CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Grace had planned on working for a couple more hours the previous night after getting off the phone with Dylan. But, utterly and blissfully exhausted, all she could manage was to crawl into bed to rewind and replay every moment of their super-sexy phone call.
When Mason had awakened her this morning with his usual cheer, she’d felt just as happy. It’s because both of us are in love with Dylan, she thought as she lifted him out of his crib with a smooch. Every moment they’d spent with him was full of joy, full of laughter.
And full of love.
She was tempted, again, to call Dylan so that he would finally know the truth of what was in her heart. But with his race starting today, and the seventeen-hour time difference, she probably wouldn’t be able to reach him. Plus, it would be so much better to look into his eyes and hold him close when she told him how much she loved him. That she’d never loved anyone the way she loved him. That he made every day better and better.
And that right when she thought love had ended, it had only just begun.
She changed Mason, then brought him out into the kitchen and clipped him into his high chair to feed him breakfast. He mowed through mashed peas, carrots, and a huge handful of Cheerios. When he stopped eating and began to toss the leftover cereal at his stuffed animal in the toy box in the corner of the living room, she quickly cleaned him up with a wet wipe and then let him loose to play.
Playing that quickly turned into more awe-inspiring walking.
It took her longer than she expected to finally sit down at her computer to check her email, where she found a message waiting from her editor. Her deadline was still two weeks away, but he wanted to see something soon so that the art department could begin working on the layout of both the article and the cover, for which they would shoot the photos upon Dylan’s return from Australia.
Grace’s heart immediately started knocking around in her chest. She’d never been this nervous about something she’d written before, even during the past year and a half when it had been a struggle to get the words down. Writing about Dylan was so personal, so close to her heart, that she wanted it to be perfect. Needed it to be the best thing she’d ever written.
Dylan had augmented her great research with the best one-on-one interviews a journalist could dream of from her subject. All of the pieces for this story should have been there. But when she opened up the file again and read through it while Mason banged cars together on the floor, then toddled over them like a baby Godzilla, she couldn’t deny that something was still missing.
She replied to her editor’s email to let him know that she would be sending something over very soon, then settled Mason into his bouncy seat in the bathroom and took a quick shower. With Mia’s surprise party that afternoon, buying a present for it, and figuring out what to wear, she wouldn’t have time to work on her story again until tonight. Considering she’d redone the beginning a dozen times already, it was probably a good thing that she was getting away from her computer for a while so that she didn’t butcher the story by rewriting all the life out of it.
Because if there was one thing that she knew for sure, it was that her story about Dylan Sullivan should be as fun and as full of joy as the man himself. Anything less wouldn’t do him—or what he’d accomplished—justice.
* * *
Several hours later, Grace walked onto Tatiana Landon’s movie set holding Mason in one arm and a pretty wrapped gift in the other. She’d interviewed actors and actresses before, but no one of Tatiana’s caliber. The set was very impressive, the furniture from the 1920s authentic down to the finest detail.
When Tatiana had told her that she was working on a period film—and that she was more than a little nervous about pulling it off—Grace had marveled at her bravery. Most actresses would likely be happy to stick to what they had proved they were good at. Tatiana, on the other hand, clearly thrived on the challenge of learning a new skill set and reaching outside of what she already knew how to do so well. Ian Sullivan, Grace remembered with a small smile, had been so proud of his fiancée. The way he’d looked at Tatiana with so much love that it stole even Grace’s breath still stuck with her. It was the same way Ford had looked at Mia. The same way Rafe had looked at Brooke.
And the same way, she was finally ready to believe, that Dylan always looked at her.
“Yay, you’re here!” Tatiana rushed over and gave both of them a hug. “Wow, look at how much you’ve grown since I last saw you,” she said to Mason. “What a big boy you are!”
One day, Grace thought as she watched Mason smile shyly for the beautiful woman fawning over him, Tatiana was going to make an amazing mother. And Ian would be a great, and very protective, father. Just as he was a great, protective older brother.
“Mia isn’t here yet. I told her to come in thirty minutes. She thinks I need her help with finding another location in Seattle for a new scene in the movie.” Tatiana grinned. “She’s going to be so surprised when she sees everyone.”
“How many of Mia’s cousins were able to come?”
