7. Maisie #2
My face heats. “I didn’t…” I let out a deep exhale. “I… You’re insufferable, you know that?” I clasp my hands behind my back with an unbothered smile. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. I’m here to spend time with my family. So if you’ll excuse me, I have better things to do.”
“Have fun with those better things, Maisie.”
I stomp my foot, aiming to go find Roxy. She finds me first, swooping back into the kitchen like she never left. Perfect timing, almost as if she conspired to let him verbally have his way with me before returning.
“Those plans, Roxy?” I ask in a sickening sweet voice only reserved for her.
Grayson saddles up next to Roxy and gives her a kiss on the cheek. “You’re looking at them,” he says, smooth as whiskey.
No. No. No. No! I shoot pleading eyes at my aunt. “Please tell me he’s just messing with me?”
Her apologetic, pained smile hits me straight in my gut. “Afraid not today, dear. Gray here is the foreman on our ranch. Really, there’s no better man to show you the ropes,” she says with a pep in her step, trying to sell the appeal of this man to me.
“Foreman…” I trail off.
Grayson’s grin is feline. “As in the man who runs the show, honey.”
I don’t like the sound of that one bit. “Why not Ches? He’s your son. You would think he would be in charge of something around here.” I’m being ridiculous, pulling at strings, but I really don’t want to be tied to this man all day.
Roxy's sweet voice tries to soothe my rising emotions. “Ches runs the show too, just in different ways. He prefers to be the face of the ranch, and Gray here runs the show behind the scenes.”
I turn my accusatory glare to Grayson now. “Then why is he the one birthing a cow right now instead of you?”
“I’m on baby duty this morning,” he responds, his tone flat.
“Clearly not. Ches is the one out there doing the hard work.”
Feet patter in the distance, an overactive little girl barreling into the room. She commands our attention. She looks at Grayson with pure adoration in her eyes, a rainbow unicorn with a pink glittering horn in her arms. “Can I have another cupcake before we leave for school?”
His eyes go wide, quickly bending down to swipe his thumb across the lingering frosting on her adorable chipmunk cheeks. “Carrot. She meant another carrot, didn’t you, sweet girl?” he mumbles, trying to pacify a narrow-eyed Roxy.
She wrinkles her nose in disgust, her blonde pigtails bouncing. “Cawots? I don’t like those. You know that, silly goose,” she says, booping him on the nose.
I feel like an interloper, intruding on this little family moment between the three of them, even though, technically, I’m the blood relative here. I watch it all play out like a fish out of water, flopping back and forth between their interactions.
The Grayson I’m seeing right now is completely opposite of the one I met last night.
He’s like putty in front of this little girl.
I can’t help the uncomfortable feeling rising in my throat at seeing them together.
Is she his little girl? Is he taken? The way they are so comfortable together, one would assume so.
Grayson must see that thought written on my face, because he turns back to the little girl, booping her nose right back. “Nova, I thought the cupcake was our little secret,” he whispers, loud enough for all of us to hear.
Nova? Why does that name sound familiar? Then, I remember Ches asking about her last night. Laine and Nova. Roxy reads my confusion and mouths his niece to me. I have no reason to care, but something settles at the realization.
Her forest green eyes turn wide, her hand slipping over her mouth, dropping her unicorn stuffy the size of her body to the floor. Gray plays along, throwing a hand to his mouth, and then she’s giggling into her palm, high pitched and full of life, before Grayson joins along.
It’s…cute. Okay, it’s fucking adorable, and I’m pretty sure my grinch heart just doubled in size watching them.
A man good with children is like a wet dream at my age.
I may not be ready for kids quite yet, but I think about having them often enough to know a good apple when I see one.
And apparently, Grayson is one fine fucking apple.
Nothing gets past this little girl. After calming from her laughter, she whispers to Grayson. “Can I have another cawot?” She winks at him over exaggerated. I can’t keep the silly grin off my face.
He chuckles, flicking her on the nose. “If you have any more sweets, you're going to turn into a sugar monster,” he says, tickling her belly. She squeals, trying to get away, but he wraps her in his arms, blowing raspberries on her tummy.
