheek once more, then Daisy’s snout. “Bye, my little flowers.” I turn and head for the door.
“No, Emma. Wait. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry if it came out wrong. I just meant—”
“It’s fine, Grey. I gotta go, the girls are waiting,” I cut him off, even if I feel anything but fine in this moment.
It’s gotten to the point where I analyze everything he says, looking for double meanings in each word, wondering which ones are true and which ones aren’t. I hate this. I hate thinking this way and doubting everything.
It’s why when he calls my name, asking me to wait again, and says, “I love you, Bunny,” all I can do is muster a small smile before turning and entering the car.
That little voice in my head rears its ugly face, telling me I can’t trust him, telling me that he’ll do it again. That every time he’ll get mad at me, every time I’ll make a mistake, he’ll remind me where I stand, where my place really is.
It took us a little over three hours to find everything we needed for the gala. Which is pretty good when it includes five girls, five dresses, and five sets of heels.
Morgan went with a sleeveless blush-pink sheath dress that’s ruched at the waist and hip on one side, with a small train and a thigh-high slit. Cecilia chose a sexy burgundy strapless mermaid dress, with a split down the center starting midway up her thigh.
Ronnie, on the other hand, decided on something a little more dramatic that will definitely shine a spotlight on her.
It’s a one-shoulder, long-sleeved, champagne-colored, A-line, sequined dress.
Her slit is wide open compared to all of ours, showcasing her legs beautifully before falling back down to the floor in the back.
It also has a deep V-neckline held together by a mesh fabric.
Then there’s Aubrey, the angel of our group.
She got the simplest dress the store had, and yet on her it’s absolutely stunning and shows off her figure perfectly.
A beautiful eucalyptus-green, A-line, floor-length dress with a scooped neckline, spaghetti straps, and a leg slit. Effortlessly beautiful, just like her.
In my case, I went with a black off-the-shoulder, sleeveless, form-fitted dress. A split starts on my right thigh, then goes down in a diagonal opening to reveal the bottom of my left leg as well, with a brush train.
I wasn’t 100% sold on the dress, but the girls assured me Greyson would die seeing me in it.
They also claimed it would make my hair stand out even more, which I’m not opposed to at all.
The amount of money I put into my hair products to keep it shiny and vibrant is ridiculous, but I love it, so might as well show it off.
Our chauffeur pulls up in front of Morgan’s house, and we all exit once he’s opened the door.
We’re all waiting by the end of the van as he removes our purchases from the trunk when several cars pulling into the driveway across the street catch our attention.
First a shiny red sports car containing the owner of the home, next a big black Jeep with a massive rogue-looking man covered in tattoos.
There’s an SUV that pulls up along the sidewalk at that moment, where the driver climbs out of his seat, walks around the car, and opens the back passenger door.
A man equally as tall as the first two stands straight, adjusting the cufflink to his suit.
He seems like the type to always wear a scowl on his face with how serious he looks.
And finally, a man we all recognize steps out of a black Audi.
“Shane?” Aubrey gasps suddenly, slapping a hand to her mouth as she blushes. “Oh God, I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
The men across the street suddenly all turn their eyes on us. Two with questions, one looking like a deer caught in headlights, and the other looking a bit too happy to see a group of women standing nearby. You can guess who is who.
“And from the looks of it, loud enough for them to hear,” I giggle.
The happy neighbor strolls down his driveway toward Shane and places his arm over his shoulder, whispering something to him, to which Shane shakes his head and looks reluctant. But the man at his side doesn’t seem to care and drags Shane across the street while the other two men follow behind.
“Good afternoon, ladies. I thought it was about time we did some proper introductions, don’t you think?” The neighbor flashes us his devilish, flirty smile.
“Well, given that most of us have seen you naked, or partially naked, I think that would be appropriate.” I wink with a smirk and a hand propped on my hip.
“What can I say? When there are beautiful women around, my clothes just seem to disappear… poof.” He makes a show of hands as he says the word, like he’s making it magically disappear.
The three men to his side all groan or shake their heads with an eye roll, while we ladies can’t help but giggle. Except for Aubrey, who’s getting rosier by the second. This guy knows how to charm the ladies.
The flirty neighbor stretches his hand out to me first. “Jessie Storm. The better-looking brother. Pleasure to meet you.”
I take his hand with a laugh and shake it. “Likewise. Emma Mackenzie.”
He goes on to do the same with the rest as the tatted man steps up. “Jason Storm,” he says with a gruff, serious voice, but then a small smirk appears with a little twinkle in his eyes. “The stronger brother.”
Next the suited man comes to stand before me with a sigh as he puts his cellphone away in the inner pocket of his suit jacket.
“Julian Storm.” He looks at Jessie and Jason, who both wait to see what he says next.
Julian breathes heavily through his nose like he’s annoyed but used to this.
“The smarter brother,” he says with a tight smile.
“Not so smart if you play into their antics,” I giggle.
His smile turns amused for a split second. “That I must agree to.”
He proceeds to shake the other girls’ hands but stops in front of Aubrey. He glances at Shane who gives him wide eyes, a private message clearly being passed, but all it does is make Julian chuckle.