Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 99434 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99434 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 497(@200wpm)___ 398(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
“I’ll show you a gigantic thing…”
I rolled my eyes. “That thing in your pants better be outstanding if I eventually see it, for all the smack talk you’ve done about it. Now, tell me what’s in this big box.”
“I’ll tell you for a kiss.”
“I already kissed you.”
“Is there a daily limit?” Gray pulled me from sitting next to him onto his lap in the backseat of the car.
I giggled and thought to myself, I don’t freaking giggle.
“I’ve missed you, Freckles. Missed this—feeling like you were mine.” He pulled my hair to the side and kissed up my neck. I sighed and closed my eyes. I’d missed it, too. Although, unlike Gray, I was taking baby steps and not diving into this relationship, so I kept the thought to myself.
“Can I ask you something?” I said.
“Anything.” He inhaled deeply and kept his head buried in my neck. “God, I fucking love the way you smell.”
“Do you think it’s possible to love more than one person at a time?”
I felt him go rigid. “Is there something you want to tell me?”
I laughed. “No. I wasn’t talking about me. But when I saw you looking at the picture of my parents, it got me thinking about how possessive you seem. Would you have been okay with me seeing you and Oliver at the same time?”
He pulled his head from my hair and looked into my eyes. “This is a hypothetical, right? You broke it off with Pencil Dick at lunch the other day?”
“Yes, crazy man. This isn’t about us. I promise. I’ve just struggled my whole life to understand how my mother could accept my father having another woman—another family. And how my father could say he loved his families equally.”
Gray looked relieved that I wasn’t in love with another man. His posture changed, and he stared out the window, giving my question some thought. Returning his eyes to me, he said, “This is a tough question to answer. I don’t want to hurt your feelings by telling you I don’t think it’s possible to love two people equally.”
I sighed. “It’s okay. Neither do I. But so few people know about my family life that I’ve never discussed it with a man. I thought maybe your perspective would be different than mine for some reason.”
“I think there’re different ways of loving people. But if you really love someone, like a man should love his woman, your heart doesn’t have room to love anyone else the same way.”
“So why wouldn’t someone get divorced, then?”
Gray shook his head. “I have no idea. My gut wants to say because he looks at women like possessions.”
“But you seem to be pretty possessive yourself.”
“There’s a difference between wanting to possess someone and being possessive.”
“How so?”
“Possessiveness comes from a fear of losing something you care about. Wanting to possess something means you want to control it, take away its freedom.”
I smiled. “You sound so wise, when normally you sound like a wise ass.”
Gray’s face turned serious. “Neither one of us had ideal role models for relationships growing up. But I like to think I at least learned what not to do. My father’s loyalty was to his work, not to his wives. Mine won’t be. Not anymore. I guess sometimes when your life is forced to stand still for a long period of time, it gives you the chance to look back. Things are clearer that way than when you’re glancing over your shoulder and running forward.”
For the first time, I initiated physical contact. I leaned in and brushed my lips over Gray’s. When I pulled back, we stared at each other for a long time.
“Thank you,” Gray whispered.
“For the kiss?”
“No. For the second chance.”
***
Harper ran full speed at me when we walked in. She wrapped her little arms around my legs and jumped up and down, pointing to the enormous box in Gray’s hands. I still didn’t know its contents. “Is that for me? Is that for me?”
Gray bent down on one knee so he sat eye level with her. “Is your name Harper?” he asked.
She nodded her head fast.
“Is today your sixth birthday?”
More head nodding.
Gray looked at the box and shrugged. “Well, I guess it’s for you, then.”
“Can I open it?”
He glanced up at me for an answer.
“Oh no,” I said. “You brought that massive thing here. You’re not going to make me say she can’t rip into it.”
Luckily, Quinn walked over. She kissed me on the cheek and spoke directly to Gray with a stoic face and attitude. “Trying to buy my kid, huh? Hope you brought me something good. I’m expensive to buy off.”
Gray leaned down and kissed Quinn on the cheek. He spoke with his sexy, gruff voice. “I brought you the best thing possible: Layla. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Quinn.”
She glared at him. “I’d say it was reciprocal, but the jury is still out on that.”