Grayson
. . .
TWENTY-EIGHT
I enter the front door of The Den and gently close it behind me. I can hear Maisie and Roxy having a conversation in the kitchen, so I head that way.
“Roxy? Exactly how booked out is the ranch this summer?” Maisie asks wearily. It seems I’ve arrived just in time.
“About that. We need to find you a new home, dear.” Roxy's tone is full of sympathy.
I slowly creep down the hallway to hear where Maisie will take this conversation. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that she likes her routine. I know this is going to put a giant wrench in it.
“Well, I could crash at Chesney's in the meantime,” Maisie offers.
“I’m afraid he’s been working on renovations, and it’s not suitable for guests at the moment. I would offer up The Den, but all our spare rooms are full of supplies for this season.”
“Oh, well, I could get a hotel for a bit. No biggie.”
I enter the kitchen, coming up behind Maisie. Roxy sees me but says nothing. “You can stay at my place.”
“Well isn’t that sweet,” Roxy chirps.
Maisie’s shoulders tense. She slowly turns and drags her gaze up my body. “Oh, no, I couldn't impose. A hotel will do just fine.”
I chuckle at that. “Good luck finding a room, honey.”
Her cheeks turn that pretty pink color I love so much. “Surely they have at least one vacancy.”
“Sure, probably, but there would have to be a hotel in this town for you to make that phone call. I’ll save you the trouble of searching: there’s not.” My body gravitates towards her until our chests are almost pressed together.
“I could sleep on the couch,” Maisie supplies over her shoulder to Roxy. Roxy thankfully stays out of it.
“Don’t be ridiculous. There will be cowboys in and out of here before the sun rises each morning. That’s no way to sleep after a long day on the ranch. I have an extra room, so stop making this difficult and just move in with me.” I realize my mistake right as the words leave my lips.
“Move in with you?” she says, her voice raising an octave.
My hand finds the base of my neck, where I tug on the long strands peeking out of my hat. Old habits die hard. “You know what I mean. Just for the meantime, you can live with me. There’s no other option here. It’s just a room for you to sleep in, okay?”
She huffs and gives in. “Okay, fine, but just until I can figure something else out.”
I’m smiling like the Cheshire cat now that I have her safety in my house secured. That was easier than I thought it would be. Fate must be on my side for once.
“You know, I’m genuinely impressed with the amount of stuff you managed to bring on a flight. Is that…is that a cactus?”
I look around at the cabin Maisie has managed to turn into a home this past month. It’s fully packed to the brim with little pieces of her.
“Yes, and his name is Steve, thank you very much.” She snags the little cactus into her arms full of other knickknacks, and I rush to take them from her.
“I’ll put these in my truck while you pack up your clothes.” She hands over her stuff and disappears into her room.
I’m heading for her front door when something jumps out and trips me. I almost drop Steve in the process. “Fuck,” I hiss. I’m not trying to piss Maisie off on the first day she’s living under my roof. I could totally see her threatening me with a kitchen knife.
The little rascal weaves in and out of my legs as I try to walk towards the door to no avail.
I almost forgot about the damn cat, but she sure as hell hasn’t forgotten about me.
I probably should have thought this through a little more before inviting her to live with me—her fluffball would be joining too.
This was always the plan, though. Moretti did say keep her close.
There’s nothing closer than having her in the room next to me.
I’ll just have to endure everything that comes with her.
“Go on, get,” I whisper-shout at the little fur devil.
It continues to follow me, rubbing up against my jeans with each step I take.
“Your mom is going to have my ass if I let you out the front door. Can you please just move…over there.” I gesture with my hands towards Maisie’s room, hoping it takes the hint.
It does the opposite. It starts climbing my pant leg like a tree, snagging my skin the whole way up.
“Shit,” I grunt in pain, trying to gently shake the thing off me. It only grips tighter, like a million little pin pricks.
I take a deep breath before I lose my shit and all hell breaks loose.
I gently set Maisie’s stuff on the couch before awkwardly scooping the little rat off my pants.
I have to tug a couple times before it releases.
I hold it out in front of me like a bag of stinky garbage, all the way to Maisie’s room to hand it off.
By the time I make it to her room, it’s somehow flipped around my hand, using my arm as a tree branch to run across.