“Everyone on the West Coast. I hate that I couldn’t give enough lead time for the girls out in Maine and New York, but having everyone else and the kids here is pretty amazing. They can’t wait to meet you.”
What, Grace wondered, had Tatiana and Brooke told the other women about her? Especially since she and Dylan had only recently gone public with the fact that they were dating. Then again, hadn’t they all known something was up from that first dinner at Claudia and Max’s house?
Mason spotted the twins first, a boy and girl who looked to be just a little bit older.
“You must be Grace and Mason.” The twins’ mother had one of the friendliest smiles Grace had ever seen. “I’m Sophie, and this is Jackie and Smith.”
Mason was already wriggling to get down with the twins. “Looks like he wants to play.”
“I’ve set up an area over here for the kids with some toys so that it will be easier for us to keep an eye on them.”
Of course, Mason made a beeline for a colorful little drum. Jackie and Smith picked up their own little instruments, and soon the three of them were delightedly playing a song together.
“Looks like they’ve decided to form a band,” Grace joked.
“I should probably have left some of these noisy toys at home. But my kids really love them.”
“So does Mason. The first time he met Dylan’s mom, he immediately went to town playing drums in her kitchen with the pots and pans.”
“Claudia told me how much she adores watching him.”
“She’s really great with Mason. Like the grandmother he never had.” Grace hadn’t realized the words were coming until she said them and flushed hot at the insinuation that Claudia would be playing that role with Mason soon. It was too close to everything her ex had accused her of when she’d told him she was pregnant. But Grace wasn’t with Dylan so that she could become a part of his very important and wealthy family. She was with him because he made her happy. “I didn’t mean to imply that she…or that I...”
Grace finally stopped trying to take her foot out of her mouth when she realized Sophie was grinning like crazy.
“After chatting with Claudia about you and Mason, I’m sure she’d be thrilled if you did imply it! But before I make you any more uncomfortable by basically trying to hogtie you and your son to Dylan, how about I wave over one of the catering staff for a couple of glasses of champagne?”
It was barely late afternoon, but Grace knew a little bubbly would go a long way toward easing her nerves. “I’d like that.”
“I heard you’re a writer?”
“Yes, I write freelance articles. That’s how I met Dylan—I’m writing a piece on the heart of a sailor for Sailing Magazine.”
“I’m a librarian in San Francisco, so I’ll make sure we have extra copies on hand for our patrons.” A pretty brunette walked over with a small baby in her arms, and Sophie quickly made the introductions. “Megan, this is Grace. Her son, Mason, is playing drums with Jackie and Smith.”
“It’s so lovely to meet you,” Megan said.
“You, too. Your baby is gorgeous.” Grace moved closer so that she could better see his little face. “How old is he?”
“Logan is six weeks.” Megan gazed down at him, love radiating from every part of her.
Just then a lanky blond girl who had to be around eight or nine ran over. “Mom, everyone is snarfing up my cupcakes like crazy! I told you I should have made more.”
“Next time, we’ll pack the car as full as we can,” Megan promised. “Honey, this is Grace. Grace, this is my daughter, Summer.”
“You’re Dylan’s new girlfriend, right? I’ve never seen him with a girl before. Are you going to marry him?”
Megan’s eyebrows went up. “Summer, you can’t say that to someone you’ve just met!”
“But Brooke and Tatiana were telling everyone that they’ve never seen Dylan so head over heels for anyone. Doesn’t that mean they’re going to get married?” Before her mother could reply, Summer said, “Oh yum, they just brought out tea sandwiches. My favorite!”
“I’m really sorry about that,” Megan said with a little shake of her head. “She tends to speak without thinking sometimes, and she was just so excited that one of her favorite cousins is finally happy.”
“Your daughter is great. You don’t have to apologize to me for anything.” In fact, Grace was thankful for what Summer had said, because now she knew exactly what everyone was saying. And while it scared her a little to think that Dylan had made his feelings for her that clear to his family, it also warmed her to know how special she was to him.
“Maybe I could make it up to you by letting you hold Logan?” Megan offered.
Grace eagerly held out her arms for the little baby wrapped in a soft, blue-and-green striped blanket. “Mason isn’t even a year yet, but it seems like forever since he was this small. I’ve forgotten how tiny they are.”
