Gray
One Month Later…
The thing about a fantasy was as soon as you fulfilled it, a new one cropped up. I’m not saying that was a bad thing. Not at all. It kept life exciting. Not that I needed any more excitement than I had with Tessa.
Having never done the relationship thing, I was throwing myself heart and soul into it. I liked seeing two toothbrushes in my bathroom. I liked having Tessa’s feminine crap on my bathroom counter, her lingerie in my drawers, and her clothes adding up in my closet.
I liked seeing her in one of my too-large sweaters, so it fell off her shoulder, leaving it naked and easily accessible. More than anything, I liked—no, I loved waking up to her face every morning. I didn’t think that would ever get old.
I loved knowing her so well that I knew every spot on her body guaranteed to make her melt and purr. And that I could tell when she was in pain when I saw the barely-there scar on her chin turn white with tension. A useful tool since the woman never complained.
I especially loved seeing two toothbrushes in Tessa’s bathroom. I was slowly claiming my territory in her place. Sully didn’t seem to mind. If Tessa’s smiles were anything to go by, she didn’t mind either. In fact, she’d donated her copy of Old Yeller to the library. Said she couldn’t imagine needing to cry that hard again.
I was in Tessa’s family room recladding the old orange brick of her fireplace with a smooth, dark gray slate. Sure I could have had one of the subcontractors do the work, but there was something about using my own hands for my woman that satisfied some deep urge in me. Maybe some ancient connection to dragging a mastodon back to the cave for dinner. Or maybe simply the smile that lit up Tessa’s face when she saw one of my newly-completed projects around her house. I did like putting a smile on her face.
Tessa’s reno had stalled again. All the dirty work was complete: Old drywall ripped out. Walls moved and rooms opened up. All new wiring. Bathrooms torn out and redone. New drywall installed, taped, and primed. The job had moved along smoothly, until we hit the final stage.
I was having trouble getting Tessa to make final decisions on paint, lighting, and even furnishings. Granted, she’d been working with her therapist on her driving anxiety, so it could very well be she was simply too busy. But it felt like there was something else going on.
As I worked I tried to puzzle it out. The frustrating thing was I was ready for everything. When I fell for Tessa, I fell hard and all the way. I was ready for a lifetime commitment. But common sense told me to slow down and take the time for the normal progression. Which meant asking Tessa to move in with me. Or I could move in here. My place, her place. I didn’t care as long as we were together.
But maybe Tessa’s inability to make final design decisions was a sign I was moving too fast. Maybe I needed to back off and let this go at her pace. When I placed the last slate tile, I climbed down from the ladder for a look. Yep. It looked great. Perfect. Which was fast becoming the theme in my life lately.
Things were almost damn perfect. Except that we still hadn’t heard from Ryker. It had been weeks since I’d left him the messages, and the more I thought about it, the more pissed off I got. He either was seriously fucked up—in which case he damn well needed us—or he had a fucking chip on his shoulder, which… How the hell could I fix it if he wasn’t willing to talk to me?
Ryker was being pissy. That’s right. I said it. Pissy. I grabbed my phone from my back pocket and connected the call to him, fired up and ready to call him out on his bullshit.
“Goddammit, Ryker. This is enough. Now you’re just fucking with me. Where the fuck are you? You know you’re not the only one hurting here. So get your head out of your ass and get home. Do you fucking hear me? Get your ass home.”
I ended the call with a stab of my thumb and tossed my phone onto the coffee table with a little more force than necessary.
Shit. What was I doing? I was losing it. Ryker didn’t owe me one damn thing. I pulled in a deep breath of air through my nose and released it slowly. Then I picked up my phone and hit redial.
Leave a message at the beep.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. It’s just… We had plans, Ryker. Remember? We were going to live on the same block. Raise our kids on the same street. We’d coach their Little League team together. Ry… Ry… I’ve met someone. I think you’d like her. And Beck’s in love. Wyatt’s found somebody. We’re all waiting for you. I don’t want to get married without you. That’s not the way it’s supposed to be. You’re supposed to be my best man. And I’m supposed to be yours. Hell, I haven’t even asked her—but I want to. And I want you here going through this with me. Just like we planned. If you need help—come home; let us help. We’ve all got this gaping hole in our lives where you belong…” I blinked and swallowed, trying to ease the tightness of my throat. “…I love you, Ry.”
I hung up, sliding my phone into my back pocket. I closed my eyes and forced myself to let it go. For now. Like I said, I had too much perfect in my life not to appreciate it. I grabbed a broom and swept up the small chips of stone and dust that had escaped the protective cardboard over the wooden floor around the fireplace. Standing back, it looked good. The slate warm and sexy. It could swing modern or classic depending on how Tessa wanted to decorate.
