Gray jolted as Nick said, “Hey, I think the princess is calling you.”
Gray quickly sat his coffee cup down on the counter and grabbed a chair from the kitchen table. He hurried back towards bathroom and prayed that Suzy would be covered from head to foot now. Gray walked in the bathroom and sat the chair down in front of the vanity. He stepped over to the shower and said a prayer of thanks that Suzy was indeed sufficiently covered for his peace of mind. He stepped into the shower and, almost as if by habit, dropped a quick kiss on her mouth as he put his arms underneath to lift her. “Hey there, beautiful, you from around here?” he joked.
Suzy smiled, grateful to Gray for lightening the mood since her sister Beth was standing not two feet away. “Sorry, babe, I’m way out of your league so save the charm for someone else.”
Gray looked down into her eyes, his expression growing serious and said, “It’s all for you, Suzanna, everything I am is yours.” Suzy stared back at him for a moment, surprised by the change from teasing to seriousness. Gray sat her down on the seat he’d brought into the bathroom with him, and the moment was gone so quickly Suzy had to wonder if she’d imagined the whole thing. One looked into the sappy expression on Beth’s face, though, convinced her that it had been real.
Beth cleared her throat and said, “Gray, my sister needs something for pain, could you get it for her?” Suzy looked at her in surprise. She thought she’d been hiding the misery she was feeling pretty well but apparently her sister read her better than she thought.
Gray frowned down at her. “Baby, why didn’t you tell me you were in pain? I should have known this shower would be too much for you. I’ll be right back with the medication. Just stay here.”
Both she and Beth laughed as he hurried out. “Um, exactly where did he think you were going to go?” They both tried their best to hide their smiles as Gray rushed back in with a glass of water and her medication. He shook one out into his palm and handed it to her. He absently rubbed her leg through her towel while he waited for her to finish and hand him the glass of water back.
“Gray, I’m going to dry Suzy’s hair and help her get dressed.” As he started to protest, Beth said, “I’ll call you if we need your help. Go have some male bonding time or whatever it is that men do when they’re together.”
With one last look at Suzy, Gray reluctantly left the bathroom, and the bedroom door closed quietly behind him. Beth looked at her sister when he left and said, “You know he loves you. Is there any doubt left in your mind after all this? I’ve never seen a man look at a woman the way he looks at you. I love you, sis, and I know you better than anyone else so I’m saying this with nothing but love, ‘don’t screw this up.’ Don’t run away from him or try to chase him away. He’s the best thing that ever entered your life so grab onto him with both hands and don’t let him go. He’s not Jeff, he’s a good man.”
“You’re forgetting, Beth, Jeff was a good man, too, and look how that turned out. Maybe I turn good men into bad people. “
With an unladylike snort, Beth said, “Jeff was a spineless weasel, and I have no idea what you ever saw in him. I’m all for equal rights, but wouldn’t you like to be with a man who actually wears the pants in the relationship at least part of the time? Jeff never seemed to have an opinion of his own; he was always in your shadow. I’m surprised he had enough ambition to cheat on you without someone advising him to.” Suddenly, as if realizing she’d said too much, Beth’s hand flew to her mouth, “Oh God, I’m sorry. Oh crap, I was just running off at the mouth. Please forget I said all of that.”
At first, Suzy was surprised, Beth rarely said anything negative about anyone and she’d no idea that she viewed Jeff in this light. Now that the wounds were less raw, she could actually admit that Beth was right. Jeff had always deferred to her, and sometimes she’d felt more like his mother than his lover. If they had ever been equals in their relationship, it had been long ago. Maybe she just couldn’t let anyone take care of her. As soon as she had that thought, she pictured Gray. She’d actually loved having him to lean on the last few days and never once had she felt threatened or annoyed by it.