Harlow
Grant brought a tray of fruit and cheese into the bathroom, along with sparkling water. I let him feed me and tried not to tease him too badly. He was trying so hard to take care of me. If this made him feel like he was protecting me, then I would let him do it.
Once he finished bathing me and drying me off, he carried me to the living room and tucked us under a blanket on the sofa. The gas fireplace was lit, and he opened the window wide so we had a view of the Gulf.
We didn’t talk much. Instead, we just watched the waves crash on the shore and the people walking up and down the beach. When someone swam out into the water, I wondered if Grant’s thoughts went to Jace. I didn’t know him, but even mine did. It made me sad for everyone who had lost him, especially Bethy. Now that I had Grant, I couldn’t imagine what she was going through.
“We get to hear the heartbeat next week,” he finally said, breaking the silence. There was a pained sound to his voice, as if he weren’t sure what he thought about that.
“I know. I’m anxious,” I told him, but I didn’t look up at him. I couldn’t right now. I was excited and hopeful, but I knew his face would portray something completely different.
“I don’t want you to think that I don’t want a child with you. You’re the only woman on earth I want to have my baby. But I want you more. I just . . . I don’t think I can do this without you. If I lost you . . .” He stopped and swallowed hard. I could hear it.
I turned in his arms and laid my head on his chest. I knew what he was saying. If I died, he didn’t think he could be a father to the baby. I knew otherwise. It would take him time, but I knew he would become the world’s best father. “We’re going to be OK,” I assured him.
His arms tightened around me, and he held me close. The beating of his heart comforted me. Closing my eyes, I embraced the moment and decided I would create a vault in my brain to keep the memories of times like this one. Maybe even write some of them down. Yes, that was what I would do: I would write moments like this one down for our baby to read one day . . . just in case.
If I wasn’t around to raise the child, then I wanted our baby to know how much I loved it and that it was born out of love. Until a few months ago, I hadn’t known just how much love I had been born from. Seeing Kiro with Emily had changed everything for me. I had heard that he loved my mother, but growing up and watching him treat women as if they were nothing but toys made it a little hard to believe. Then I saw him with my mother. I saw him brush her hair, heard him talk to her so sweetly. She couldn’t talk back—she didn’t even know he was there—but he adored her. Even now. After all this time.
I wish I had known that as a child. It would have given me more security and trust. I wanted our child never to question that Grant and I loved each other.
But now wasn’t the time to tell Grant about my idea to write notes to the baby. He didn’t need reminders of the future. I believed I was strong enough to make it. I wanted him to believe that, too.
“Rush said that your dad doesn’t know about the pregnancy,” Grant said, threading his fingers through mine.
I hadn’t told Dad, because I knew he would be furious that I was going through with it. He had enough to deal with right now, protecting Emily from the world. Slacker Demon was no longer touring, and everything had changed for him in a few short months.
“I don’t think he needs anything else to deal with right now. He has his hands full,” I explained.
“He’s gonna find out. The doctor’s office today . . .” He trailed off.
I hadn’t thought about that. Would the media mention that I was visiting an ob-gyn? Would they say something about Grant being with me? Oh, crap. “Do you think they’ll even mention that? They didn’t get a photo of either of us.”
Grant let out a sigh and squeezed my hand. “Yeah, baby. I think they will. Right now, you’re hard to get any info on, and they’ve been trying. With your dad off the grid, they’re searching for anything. And they don’t necessarily need evidence to stir up some drama.”
I would have to call my dad. He couldn’t find out this way.
“I’ll call him tomorrow when we get home. Actually, are we going home today or tomorrow?” I asked, looking around the suite he had booked just so we could have sex. Did he intend for us to stay here tonight?
“I want you in my bed,” he said as he brushed his thumb over my bottom lip.
I wanted to be in his bed, too. I wanted to get back to Rosemary Beach, and I wanted to be with him. Seeing Blaire was a plus. There were things about pregnancy that I wanted to ask her about. And I wanted to see Nate.
“You ready to go?” I asked him.
A cocky grin touched his sexy lips. “Yeah, but first, I want something to eat.”
