“Since you are such a badass.” I wink. “Wanna come with me and be my backup while I apologize to Gray?”
Pink laughs. It is a delight to hear true merriment in his voice. I’m so glad he is out of that dark place. Metaphorically and physically.
“Okay, but if Mal is still pissy at you, you are on your own.”
“Fair enough,” I agree with a grin.
And it truly is.
Chapter twenty-one
Ned
Jeez, I sound like a cheerful person. I’m humming as I drive to work. What kind of a freak does that? Me, apparently.
Not even the traffic is ruining my good mood. I have plenty of time. It is a nice day. My car has a UV filter on the glass. It’s all good.
Hmm, thinking of glass. Now that Morgan knows what I am, maybe we can get UV glass for the house. Not having to dodge sunbeams would be great. It was one good thing about the penthouse Ritchie kept us in.
The boys all offered to chip in to get the house kitted out, but it’s pricey, and I dunno. I already feel bad enough that they all agreed to move here so I could be close to the children. They claimed no one else had any connections to anywhere, so it made no difference. But it feels like a big deal to me. Adding special glass is a whole other step. It feels kind of permanent. Like declaring that it’s my forever home or something.
Oh shit. That’s exactly what I was just thinking about for Morgan’s home. And I don’t even live there. For flip’s sake, we’ve only just started dating, and look at me,practically picking out the wedding vows. I’m such a sappy shit.
Morgan’s house comes into view and a huge grin spreads across my face. Yep. I’m officially a sappy shit.
I park close to the door, get my keys ready, and make a run for it. As soon as I unlock the door and step inside, my senses prickle. Something feels off. It is far too quiet for a start.
I head down the hall and find Morgan in the kitchen, sitting at the table. His expression is unreadable. It’s nothing good, I can tell that much at least.
I swallow. “Where are the kids?”
“Tina has taken them to the park.” Morgan’s voice is cold. Inflectionless. It’s making the hairs on the back of my neck rise.
“Tina? The babysitter?” I squeak.
What the fuck is going on? A heavy feeling of utter dread is dragging at my guts.
Morgan nods, the movement slow and heavy.
I lick my lips. “What’s wrong?” I say, even though I’m not sure I want to know.
“You are Jennifer’s grandfather.”
The words hit me like a sucker punch. They knock all the air out of me. Four little words that are shattering everything and causing my world to tumble down.
Ridiculously, it is on the tip of my tongue to correct him and say, ‘great-grandfather,’ as if that will make any difference. Thankfully, it dies on my lips and a single strangled word comes out instead.
“How?”
“Jade came over to see me yesterday.”
Another sucker punch, no scrub that. This is a stake to the heart. Cruel and painful. Wiping out all the light in the world. It’s betrayal. It’s hurt. It’s confusion.
Why would Jade do such a thing to me? He could have least given me an ultimatum first. Tell me to tell Morgan myself. Why this destruction? What was the urgency? Does Jade hate me? And if so, why? What have I ever done to him?
Morgan draws in a big shuddering breath and all thoughts of Jade flee my mind. All my focus is on this wonderful man before me. Wonderful and wounded. Because of me.
“This was all so you could get close to the kids?” he asks in a tone of bewildered shock. “Was being their nanny not enough? You wanted to be their stepfather?”
