“Really,” he assured her. “This is all new to me. It’s been a long time, and last time I dated I didn't come with a couple of kids. But I'm game to explore this thing between us if you are.”Please don’t back out now.
“Your kids … will they be okay with you dating someone?”
“We’ve never been in this position, but I like to think I've raised two great kids with open minds who would understand that my dating someone else doesn’t mean forgetting about their mom. Not that I would let Lara come between us,” Grant quickly added. “Part of my heart will always belong to her, but if we were together, my focus would be on you.” Realizing how that sounded, he quickly added, “Not that I'm after declarations of love today. I just meant that if I was with you, I would be with you, I wouldn't try to bring Lara into the mix.”
“I knew what you meant,” she told him, a warm smile lighting her face. “And I would never ask you to pretend she wasn't a major part of your life and the mother of your kids.”
“So,” he drew the word out. “We’re going to give dating a chance?”
“Depends. Are you asking me out on a date, Detective Bull?” she asked, amusement dancing in her pretty blue eyes.
“Will you have dinner with me, Ms. Davidson?”
Chapter
Seven
May 10th
8:56 A.M.
Was she ready to do this?
Ashlyn nervously smoothed her palms down the skirt of her dress as she waited for Grant to answer his front door, wondering if she should have picked something else to wear. Was she dressed too formally? Not formally enough? What were you supposed to wear to meet the kids of the guy you liked?
Reallyliked.
After he’d asked her out yesterday and she’d accepted, they’d decided that she would meet his kids in the morning, just so that there were no secrets between them. The kids were fifteen and twelve, and she’d asked as many questions as she could about them, so she felt like she had some things she could say and ask about to show she was genuinely interested.
This would be the first time she’d ever dated a guy with kids, and it was Grant’s first time dating since his wife died, so she knew they were both nervous about how things were going to go. She hoped to get to know Lindsay and Kevin, alongside gettingto know Grant, but she didn't want to put pressure on them. If they wanted to take things slow, that was fine with her.
When the door opened and Grant stood there, Ashlyn felt a little of her anxiety melt away. After all, these kids had been raised by Grant, so she knew they had to be amazing young people.
Of course, she knew that even if they didn't like her, that didn't mean they still weren't great kids. She’d been thrilled when her mom started dating her now stepdad, there had been that instant connection between all of them, and she couldn’t deny she was hoping things went as smoothly now for her and Grant.
“Hi.” She smiled, stepping into his embrace when he opened his arms.
“Hi,” he said back, brushing a chaste kiss to her lips. When he pulled back, his gaze was scrutinizing as he gave her a once-over. “Did you sleep okay? How’s your neck?”
“I took some sleeping pills to help me sleep, and I must have been pretty drained because I don’t remember budging during the night. No dreams. My neck is sore, but no signs of infection,” she assured him. Nightmares were going to come for her at some point, she was pretty sure about that, but at least they had given her last night to get some proper and much-needed rest.
“Good. I didn't like the idea of you being alone all night.”
“I promised to call one of my brothers or my mom if I needed to, and you had to come home to your kids,” she reminded him. He’d offered to stay with her and ask someone to stay with his kids, but she wanted to make a good impression on them, and taking him away from them when they didn't even know yet that the two of them were dating seemed wrong.
“You ready to meet them?” he asked, guiding her into the house and closing the door behind them.
“As I’ll ever be,” she replied, dragging in a deep breath, not wanting to admit just how nervous she really was.
“It’s going to go fine,” he assured her, and she hoped he was right.
They walked down a hall, and she noted a living room on the left, and an office on the right, before they stepped into a large, open, airy, kitchen meals family room space. A large wall of windows ran along the back wall, with a set of French doors that opened onto a deck. The yard looked a good size and was mostly lawn and several large trees. The inside space was modern and clean, and while she had more traditional tastes in furnishings, the room had a homey feel to it that she loved.
Two kids sat at the table. A pretty girl was scrolling her phone, and a lanky preteen boy who glanced over at them.
“Who’s that?” the boy asked, making his sister’s head snap up.
Wanting to let Grant make the introductions, she offered both kids smiles as Grant led her closer to the table.
