“You mean he’ll love showing off my car to his friends,” she grumbled, but there was no mistaking the gleam of pleasure in her eyes.
Giving her a quick kiss, he left her to get dressed and head downstairs, while he took a shower. Things with Lindsay might be the same as they were seven months ago, but in that time, Ashlyn and Kevin had bonded a lot. She was going to be everything he could have hoped for in a stepmother to his kids.
If only Lindsay could see that.
While he was trying to remain positive about the situation, Grant could admit that it was getting harder.
And harder when he heard yelling coming from downstairs.
Throwing on his clothes, he hurried downstairs to see that Lindsay had Ashlyn backed up against the counter. Ashlyn had been buttering toast when his daughter must have accosted her, and he had to give her major props because her tone was even when she spoke to Lindsay despite the teenager’s hysterical screeching.
“Your dad said it was okay for me to drive your brother to school,” Ashlyn said it like she’d already repeated this several times over.
“He wouldn't say that,” Lindsay screamed. “You're not our mom and you're not family.”
“I want to go with her, Linds,” Kevin piped up from the table where he was eating cereal and scrolling on his phone.
“You're too young to know what you want,” Lindsay yelled back.
“Enough,” Grant announced, tone firm as he strode into the kitchen. “Ashlyn is taking Kevin to school because she asked, and I said yes. Your brother is fine with it, and it’s not really your business. Besides, it means you and I can spend a little bit of one-on-one time together.”
“You're really going to letherdrive yoursonto school? Be alone with him?” Lindsay demanded, spinning around to face him.
“Yes. I am,” he answered simply. “If Kevin had a problem with it, or was uncomfortable in any way, he knows he can speak up, and Ashlyn would understand.”
“But—”
“No buts, Linds. The matter is closed.”
Including all three of them in her glare, Lindsay stomped over to the counter and snatched up her backpack. “Then I'm walking to school.”
“If that’s what you want,” he agreed. It would take her almost an hour, but if she left now she’d still make it in time for classes. Maybe she needed that time to cool down and get her head on straight.
Without another word, Lindsay stomped out of the house, slamming the door closed behind her.
“Sorry,” Ashlyn immediately apologized. “I shouldn’t have offered.”
“Nah, she’s just mad. I want to go with you,” Kevin piped up before Grant could say anything.
More than that, Kevin got up, deposited his bowl in the sink, and then paused to give Ashlyn a one-armed hug, leavingher grinning after him as he sauntered off to pick up his game controllers and plop down in front of the television.
“Lindsay will come round, we have to keep believing that,” he said as he pulled Ashlyn into his arms.
The problem was, he no longer believed it.
Chapter
Seventeen
December 13th
12:06 P.M.
It felt weird to walk in here alone.
All the times Ashlyn had been to Grant’s house, he’d been with her. Of course, he had. This was his home, and she had her own place, so there was no need for her to use his spare key to let herself in.
Until today, anyway.