It sits perched on my shoulder when I finally enter Maisie’s room, purring like a machine.
Maisie brings her hand to her mouth. “Aww, I just knew you two would be best buds. Hang on.” She feels around the pile of mayhem on her bed, finding her phone.
“Smile!” she shouts, whipping her phone up so fast to take a photo before I’ve registered what’s happened.
She looks down at it with a huge smile on her face.
“That is so going on the fridge,” she squeals.
I groan, rolling my shoulders out and secretly hoping my new friend will accidentally fall off in the process. No such luck. Instead, it digs its claws in even further, snagging my shirt. Great.
I gesture at my shoulder. “Can you take it?”
Maisie’s face scrunches. “It? She’s a cat, for one.” She walks up, scooping the thing from my shoulder, leaving behind a second snag and a ball of fur stuck to my mustache. “And two, she has a name, it’s Evie.”
“Like the Pokémon?” I huff, trying to blow the hairball from my lip.
“Wrong spelling, but that would be pretty cute. Maybe the next one, I can name after a different Pokémon. How fun!”
Oh God. Did I just create a monster?
“Another one? I think one of those things is enough.”
She brings a hand to her chest. “Never. There can never be too many of these cute faces.” She squishes Evie’s cheeks, giving her back a rub, and the cat eats up every last drop of attention and praise Maisie sends her way. She’s in heaven.
Me too, girl. Me too.
We get all of Maisie’s things packed in my truck and make the short drive over to my cabin. Maisie cleaned everything before we left, so it’s ready for the new guests tomorrow. I’m just getting her last bag through the door when I spot her looking around aimlessly.
“Umm, where do you want me? I can take the couch no problem.” She makes to head towards the couch, but I halt her with my palm.
“I would rather give you my bed than let you sleep on the couch. But no, I have a spare room.”
“Isn’t that Nova’s room? I don’t want to impose on her space. The couch honestly looks comfier than the bed I’ve been sleeping on. I’m easy.”
I have to bite my lip to keep my inappropriate laugh back. Maisie is anything but easy, but that’s why I like her. I’ve always loved a good challenge.
I swipe the bag off her shoulder, flicking my chin down the hall. “I have more than two bedrooms in my house. There’s plenty of space for you.”
Maisie follows behind me. “Really? How many rooms are there? I didn’t realize your house was this big. I mean, I guess it makes sense, looking from the outside, but it just seems like a lot of space for one man.” She winces at her words.
I push open the door next to Nova's. “Four bedrooms and two bathrooms.” I don’t know why I do it, but I say the words I thought would always be out of reach.
“I always envisioned having a big family. I didn’t get that growing up.
It was just me and Laine. I built this house hoping to fill it with my own family one day.
It’s, well, it’s great for having Nova over, I guess. ”
Maisie’s round eyes find mine. “You want kids?” she whispers.
I nibble my lip, setting her bag on the bed.
“It was a dream at one point, yeah. Now, I’m not sure I’m suited for it.
Life goes by fast, and, before you know it, I’ll be old and gray.
I’m not sure kids are in the cards for me anymore, if I’m being honest. I have Nova, and she’s more than enough.
” Even I can hear the disappointment in my words.
Maisie doesn’t back down. “But you wanted them? You…want to be a dad?” Her eyes look so hopeful and my chest twinges.
Does she want kids? I wasn’t sure if she would with everything she’s been through. I should have known. She’s an empath and caretaker at heart. She would make the perfect mother, and any child would be lucky to have her.
I let my honesty bleed through for once. “In a perfect world, yes, I would love that very much. But life isn’t always rainbows and sunshine.” What I don’t say is I’m already 27, and my life is nowhere near safe for a child.
Maisie nods, her lips pinching down at the corners. She points to the bed full of her stuff. “Thank you for this. All of this. I owe you big time for letting me crash here.”
Our fingers brush when I exit her room. “You’re always welcome in my home, Maisie. Even if life isn’t all rainbows and sunshine, there’s always room for you here. Never doubt that.”
Again, what I don’t say is that I’ll be able to breathe better tonight knowing she’s under my roof, safe and protected. It feels right having her here, even if she’s not in my bed with me.
She belongs here.