"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. I just have one rule. While we're doing whatever this is, we don't sleep with other people."
"Of course," Grant says. "I may not date, but if I'm sleeping with someone, it's only them."
"We should keep this between us."
"And no sleepovers. I don't want Hazel to get confused or too attached."
"I agree."
He pulls me on top of him, with my legs straddling his hips, and then he reaches over to the nightstand, pulls outanother condom, and slides it on, already hard and ready to go again.
He guides my hips so I'm lifted over him, and when I slide down, I feel the buzz of exhilaration spiral up my spine, down my legs, and through my arms as I wrap them around his neck.
"You're mine for the next month, Sophia."
"You're mine for the next month, Grant."
Then he drives into me until we're both gasping, twisting, and moaning with pure joy.
Afterward, he heads back to his house, leaving me to pass out with a smile pasted across my lips for the rest of the night.
twenty-eight
. . .
Grant
I'm on mile five,and this pent-up desire for Sophia still hasn't subsided. It's been two days since we gave in to each other, and I haven't been able to see her between her production schedule, my insane calendar, and spending time with Hazel.
I slam the stop button on the treadmill and click the off button on the remote, turning off the TV hanging above me in my home gym. I know this is casual, but maybe I should schedule a date night or something. We could do it here or in the guest house.
"Dad, I'm leaving for school. Bye! I love you!" Hazel yells out as she runs past.
"Wait!" I step out and follow her to the kitchen. "Don't I get a hug and kiss?"
"No way. You're sweating. I'm all ready for school, and you're going to mess up my outfit if you touch me."
I pull my arms up to imitate an ogre and makea funny face with my tongue hanging out of my mouth as I take heavy, exaggerated steps toward her.
"Must hug Hazel."
The scream she belts out has my shoulders crawling up to my ears as they ring. But the giggles that escape after are the sound of pure joy and life. I'll never tire of hearing her laugh. It creates a deep sense of peace and happiness within me.
When I found out Geneva was pregnant, I'll admit that I went through some dark days. I never wanted kids. I never wanted to get married. And I still don't. But when they placed Hazel in my arms, life changed. Yeah, I know everyone says that, but what they don't say is that once you see this reflection of flesh that has pieces like a puzzle of your exact features, an instinct kicks in. You know right then that you can't imagine ever having lived life without this child. Seeing eyes that look like mine and a nose that looks so much like my mother's was—still is—surreal. The lips and face shape—that's all her mother, and no doubt she'll be a knockout just like her.
Geneva and I discussed how we wanted to parent when she shared she had a once-in-a-lifetime career opportunity. I didn't hesitate to accept full custody. We have an agreement in place, but we don't need it. The greatest thing about Geneva is that she's a lot like me. She didn't want to get married, and I'm pretty sure she didn't want kids—at least at that moment. We work well together as co-parents. She calls and visits Hazel as often as she can, and we've never missed a chance to share how much we love her and our role as co-captains of Team Hazel.
"Dad, no, no, Dad, stop," Hazel sputters as she tries to catch her breath while laughing.
"Ok, you two," Sarah says. "We gotta go, or you'll be late for school." She's been a lifesaver since Josie decided to take a leave of absence to stay for a few more months with her daughter in Nashville. We miss her but we’re learning to survive on our own too. Kind of.
"Ok, nugget, I love you so much. Have the best day ever!" I smack Hazel on the cheek with an over-exaggerated kiss and run my hands over her hair before I add another kiss to the top of her head. "Love you, too, sis."
She and Sarah head out the garage door, and I run upstairs to get ready for the day—and maybe to relieve a little of this tension that's backing up.
"Sophia's still in the guest house?" Lucas says as he walks into the small conference room across from my office.
