I can’t believe he just offered to watch the kids. Give me a night alone with Grace? I pick up the phone and take it off speaker. “You’d do that?” I ask.
Austin has known my kids since the moment they were born, and he’s my best friend. Even though it’s been three months since they’ve seen him, I’m sure they won’t miss a beat. Even if he just stays in the house with them once I put them to bed, there’s no one on earth I’d trust my kids with more than Austin.
Austin chuckles. “Fuck yeah, bro. Are you kidding? I’m coming to town to ask for some help, so I’m fully prepared to return the favor.”
Help? I’m curious what Austin could possibly need help with. The guy is a perpetual motion machine and is the most driven man I know. He knows I’ve got my hands more than full right now, so if he’s coming to see me, it’s gotta be serious.
“All right,” I say. “I’ll see you Friday.”
We end the call, and I drain the broccoli. Luke isn’t gonna be happy, but I plan on introducing him to honey mustard tonight to see if that makes the greens go down a little easier.
“Luke,” I call. “Take your sister and wash your hands. Dinner is ready.”
Then I pick up the phone and text Grace.
I have some sort of news. If you’re free this weekend, I might be able to take you on an actual date Saturday night. I still want to meet your parents, tho. Video chat later?
Since it’s only five o’clock, I doubt she’s free to answer, but I’m grinning ear to ear when I see a little red100emoji come back in response.
Luke is not at all a fan of honey mustard, but we get through dinner, toothbrushing, baths, and our bedtime ritual without any major meltdowns or disasters. By 7:55, when both kids are sound asleep and I’ve started a load of laundry, I text Gracie.
Call whenever you’re free, gorgeous.
I add a fire heart emoji, because what the fuck. I have feelings for her. And in the last two days since she slept in my arms on my couch, all I can think about is holding her again. My body’s on fire for her, and my heart is already burning with something that wants to engulf me.
She surprises me by video calling instead of replying. I lean back against my pillow and start the chat.
“Hey. That was quick. How was your day?”
“Good. Good. My last client was a no-show, which was even better,” she tells me. “I caught up on some stuff that I’ve been putting off.”
“That’s gotta feel good,” I say.
She nods, and I can see she’s got a marker or pen stuck behind her ear.
“Were you drawing?” I point to my ear. “Marker?”
She pulls it from between the strands of her hair and laughs. “Yeah. Just fucking around. Not client stuff. Something just for me.”
“Can I see sometime?” I ask. “I mean, if it’s not too personal or anything.”
She blinks a few times, and I feel like maybe it was personal. Maybe I touched a nerve. But she nods. “Yeah. I’d love to share it sometime.”
“So…” I run a hand through my hair and pivot to the good news. “Gracie Bianchi, can I please…take you…on a date this Saturday night?”
She grins and nods. “Fuck yes. What about the kids? Do you have a sitter?”
I tell her my best buddy, who’s like an uncle to the kids, is crashing with me for the weekend.
She claps her hands and rubs them together. “Holy shit. What should we do? What do you want to do? My mind is racing!” Then she grows serious. “It’s Saturday, though, so I might work until like nine. I have a client at six who will definitely be there for about three hours.”
I shake my head. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll take one hour alone with you if that’s all I can get.” I’m definitely disappointed that she has to work so late on the one night I can wrangle a sitter, but I look on the bright side. Austin will be here, and maybe I can convince him to wake up with the kids and feed them breakfast. If I can sleep in until even eight, I’ll be able to spend a couple hours with Gracie. And that’s a couple hours more than we’ve had in months.
She smiles. “What should I wear? What do you want to do? We could hit my brother’s for a late dinner?”
I hold up a hand. “Can I plan it? Do you trust me? I have something in mind, but I want it to be a surprise.”
Gracie frowns. “I fucking hate surprises.” But then she softens. “But for you, yeah. I’m willing to go with it.”
