Gray

He awoke the next morning to gentle shakes from Kelly.

“Morning,” he mumbled tiredly, noting that it came out more as “Mmmmngghh” instead, his sleep-addled brain unable to make his mouth move as necessary.

“Sorry, you were pinning me down and I needed out for a minute,” she said, kissing him gently on the cheek.

He just made an understanding noise and then fell face first into the pillows. Several minutes later she returned, sliding into the bed next to him, her body cool to the touch, though that changed rapidly as she entered the little cocoon of covers they’d created.

“Ahhh,” she sighed, enjoying it.

A grin split his face as his brain clued him in to the fact that he was, once again, lying happily in bed next to Kelly. They’d spent the rest of the day before and the evening together, alternating between watching a movie, having sex, and cuddling in bed. He could honestly not have imagined a better way to spend twelve hours of his time.

“I’m sorry,” he said abruptly.

“For what?”

“The way everything played out the past few days,” he said. “I leapt to conclusions like a moron, and it hurt you because of it. I won’t do that again.”

Kelly looked at him, and he could feel the impact of his words as they went home, the truth behind them mixing with his emotions about it all.

“It’s okay,” she said at last.

It wasn’t just a platitude designed to make him feel better. It was also the truth. She had forgiven him, and didn’t hold a grudge against him over it. Gray could sense that in her tone, and it made his heart soar with relief.

“Honestly,” she continued. “If the situations were reversed, I doubt I would have been half as calm as you were. I’d like to pretend I would be, but I doubt it. I’d probably have gone apeshit too.”

He smiled and kissed her gently. “Well, we’ll just have to both communicate better with each other, and it won’t be an issue.”

“Said every couple ever,” she joked, but then nodded soberly. “Absolutely. I won’t keep any secrets from you anymore. It’s just so much easier to tell you straight up what’s going on, rather than have it sneak up on me and bite me in the ass.

“Unless you’re into that,” he teased.

“Into what?”

“Biting you on the ass.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Well, I don’t know about biting,” she purred, leaning in to suck gently on his earlobe. “But maybe we can figure out something.”

Gray jerked in surprise at her response, momentarily stunned speechless. He hadn’t meant it like that…but if she wanted…he could…then they could…and that meant…

“Oh.” It was all he could manage to get out.

Kelly giggled, her cheeks a little pink with embarrassment, but she didn’t take anything back.

“Okay,” he added.

“You’re cute,” she said softly and kissed him. It was an affectionate kiss; she wasn’t trying to start anything.

There wasn’t time, either. He had to get back, to tell Andrew what he’d figured out while he was gone. His boss needed to know the details. But first, he needed to broach another subject.

“I did some thinking,” he said, keeping up with the serious tone.

Kelly frowned. “When did you have time for that?”

Or maybe not. He laughed. “You think you’re soooo funny.”

“There’s no thinking about it. I just am,” she announced, and they both laughed. “About what?” she added as they calmed down.

“About Jacen.”

Kelly went still.

“I think I’m okay with him being around.” He held up a hand. “I know it’s not my decision, of course, and I wouldn’t seek to stop you from doing it. But I want you to know that while I may not be the happiest person in the world about it, I won’t cause any issues either. I don’t want you to be worried about that.”

Kelly didn’t respond at first, but then she nodded. “Okay. Well, I haven’t decided yet anyway, Gray. I had maybe been leaning toward it before he showed up the other night. But then he started assuming that he and I would be together as well, which I am not okay with, and that sort of paused my thinking along that line.”

His nostrils flared as he reined in his anger at Jacen’s presumptive claim over Kelly, reminding himself that she could handle herself perfectly fine. She didn’t need him to defend her at every turn. She was a grown adult with a strong personality, not willing to take any shit from anyone. He could only imagine the bark in her bite as she’d told him he was crazy to even suggest that.

“Well, whatever you do decide, I thought you should know that,” he added, speaking carefully to ensure he didn’t make any other comments.

Kelly read him like a book though and smiled. “Don’t worry. I told him he was out to lunch about the two of us getting together. I’m not even sure where he got the idea that I was interested in him. It’s not like that had anything to do with us conceiving.”

“It didn’t?”

She shook her head. “No. We were literally paired together. I was a job to him. I mean—and don’t hate me—it wasn’t like it was terrible, but there wasn’t that connection that you and I have. Nothing romantic, no interest. Just a physical thing.” She snorted. “And even then, he didn’t hold a candle to you, and no, I’m not just saying that to boost your ego, you arrogant jerk,” she said, saying it with a smile as she reached over and kissed him on the cheek several times.

Gray just nodded, unsure of what to say at that point, if he was being truthful. It was a confusing situation, that’s for sure, and he really was kind of selfishly glad that Kelly was the one with the choice to make, not him. He couldn’t imagine having to deal with all that.

“Well, no matter what, I’ll be here for you,” he said at last. “In whatever capacity you need me. Friend, lover, mate.”

He expected her to question the whole mate part, but when she didn’t he recalled that she was probably more familiar with it than he’d given her credit for, what with Erika and Harden having already gone through that.

“What about something else?” she asked tentatively several minutes later.

“Like what?”

He saw her swallow hard, her eyes fixed on him and yet filled with nervousness at the same time. Whatever she was about to ask him was important to her beyond just about anything they’d discussed so far, he could tell that. Gray made sure to give Kelly every ounce of his attention right then, fixated on what she was about to say next.

“What about Dad?”

He froze.

“Are…are you sure?”

Kelly licked her lips, her eyes darting past him and then back to him. “Yes,” she said at last. “Yes I am.”

Some of the fear seemed to leave her then, now that she’d spoken the question, but the big lump still remained, visible on her face and in her body language. She was terrified of the answer he might give. That he might have forgotten all about the fact that she was pregnant. That he might decide he wasn’t interested in it.

Gray smiled. “I would love to.”

Air shot from her lungs as she sighed in relief, letting herself be wrapped up in his arms.

“You have no idea how happy it makes me to know that you’d consider me fit to help raise your child.”

Kelly shook her head. “No, if we’re going to do this, Gray, it’s not my child. It’s our child.”

He shivered a bit at the pronouncement. Not out of fear, though he was petrified about the idea of being a dad, about doing a terrible job of it and not raising her—no, their—child properly. But no, it was her decision that they would be in this together that made him shiver in excitement and anticipation.

Gray kissed her, and she him. He wanted to hold onto that moment forever, to always be able to cherish it in his mind.

They stayed like that for a long time, whispering nothings to each other and kissing lots. Eventually though, it was time.

“I need to go,” he said with a wince. “I know, terrible timing, but I need to get back to the embassy, to talk everything over with Andrew and bring him up to speed. He needs to know about Jacen, and that we want to try and work things out.”

Kelly nodded, and she tossed the covers back, rising from the bed and tossing her pajamas on the floor.

“What are you doing?” he asked, slipping into his boxers and then his pants.

“I’m coming with you,” she said, as if he should have known all along that was her plan.

“Uh, you are?”

She snorted in a very unladylike manner. “Of course I am. I want to make sure that Andrew understands what’s going on, and that I’m privy to any decisions regarding Jacen.”

Gray almost said no out of habit, but then he shrugged. “Of course you are.”

Kelly gave him a sidelong glance as she pulled on a bra. “Of course I am.”

He stuck out his tongue at her and sat on the bed to pull on his socks and shirt, then waited for her to finish up.