I used the hem of my T-shirt to wipe some of the sweat and tile dust from my face, then grabbed up my water and chugged it down as I walked into the kitchen to grab another from the fridge.
Wyatt’s cat, Chloe, wound herself between my feet, meowing sweetly in hopes that I’d give her one of Tessa’s cat treats. I gave her three. Cat-sitters are allowed some leeway for spoiling the cat, right?
“Gray! I’m home!” Tessa called from the foyer. “Guess what?”
“In the kitchen, Tess.” I grinned, knowing I’d never guess what. It was usually something out of the blue with Tessa. A fun story from volunteering or something crazy she and Gigi did.
Sully sped into the kitchen first, so excited he kept sliding even after he put the brakes on and crashed into my legs. Sully’s entrance was Chloe’s cue to exit. She disappeared. Not because she was afraid of Sully. No, the two got along great. She liked to hide and pounce on him out of nowhere. It was darn amusing to watch, and according to his wagging tail, Sully loved the game.
“I dro—” She’d just entered the room when she stopped mid-sentence. Stopped mid-step, her gaze slowly roaming over me—over my jeans, my tool belt, and my chest—before her eyes finally met mine. “Wait. Don’t move. Now, take off your shirt.”
“What?”
“Gray, I’m just asking…”
Okay. I lifted my hand to the back of my t-shirt behind the neck and pulled it up and off.
“This is it. This is the dream. Gray Thorne standing in my kitchen in faded jeans, bare chest, and a low-riding tool belt.” She blinked at me, her eyes bright and her cheeks flushed.
“Yeah?” My lips slid into a slow grin. “What’s supposed to happen next—in this dream?”
“You ravish me. You have your wicked way with me,” Tessa said, while her gaze was having its wicked way with my chest.
“I like that idea. I like it a lot. First, tell me your ‘guess what’.”
“Oh! Right.” She grinned up at me, her smile full of accomplishment. “I drove my van through River Hill, Pointer’s Run, and the Terraces today. I even went the speed limit. I delivered three bags of food, helped ferry a cat to a vet appointment, and gave Mrs. Baxter’s beagle, Sugar, a bath. Isn’t that great?”
“Tremendous. Not that I had any doubts.” I moved in front of her, took her hands in mine, and twined them around my waist before wrapping her up in my arms. But the pure joy on her face, without a bit of disappointment, was proof of a theory I’d developed about Tessa and her business. “How did treat sales go?”
“Not great, but it’s only been a few months.” She shrugged. “And if the treats don’t work, I’ll tweak my business model until it’s a success.”
“It already is.”
“I thought a business had to turn a profit to be designated a success,” she said.
“I used to think that too. It took me a while to figure it out, but you didn’t start your mobile treat van to become a booming business.” I watched her carefully even though her eyes were now avoiding mine by staying glued to my chest.
“I didn’t?”
“Nope. I’ll go out on a limb and say you one hundred percent started it so you could help people going through rehab—people unable to drive themselves and possibly housebound—help them care for and keep their pets.” I loved this woman.
“Okay, that’s true. But I am hoping it will pay for itself. And maybe a bit more, you know, so I can eat.”
“Guarantee if you sell your cupcakes you’ll eat like a queen.” Tessa’s cakes and cupcakes were fucking amazing. My brothers had caught on and were always trying to sweet talk her into bringing a cake to some event.
She leaned up and kissed me. “Thank you. I love baking, but baking cakes for a business is a lot more work than making pet treats. Now that I’ve got my migraines under control with my new medication, I could take on a small accounting job. Just a few hours a week. That might cover what I need.”
“You sure?” I made enough to support us both. But I understood her desire to support herself and get back to a productive life. Also, we hadn’t talked about a life together yet. We were together, but not officially. Which I was trying to do, but just hadn’t figured out how to bring it up.
“I loved my accounting job. I just can’t take the long hours. But a small job might be perfect.”
Perfect. It was a theme. I’d take it as a sign that I should ask her now.
“Tessa—” My phone rang from my back pocket. Dammit. I pulled it out to check caller ID. Beck. Sighing, I connected the call. “Yeah, Beck, what’s up?”
My gaze flashed to Tessa, and I lowered the mouthpiece to ask, “Beck and Sam are having a pre-engagement party in two weeks. We’re invited, but Sam is begging for your cinnamon apple cake for it.”
“Sweet. And absolutely I’ll make the cake for it.” Tessa agreed without hesitation. That’s the way she was, my Tessa.
“Tell Sam we’ll be there and bring the cake. Yep. See you Monday.” I disconnected the call and tried to regroup. I needed to ask Tessa about moving in together. I was in the process of shoving my phone in my pocket when it rang again. Jesus. I looked. Ash.
