“Yes, the reality of you dating other men will drive Stevenuts.”Aya nodded, satisfied with her conclusion.“He craves control, but he can’t control you, just like he can’t control his feelingsforyou.They just are.So, now, you’ll be pushing him into a choice.”
“One he may not make,” I said, shoulders slumping again.“And I’m not sure forcing his hand is the right choice.It feels manipulative.Wrong.”
“He doesn’t have to play the game,” Aya pointed out.
Kate knocked her shoulder against mine.“My money’s on you, Mama.Especially because we’re going to help you.”
She rose from the table and strode across my kitchen, returning with a pad and pen.“I have some ideas.”
Chapter6
Steve
“Did you have a good time?”Nash asked Aya when she returned from the Graces’ ranch.He’d met her at the back door, barely letting it swing shut before he tugged her further into the room.
Like Aya, Nash had grown up in a mansion that dripped wealth, but he’d bought himself a rambling ranch with a relatively modest four bedrooms.Granted, it had a killer view of the lake and multiple fenced acres, but my boy wasn’t just a famous musician, he was a billionaire, the sole heir to the Syad fortune in addition to the millions he’d made with his platinum records.That was how we’d reconnected; Mr.Syad hired me to protect his grandson.No doubt the old man had been well aware of my relationship with Carolina as well as mine to Nash—he’d been a crafty old goat.But then, you’d have to be to make the kind of money most people couldn’t even dream of.
Even more surprising, Nash and Aya had turned the house they’d moved into after their wedding into a cozy, loving home.It was comfortable and without any of the pretentiousness I’d hated about Nash’s childhood house.
Nash’s kitchen was spacious and well-designed, my favorite room.I busied myself over by the sink, hulling some strawberries for the shortcake I’d planned for dinner.Levi was very into smashing biscuits and chewing berries with his seven pearly white teeth, and I aimed to please the little guy.His sloppy grins were the best reward I’d ever received.
“Oh, yes.You know I love spending time with my ladies.”Aya rose on her tiptoes and kissed her husband again, who wrapped his arms around her waist and tugged her closer so that he could kiss her more deeply.
I turned away, embarrassed by their easy affection.The kiss lasted a long time—long enough for me to finish cutting up the strawberries.Next, I moved on to chopping potatoes.The dish I’d planned required them to be cut into matchsticks so that each edge was browned, creating a nice crunch around the fluffy, soft center.
Aya strolled over and pecked my cheek.I patted her shoulder, awkward as always, but at least I no longer grunted, blushed, and ran away.
“Any craziness I should know about?”Nash asked.He poured Aya a cup of chai, which she’d taken to after Levi’s birth, drinking it throughout the day.
She settled at the bar, her eyes sparkling when she glanced at me, as if she knew I wanted her to give up the caffeine.Aya took a long sip and sighed, her lips curving up as mine curled down.
“Mm.Not in the way you think.”
Nash settled onto the barstool next to her and leaned his forearms onto the white granite of the raised bar.“I don’t know.When you, Kate, and Jenna get together, there’s always some level of crazy?—”
“In a good way,” Aya finished.“And we stayed at the Big House, so no hijinks occurred that your PR teams are going to sweat over.”
“Then what was so pressing?”Nash asked.“I thought Jenna was having a donut emergency or something.”
Aya chuckled.“We drank tea and ate oatmeal-raisin cookies.And I brought you both home a tin full.”
Nash rubbed his hands together, glee shimmering in his eyes.So much better than the dark storms that used to build there.
“…set Mama Grace up on some dates.”
My knife stopped rocking.I turned, wanting to read Aya’s expression.Maybe I’d misheard…
“She wasn’t keen on the idea, but we realized she’s lonely.That’s why Jenna called us together.”
“And you three decided she needed to meet someone?”Nash asked, amused.
Aya’s nod was decisive.“She’s been alone for a long time and deserves someone in her life who cares about her.I mean, her dead husband was an absolute piece of work.Even Kate agrees he was terrible to her mother.”
Nash leaned back against the counter, his fist against his temple.He looked so relaxed—how could anyone be relaxed right now?Jasminedating…that was a disaster.
Aya sipped her tea before setting it on the bar next to Nash’s arm and snuggling closer to him.
“I thought maybe we could introduce her to Malcolm Grant,” Aya said.
