Evie was trying to hide a smile, but I could see it.
“She might not have impressive breasts, yet, but she’s developing. And one doesn’t really have much to do with the other as far as which comes first. It’s not like a chicken and egg scenario. Plus, she’s definitely old enough. I was eleven when I started mine.”
“I was only twelve,” Evie added.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” I said, waving my hands in front of my face, resisting the urge to cover my ears. “I don’t need graphic details.”
“Trust us, Devon, those were hardly graphic details.” Evie snorted and took another drink of her wine.
“I thought I had another four or five years.”
“You thought she wouldn’t get her period until she was sixteen?” Grace asked, clearly having underestimated how clueless I was about everything period-related.
“I don’t know. Maybe I was just hoping I had more time. I am not prepared for this at all.”
“Yeah, that’s true. You need a trash can in your guest bathroom.” This came from Evie.
“What? Why would you say that?”
“Because she’s going to need to throw things in the garbage and she’s not going to want to walk through the house with it balled up in her hand.”
“Oh,” I said quietly. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“I took her out today and bought her everything she’ll need for the next few months, but she’s still pretty freaked out about the whole thing. She’s afraid to swim, she’s afraid to ride the rides at Disneyland, and she’s really afraid that she’ll leak on your sheets, Evie.”
“Poor girl,” Evie said with so much love in her voice.
“She said she wanted you to know, Devon, but she didn’t want to tell you herself. I don’t think she really wants to talk to you about it. I think she’s embarrassed. Like we all were when we got our first period. Talking to our dads about it was the last thing we wanted, right, Evie?”
“Definitely.”
“Olivia never got the chance to talk to her about this stuff. She was so young.” The words slipped out of my mouth before I had a chance to think about them, but when my eyes found Grace, she wasn’t upset. She just looked sad. Olivia was going to miss out on a lot of things, and that alone was upsetting, but the worst part was that Ruby and Jax were going to miss out on having those experiences with their mother. It was pure luck that Ruby had been with Grace that afternoon, and there was no doubt in my mind that Grace had made Ruby feel comfortable and safe in what was probably a stressful situation for her. What could have been a disaster, seemed to be a memorable day for my daughter and the woman I loved. When I walked in the house that evening, Ruby was obviously happy and not emotionally scarred, which was probably what would have happened had she been with me. Instead she had ice cream and a girly movie, and fluffy blankets on the couch. Grace had given her that. “Thank you for taking care of her today. It means more than I can even explain.”
“Of course,” she said softly. She looked as though she wanted to say more, but she didn’t. She just gave me a smile.
“I’m glad you told me too, even though it’s none of my business,” Evie said.
“The way I figure it, Ruby needs as many women on her side as she can get. There’s room enough for both of us.”
If I hadn’t already loved her, I would have fallen for her in that moment.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Evie said with a bright smile.
I wanted nothing more than to kiss Grace stupid, but since we had a guest, I decided instead to go make sure the kids were fast asleep, and maybe sneak a kiss to Ruby’s forehead.
Chapter Twenty
Grace
Devon left Evie and me on the deck and I tried not to worry that it would become awkward. I’d known she was coming to stay for a night before taking the kids back to California, but I hadn’t been sure how I would feel seeing her. The last time we’d been together, I’d had no idea about her previous relationship with Devon. The good news was I sensed absolutely no weirdness between us. In fact, I still really liked Evie. She was funny, smart, and it was obvious she really cared about the kids. There was no way to dislike her.
“Shelby mentioned she told you about my past with Devon.”
Well, that was one way to start a conversation.
“She did. She did not, however, mention she’d spoken to you about it.”
“I asked her not to. I didn’t want you to be on the offensive when I saw you.” Evie smiled at me and I couldn’t help but smile back. “I love Shelby, she’s great. I know you two are close, which, by the way, makes this the smallest universe ever.” She laughed. “But there’s no way Shelby can give you an accurate insight into the relationship I have with Devon.”