“And I’ve forgotten how much they eat and poop,” Megan said with a laugh. “Funny how quickly our brains erase that, isn’t it?”
It was true, Grace thought. For all the sleepless nights she and Mason had had in those early months, what stuck with her were the smiles, the cuddling, how much fun they had playing together, and the sweet way he always fell asleep halfway through story time.
An adorable toddler led a pregnant woman toward them by the hand. “Smith! Jackie!” The little girl waved at Sophie’s kids. “I’m here!” A few seconds later she was giving each of the other kids a big hug, including Mason, who clearly loved being with them all. Grace laughed along with everyone else at the little girl’s exuberant and very sweet greeting.
“I’m Chloe,” the pregnant woman said, “and that whirlwind is Emma.”
“I’m Grace. It’s nice to meet you.” Grace was glad she was meeting the women who were parents first, because at least it gave her something in common with them. If she had met one of the other famous Sullivans first, she would have been a lot more nervous.
“Look at how cute they are, all playing together!” exclaimed a petite woman with faint pink and blue streaks in her hair. “I’ve got to take some pictures to send to Marcus.”
Speaking of feeling nervous, Grace immediately recognized Nico. A massive pop star, her songs were constantly on the radio. She knew she should stop being so gobsmacked, considering she’d already met Ford Vincent and Tatiana Landon. But, honestly, what struck her most of all was how normal they all were. Where were the massive egos? Where were the entourages?
As soon as Mason saw the other kids hamming it up for Nico, he didn’t hesitate to get right in there.
“Is he yours?” Nico asked when she finally put her phone away.
“He is. He’s Mason, and I’m Grace.”
“It’s great to meet you. I’m Nicola. And from what I can see, Jackie, Smith, and Emma have found their new BFF.” She leaned over to give baby Logan a kiss before snapping some pictures of him, too. “I don’t know how much more of this my hormones can take.”
Megan shot Sophie and Chloe a quick look before saying, “Are you and Marcus thinking of getting pregnant?”
“I know we only just got married and I’m in the middle of a tour, but...” She looked back at the children all energetically playing their little instruments. “Every time I’m with you guys, I find myself thinking more and more about having kids. Plus,” she said as her eyes got all dreamy, “Marcus is going to be an amazing father.”
The women all nodded, with Sophie saying, “The best.”
“I know there’s no rush,” Nicola said, “but I don’t know if there’s any reason to wait, either.”
“You’ve got great instincts. You’ll know when it’s right for you,” Megan said.
“Or maybe one day you’ll just wake up pregnant like I did,” Sophie said with a laugh.
A woman who was nearly a carbon copy of Sophie walked up just then and said, “You didn’t exactly just wake up pregnant. I believe there was some wild sex during a one-night stand with a really hot guy first.”
“Meet my twin, Lori,” Sophie said to Grace. And then to her sister, “This is Grace.”
“Ohh, you’re gorgeous,” Lori said. “No wonder Dylan is gaga over you.”
“Lori and Summer share a lot of the same qualities,” Megan said with a grin.
Grace knew she had two choices: Either feel overwhelmed by Dylan’s family and bolt…or roll with it and just have fun. After little more than a week with Dylan, she knew exactly what the right answer was.
Fun.
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Lori.” Grace nodded toward the group of kids. “The toddler whaling on the drums over there is my son, Mason.”
“Seriously, the two of you are perfect. Double-no-wonder my cousin is head over heels. Dylan is great with kids, isn’t he?”
“He’s certainly amazing with Mason.”
“Dylan is only five years older than me and Soph, but when we were kids, he would come up with the most fun games. And,” Lori added with a nod toward her twin sister, “he was usually the only one who could get her to stop crying.”
Sophie rolled her eyes. “I was only crying because you were so loud all the time that you made my head hurt. Still are,” she added with a smile. “Dylan’s awesome with Smith and Jackie, too. Definitely right up there on their favorite-uncle list.”
Just then, the lights started flashing. “Mia must be here!” Lori declared in a loud stage whisper, even though there was no point in trying to conceal themselves with the kids making so much noise.