I took the call. “Asher, can I—” Ash didn’t even wait, just jumped right into the conversation. Which made sense once I figured out what he was asking. The bad news was Ash and Jon weren’t meant to be. Luckily, this time, they parted as friends, which meant Jon wanted to come back to work at SBC as our receptionist. He had awesome phone and people skills and was great at the job. Maybe even better than a robot receptionist. The good news was Ash had met someone else.
“Nice, Ash. Can’t wait to meet him. Hey, Tess, Ash wants to know if you’d like to double date next weekend.” I winked at her. “He’s trying to avoid one of those awkward first dates.”
“Sure, I’d love to. But I can’t guarantee I won’t make things awkward. I sort of have a talent for it.”
“Okay, we’re in, but not that sushi place. I need my food cooked,” I said and hung up, tossing my phone down onto the kitchen table. “Where were we?”
Tessa cleared her throat. “Pretty sure you were about to ravish me.”
I pointed at her. “Hell yes, but I want to ask you something first. Tessa… I was wondering if you’d be interested in moving in together. Officially. Like in one place.”
She stared at me. Blinked and stared.
My chest squeezed as I wondered if I’d read the situation wrong. Was I the only one who couldn’t get enough of being together?
Just when I was getting worried, she said, “Heck yes I would!” and launched herself into my arms with a laugh.
Her arms wrapped around my neck and she rained kisses all over my face until I held her still with her face between my hands and kissed her. A long, hot, hungry kiss.
“God, Gray, I was afraid you didn’t want to. I’ve been dragging out making any decisions on the house hoping you’d ask. I couldn’t ask because I’m the one who went after you first, so this had to be you.”
“If I’d known you were waiting for me I’d have asked weeks ago. I was afraid I was rushing you, babe.” Another first with Tessa. She had my heart, so all the rest of my firsts would be hers too. “So your place?”
“Our place. If you’re okay with that. You’ve already got your apartment decorated, but my house is bigger. So…”
“Totally okay with that.” I knew her grandma’s house was important to her. Plus it had a yard for Sully.
“Perfect. Now we can pick colors and furnishings we both like.” She smiled up at me, and I saw the method to her madness.
She really had been waiting for me. Waiting to make her house our home. God, I was a lucky man. I leaned forward and kissed her again. “I love you, Tessa Madigan.”
“I’m overwhelmed by that. I swear that first time I saw how fiercely you love—it took my breath away. I feel incredibly lucky.” Her eyes shimmered up at me. “I love you, Gray. Now, about that ravishing…”
My phone rang. We both looked. It was Eli. “Are they yanking my chain? No, I’m not answering.”
“Then you talk to him,” I said. I needed to grab a shower so I could get to the ravishment part of the evening.
“Hello, Eli! How are you? This is Tessa. Madigan. Yes, ball buster.” I rolled my eyes at her. Only Eli. “No, as a matter of fact, I never did ask him. Hold on—Gray, how much did it cost you to sleep with me?”
“One thousand dollars.” Damn Eli, and his big mouth.
Tessa’s mouth fell open. “What?”
“It was a dumb bet Eli made.” I shook my head. “Tell you what… It was worth every damn penny. I’d do it again tomorrow too.”
Tessa’s face moved from shock to a slow beautiful smile. “Gotta go, Eli.” She hung up and tapped the edge of the phone against her chin as her eyes went smoking hot. Like strip-me-naked-and-tie-me-to-the-bed hot. “One thousand dollars, huh?”
“Yep. Now, I’m going to take a shower.” I ran my eyes up and down her body, letting her see how much I desired her. Letting her see there was no price too high I wouldn’t pay for having her in my life. “Then I’m going to ravish you, Tessa Madigan, like you’ve never been ravished before. This is one Madigan job that won’t end in frustration.”
“Don’t just stand there talking. Go get in the shower!”
I turned to leave the kitchen as my phone rang again. “Don’t answer that. If it isn’t Eli again, it’ll be Wyatt. Pretty sure they’re messing with me.”
“Hello. Who should I say is calling? No! Wait…wait.… He’s right here… Gray? Phone call for you…”
“Tell Wyatt I’m busy. Tell him—”
“It’s not Wyatt.” She paused, her voice tense. “It’s Ryker. Ryker’s on the phone.”
“What?” I turned back. It felt like slow motion. Tessa put the phone in my hand and I put it up to my ear. I had to swallow past the fucking broken glass in my throat.
“Ry? Say that again… You’re coming home?” Fuck me, my brother was coming home. My eyes caught Tessa’s and I couldn’t hold back the tears. “He’s coming home.”
“Can’t wait to meet him.” Her eyes went liquid and I pulled her into my arms. I needed the feel of her body against mine to let me know this was real. Not a dream.
“I can’t fucking wait, Ry. I’ve been—we’ve been waiting for you.”
Ryker, the missing part of my heart.
Tessa, my soul mate.
Finally home.
Perfect.
The End