AJ
“I’m so excited to be an aunt.” Grace held the sonogram picture in her hands, a huge smile on her face. “I better get first dibs on babysitting too. I know we have a big family, but I have blood rights. This little person comes to Aunty Grace first. Because I won’t accept him having a bigger attachment to Chloe, or even Maddison. I am number one, got it?”
I laughed as I nodded my head. “You’re on the boy train too, I see.”
“Yep, this little jelly bean is most definitely a nephew.” She handed over the sonogram Rhett and I had just gotten that morning. “Plus, Rhett shared his dream with all of us, and if that’s not a sign from above, then I don’t know what is.”
“I have a feeling it's gonna be a boy too, but I just really enjoy the fear in his eyes when I tell him his little girl is gonna have all the little boys chasing after her.” He gets all dominant daddy, threatening bodily harm, and it is the cutest thing. Full-on badass daddy mode makes me smile every time.
Adorable.
“Grace.” I turned to the left at the sound of Grace’s name being announced through the patio where we were eating lunch. Rhett had been whisked off shortly after our appointment to a job site with Reed. Instead of sitting at home, I decided to drag Grace to the Italian restaurant in town.
Which brought me to the moment where I was faced with Harley as she moved through the crowded space, a big, fake smile on her face as she looked between me and Grace knowingly.
“Look at you,” Harley said as she reached our table and reached out to wrap her arms around Grace.
I didn’t miss the remorseful look on Rhett’s sister’s face, but she didn’t need to feel bad. After all, they all knew Harley before, and there was no reason they should pretend that they didn’t for my sake.
“You’ve grown up and are so pretty,” Harley added as she pulled back, still smiling wide. “I’ve been meaning to stop by and see you and your mom. I’ve just been so busy getting settled.”
I’d never really been this close to Harley, but it floored me at just how gorgeous she was. The perfect teeth, smile, and those eyes.
“So you’re staying in Brooklet?” Grace asked, again looking over at me cautiously. I lifted my glass of water to moisten my now very dry throat and avoided eye contact with either of them.
“Yeah,” she added cheerfully. “I’ve rented an apartment just at the edge of town and start at the dance studio in Statesboro teaching five days a week. I actually talked to Rhett about a week and a half ago. He seemed surprised to see me, but we made plans to catch up once I got settled.”
That was like a kick to the stomach as I hid my scowl behind my glass.
“Actually, this is Rhett’s girlfriend,” Grace announced, and I choked on my water as I tried to swallow and take in a deep breath simultaneously. Very bad idea.
I sputter and grab my napkin to cover my mouth as Grace moved in quickly to pat my back. “You okay?” I nodded, because there was no way I could speak. Talk about mortified as I wiped at the tears that were now rolling along my cheeks caused by my coughing fit. “Are you sure?” Again, I nodded as I mentally tried to regroup.
Grace moved back to her side of the table, and I finally took in a deep breath and looked up at the blonde bombshell at my side. She was flawless, and I suddenly felt frumpy. “Are you sure that you’re okay?” She pursed her lips, and I did my very best not to be petty and immature. “Really, I’m fine. Thanks.”
“So you’re Rhett’s girlfriend.” The way she said the word “girlfriend” was more like a curse. “Funny, he never mentioned being with anyone.”
I bit the inside of my cheek harder than intended and instantly tasted blood.
“I’m surprised he never did, because AJ is all he talks about,” Grace added, and that moment alone solidified my love for her. “They actually went today to see their baby for the first time.”
“Baby?” Harley suddenly lost the spark she’d had only moments ago, and the color drained from her face.
“Yep.” Grace again was the one to drive the nail into Harley a little deeper. “We all think it’s gonna be a boy. Rhett is over-the-moon happy. I’ve never actually witnessed him in the state he’s in now. Like he’s lost in the clouds, sliding on rainbows, kind of happy.”
“Wow,” Harley added, I’m sure because it was the only word she could form at the moment. “Congratulations.” She was anything but happy; that was evident in the way her nostrils flared and her lip practically curled.
“Thank you.” I owned the moment, suddenly feeling a little less frumpy than before.
“Well, I better get going.” Harley took a step backward, turning her attention to Grace. “Maybe I’ll stop by and soon all of you soon. I’d love to catch up with you and your mom. She was always like a second mom to me, and I’ve missed you all.”
She offered another quick hug to Grace and hurried off without a second glance in my direction. I stared at her, trying to not show the distaste I felt. That woman was going to be trouble, I could feel it.
***
“What’s this?” I asked as I stepped through the door to find Rhett standing near a table by the large window that overlooked the lake. Our window, our spot. The table was covered with a white tablecloth and set so elegantly with plates I’d never seen before. I knew then that he’d had help with this setup. But it was the thought, I knew the idea of this was all him.
“This is us celebrating.” He tucked his hands into the pockets of his jeans and rocked back slightly. He looked so young at the moment, like a little boy fearful of making a move with a girl for the first time.
“Celebrating?”
“Yeah.” The confident smirk returned as he removed his hands from his jean pockets and moved closer to me. “Graduation, you moving in.” He tilted his head to the side as if waiting for me to deny it, and I didn’t, which seemed to please him. I hadn’t yet told him “yes,” but I had slowly been bringing more of my things over each time I visited with my parents. “We also have our son to celebrate.”
“Or daughter,” I added and saw him narrow his eyes.
“It’s a son.” He hooked me around the waist and pulled me in closer. “Trust me.” His lips covered mine, taking away my chance of arguing. Or of throwing another terrifying story of having a daughter at him. I loved doing that.
“I thought we could share dinner in our favorite spot.” Again, he kissed me, only this time it was on the corner of my mouth as he moved toward my ear. “Then later we could have dessert.”
“What’s for dessert?” I asked and whimpered when I felt his teeth graze over my ear.
“Me,” he whispered, “but just in case, there’s ice cream too.”
I thought about teasing him, but quite frankly, the guy was very skilled in persuasion. “I’m completely happy with the first option. We could even skip dinner if you’d like.”
“Oh, I’d like that a lot, but we need to feed my boy.” I could feel him slide against my jaw, and that rush of excitement I got whenever he talked about our baby hit me. He was so accepting of it and had been from the beginning. “So let’s feed ’em, and then I’ll feed you.”
“So romantic.” I laughed and shook my head.
“It’s better than me saying I’m gonna hammer you into the mattress tonight over and over.”
“Oh my god.” I pushed against him and he stumbled back, laughing.
“See? I told you it was better.” He held on to his side and he continued to laugh. I loved more than anything to see him like this. So relaxed and comfortable.
Then suddenly Rhett moved forward, scooped me up in his arms, and carried me over to the table, where he sat me down in the waiting chair. He took the seat opposite mine and then lifted the dome lid off the platter in the center. The smell of steak filled my senses. Along with it were vegetables and potatoes seasoned and grilled.
“Did you do this?”
“Yeessss,” he dragged out the word and looked away from me for a few seconds. I arched my brow and waited for him to once again meet my gaze. “Okay fine, I grilled the steak, or at least I started to before my dad took over. He thinks he’s a grill master, and who am I to argue? Then my mom handled the rest.”
“It’s perfect,” I told him, “all of it.” And it was, but the best part about it was the person I got to share it with.