“I’m so glad you could drop by the set today, Mia,” they heard Tatiana say in a voice made deliberately loud enough to carry to everyone. “How was your honeymoon?”
“It was a week of sex and sleep on repeat with great food and plenty of tequila mixed in. What could be better? I feel like I could tackle pretty much anything now.”
Grace’s parents weren’t prudes by any means, but she hadn’t grown up with the subject of sexuality spoken about so freely, nor had a group of girlfriends who shared details. The thing was, instead of feeling uncomfortable about it, she found that she really liked it.
Why shouldn’t sexuality be something to celebrate?
Lord knew she and Dylan had celebrated it last night over the phone...
“Oh good,” Tatiana’s voice carried over, “I’m glad you’re not too tired, because…SURPRISE!”
They all called out the word a beat after Tatiana, and Mia looked truly stunned. “Oh my God, how did you pull this together without me finding out? I can’t believe it. You guys have just made my amazing week even better!” She hugged one person after another as tears spilled down her cheeks. “I’m so glad all of you are here. Ford and I really wanted everyone at the wedding, but—”
“Ford is so famous and such a magnet for paparazzi and fans that you did exactly what you needed to do,” Nicola said before Mia could apologize for anything. “And I, for one, think your surprise wedding at your parents’ house sounds like the most romantic thing ever.”
“Me, too,” said a woman with a long dark braid over her shoulder whom Grace hadn’t yet met. “In fact, Zach and I are thinking of stealing the idea from you two.”
“Ryan said the same thing,” a blond woman said with a smile.
“But I love big splashy weddings,” Mia exclaimed. “And I really want to go to both of yours.”
Laughing along with everyone else, a woman whom Grace instantly recognized from her shopping trip earlier in the week as the owner of Indulgence said, “That’s why we’re having a big splashy reverse bachelorette party for you today.”
Seattle had seemed so big, and she’d been so busy holed up with her computer and baby, that Grace hadn’t been sure she’d ever really meet any women with whom she could connect. But now, all because of Dylan, she finally felt like all the pieces of her life that had been ripped apart were coming back together. Not only because she was finally letting herself relearn the pleasure of being part of a couple, but because these women were rounding out the other part of her life that had been so lacking since she’d left her friends behind a year and a half ago.
Grace had often wondered if starting over had been the right choice. Now, it looked like it was. Like she could leave her past behind and finally move on…into a new life that was so far beyond her wildest dreams that she knew she’d be pinching herself for a really long time, just to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.
* * *
A little while later, Mason half-walked, half-crawled over from the group of children and reached for her. “Are you tired from all the playing, sweetie?” she asked as she lifted him into her arms. Compared to Megan’s new baby, who had felt so small and light, Mason was an armful. One she never got tired of holding.
He laid his head on her shoulder and put a thumb into his mouth by way of an answer. She figured he’d probably take a little nap in her arms and then wake up starving. They could share a piece of Mia’s delicious vanilla and raspberry cake, Grace decided.
She thought she saw a couple of camera flashes in her direction and assumed it must be Nicola still taking pictures as Mia moved beside her. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“I am, too. And I have to tell you, again, just how beautiful your wedding was. The best I’ve ever been to.”
“The tabloids are freaking out about how we could possibly have gotten married without anyone knowing about it,” Mia said, clearly happy about thwarting the paparazzi. “And since we were having sex twenty-four seven and didn’t come out of our suite in Hawaii, they couldn’t get any shots there, either.”
“I can’t imagine how hard that must be.”
“It’s not always fun. But if pushy journalists are the worst thing that comes with being with Ford, I’ll take it.” Grinning, she said, “Speaking of awesome journalists, Ford and I both read a bunch of your work in Hawaii. You’re really a great writer.” Before Grace could thank her, she asked, “How’s the story about my brother going?”
“It’s getting closer.” At least, she hoped it was, given that her editor needed to see something soon. “We’re going sailing a week from this Sunday when he gets back from Australia. He’s convinced that will put the missing pieces into place.”
Mia raised her eyebrows. “He never takes the women he’s seeing out on his boats.” Dylan’s sister looked extremely pleased by this information. “That’s how I knew he was never serious about any of them. Because he never wanted to share the most important part of himself with a woman until now.” She smiled at Grace. “Until you.”