We had just eaten. I frowned, and Grant’s sexy grin stayed in place as he laid me back on the sofa. He leaned down over me and brushed his lips against mine. “I wasn’t talking about food,” he whispered.
I managed to grab onto the sofa and hold on tight while he moved down my body and began to love me with his very talented mouth.
“Ah! OK . . . you can’t . . . do this . . . Ah! Oh, God! But I get to do the same to you next.” I panted as his tongue circled my clit. He lifted his head to look up at me. Seeing his beautiful mouth right there, hovering over me, made me tremble. It was a breathtaking sight.
“You don’t have to bargain with me to get me to let you put that sexy mouth on me,” he said. He kept his eyes on me as he flicked his tongue over my swollen, aching bud. “Tastes so damn good. I missed this.” He placed both of his hands on my thighs and pushed them open farther. “Could eat this all fucking day and never get tired of it.”
His naughty words had me crying out things I wasn’t sure made sense. I was lost to the sensation. Nothing mattered at the moment but him. And this.
Grant
I had been woken up by two texts and a call from the job site in Sandestin. We had a condo going up there, and they had some issues I had to handle. Leaving Harlow curled up in my big bed like an angel wasn’t easy.
She had been asleep when we got home last night, and I’d carried her to bed and undressed her. All she had managed was a few mumbled sentences that didn’t make sense, but they’d been damn cute.
I fixed my thermos of coffee and swept up the mud that had piled up by the door, because I really didn’t want Harlow seeing that. I’d have to get someone else to come in and clean the rest of the place today. Glancing at my phone, I knew I needed to go, but I was waiting for Rush to wake up Blaire and get her to call me. If I had to leave Harlow, I wanted someone keeping her company today.
The screen lit up, and I sighed in relief at Blaire’s name.
“Hey,” I said, walking away from the bedroom door so I wouldn’t wake Harlow.
“Good morning. You’re back?” Blaire asked.
“We’re back,” I replied. “She needs sleep, but she’ll want to see you and needs a friend while I’m gone. I won’t be but a few hours. I wouldn’t normally go, but it’s a big client, and I need to fix some shit.”
“I’m dressing now. Rush is going to spend the day with Nate, and I’ll take care of Harlow. Don’t worry about her. I won’t leave her.”
I didn’t have a sister, but Blaire was a damn good alternative. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome, but this is for me as much as you. I want to see her. You weren’t the only one who missed her.”
Smiling, I grabbed my keys and made sure to leave the note on the counter where she would see it. “Yeah, but I missed her the most.”
Blaire chuckled. “I won’t argue with that.”
“Thanks again, Blaire. I left her a note to call you when she gets up. But she may not call. I never know with her. She worries about bothering people.”
“I’ll just show up in an hour or so. Go to work, Grant. I got this.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I hung up and stuck my phone into my pocket. Glancing back at the bedroom door, I saw it open slowly. Harlow walked out, dressed in one of my T-shirts, which I had put on her last night. Her hair was all over the place, and her face had pillow creases on it. I had never seen anything more beautiful.
“You leaving?” she asked in a sleepy voice.
I walked back to her. “I didn’t want to wake you. I’ve got an issue at one of the job sites,” I explained as I slid my arms around her waist.
“OK. I heard you talking,” she said, blinking slowly while her eyes adjusted to the sunlight pouring into the room.
“I called Blaire. She’s coming to keep you company today. She missed you.”
A smile lit up her face. “Oh, good. I wanted to see her.”
Leaving sucked, but this made it a little easier. I was giving her space to be alone and have girl time. Harlow had very little of that in her life, and I wanted her to have good friendships. The girl I’d first met didn’t have anyone. She lived for her books and stayed in her room. I wanted more for Harlow than that.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. You enjoy your time with Blaire, but call me if you need anything.” I kissed her lips. Nothing was ever as good as kissing Harlow.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and melted into me. This didn’t make leaving easier. I was about ready to say screw the job site when she stepped back and pressed a hand to her now-swollen lips. “OK, go. We can do that when you get back.”
“You be ready for me, because I have plans for you when I get home,” I told her, then blew her a kiss before finally leaving. I was going to be a little late, but they could wait. I’d get there when I got there.