“I know you will. And thank you.”
“Nothing I’d rather be doing today,” I said, giving Ruby a wink. “See you later.”
“Love you, Grace.”
His words halted me. We’d never said those words so blatantly to each other, never over the phone, and definitely never in front of his kids. He knew I was with her, and yet he’d said the words and was waiting for a response.
“Grace,” he said again, his voice lower this time. “It’s okay. My kids know how I feel about you. If they can’t tell by the way I smile when I’m around you, then they picked up on it by the fact that you’re always around and always making me happy. It’s okay to love me in front of my children.”
I sucked in a deep breath, reeling from the whiplash of looking forward to cookies ’n’ cream ice cream with a tween movie to facing a monumental moment in my relationship.
“I love you, Grace,” he repeated. I took in a breath and answered him as best I could.
“I love you too, Devon.”
“I’ll see you when I get home. Take care of my girl.”
“Always,” I said before I could think better of it. I dropped my hand with the phone in it and ended the call. Then, I gave a tentative look at Ruby and, sure enough, she was looking right at me, but I couldn’t read her expression.
“Thanks for everything today, Grace,” she finally said once we were on the road.
“Anytime, Ruby. I’m glad I was with you and you weren’t alone.”
“I’m glad you’re here, too.”
Chapter Nineteen
Devon
My day had been one long battle. I worried about Grace and Ruby and how they’d get along together, then I worried when Grace had called telling me Ruby was sick, and then the traffic to the airport prevented me from picking up Evie on time, which made me late getting Jax. So when we finally arrived home, I was stressed and perhaps a little bit grumpy.
Most of that grumpiness faded away when I saw Grace and Ruby in the living room together. They were both on the couch, leaning in toward the center and each other, each with a big blanket—even though it was ninety degrees outside—and there was evidence of ice cream consumption on the coffee table. I recognized Pitch Perfect on the television and knew it was Ruby’s favorite even though I found it a little too mature for an eleven-year-old. She loved it.
Something about the image of Grace and Ruby spending time together made the lump of tension inside me melt away.
“Hey, there’re my girls,” I said as I stepped inside, carrying Evie’s one, small overnight bag. “How’re you feeling, Ruby?”
She shrugged and said, “I’m okay.” I wasn’t particularly convinced by her answer, but I looked to Grace and she was smiling, so I figured everything was all right for the moment.
“Glad to hear it.” Evie stepped in behind me and Ruby’s face lit up.
“Aunt Evie!” Ruby jumped up from the couch so quickly, all my doubts over her health slipped away. I watched as Evie and Ruby embraced, then turned my attention to Grace, who was rising from the couch. I made my way over to her, my hand wrapping around the curve at her waist and pulling her to me gently.
“Everything all right? With Ruby?”
“Yeah,” she replied softly. “Everything’s great.” She smiled and wrapped her fingers in my shirt, gripping me like she didn’t want me to ever let her go, and I didn’t plan on it. I leaned forward and pressed a kiss against her lips. It wasn’t obscene, but it was more than just a peck. I wanted so much more, but was reminded of the other people in the room when I heard Evie talking to the kids.
“Nate is so excited to see you guys tomorrow! He bought us all matching Disney shirts.”
“Why didn’t he come with you?” Jaxy asked.
“He had a few things to finish up in Fairbanks, so he’s going to meet us at the airport tomorrow since his flight comes in an hour before ours. But he’s really looking forward to spending some time with you.”
I watched Jaxy bounce with excitement, but Ruby looked more worried than anything else. Something was up with her. I was about to ask Grace again about Ruby, but the smell permeating the house caught my attention.
“Is something cooking?”
“Grace and me made lasagna.” Ruby said the words proudly.
“You made dinner?” I asked Grace, looking back at her.
“You had a lot on your plate tonight, so I figured I’d make dinner so it would be ready when you got home.”
It was the smallest and most insignificant thing, but it had been years since a woman had made dinner and had it ready for me when I came home. I didn’t normally consider myself a caveman, but in that moment, there was nothing sexier than Grace making a lasagna.
“Hey, Grace, it’s good to see you again.” This came from Evie, who was walking toward us with Jaxy wrapped around her leg and Ruby still clinging to her middle. She held her hand out for Grace to shake, but Grace waved her away and hugged her on the side without any children attached.