She screams out of control until she spots Roxy drinking her coffee in the corner. “Grandma Foxy, help me!” Grayson sets her down, and she runs over to Roxy, clinging to her leg. “That scary monster is trying to eat me.”
Roxy places a protective arm on Nova’s back. “I would never let that monster get you,” she coos, setting down her coffee.
I shuffle on my feet awkwardly, not wanting to ruin the moment but also not really sure what to do with myself. Social anxiety is a real bitch sometimes. On the second awkward shuffle, the floor board groans under my boot, and those piercing green eyes that match Grayson’s snap to me.
Nova gasps, unwrapping herself from Roxy. “Hi,” she says excitedly. “I’m Nova. Who are you?”
She’s blunt, a little girl who’s sure of herself. Sometimes, I wish I could be free with my words like kids, before the world's expectations and judgements latched themselves to my brain like leeches.
I drop into a crouch. “Hi, Nova. That’s a beautiful name. My name is Maisie. How old are you?”
She looks down at her hand, struggling to lift her fingers. She lifts four fingers with a lopsided smile. “I’m this many,” she says with pride. Grayson lifts her thumb so she’s now holding up five fingers. She giggles, sticking her tongue out at him.
“Wow, that’s a lot.”
She nods eagerly. “So many, I can ride my bike all by myself now!”
I can see now why she has Grayson and Roxy wrapped around her tiny finger. I give her hand a soft squeeze. “Wow, you must be so brave.”
“Yup! Mommy says I’m the bravest girl she knows.”
“You must be pretty special then, aren’t ya?” I reply, squishing my nose in a smile. “You seem like you’re feeling better today too.”
“I’m not sick, silly,” she giggles, tilting her head at me. Roxy gives me a subtle, weary head shake, so I drop it.
“I think my brain got scrambled like eggs from the plane ride,” I reply with a wink.
Grayson watches us closely but doesn’t say a word. From what I’ve gathered, he’s very protective of Nova and her mom. I’m sure he’s just making sure I don’t upset this little girl who is clearly his whole world, but his attention is debilitating.
Nova puffs out her chest, all serious. “I like you. Can we be friends?"
Three simple words from this little girl, and my world flips upside down. I know it’s silly, but hearing someone who is so sure in life say they like me, it’s like a sucker punch to the gut. In just minutes, this little girl has deemed me important enough to be a part of her life.
I let out a shaky laugh. “I would love that, Nova.”
She tugs on my arm, dragging me behind her. “Uncle Gway, can Waisie drop me off at school today too?” she pleads.
“Uhhh…well, I—”
“Please?” She pins him with Puss and Boots eyes, the green around her eyes growing. He’s a goner.
He looks at me, gauging my reaction. I can’t tell if he’s pleading for help or wants me to come but doesn’t know how I feel about it. Honestly, I’m like a deer in headlights.
Do I want to go with them?
She tugs on his shirt, her bottom lip dramatically pursed. He chuckles uncomfortably, taking off his hat to run his fingers through his long brown locks.
He looks over at me one last time before replacing his hat and grabbing Nova’s hand.
“Well, I guess that’s up to your new friend.
” His hesitant eyes find mine. “What do you say, Maisie? Care to ride shotgun in my truck to drop this little monster off at school?” He rubs his knuckles on Nova’s head, messing up her perfectly curled pig tails.
She swats at his hand, and then those puppy dog eyes are on me. “Waisie?”
Yup, now I’m a goner. “How could I say no to that adorable face?”
“YAYYYYYYY! ROADTRIP!” she screams, racing towards her stuffy. “Let’s go, Mr. Sparkles Sugarplum Pinky Glitter Bum!”
She jumps into Roxy’s arms, giving her a quick kiss before shuffling down and grabbing my hand to drag me to Grayson’s truck. Roxy winks at me, and Grayson follows closely behind us.
“We’ll be right back,” he shouts to a smiling Roxy, that knowing look back on her face.
“Please, take your time,” she cheers.
What have I gotten myself into?
Research notes: cowboys are pushovers.