But this time it felt different.
And I was fairly certain we both knew it.
We’d taken a shower after our bathcapades and laughed our asses off at the mess we’d made. We’d gotten everything cleaned up, and now Gracie was standing at the stove making breakfast when the doorbell rang.
I wrapped my arms around her from behind and tipped her head back to kiss her one last time before we’d have to keep our distance for the next few days.
All of this public affection would be toned way down.
Letting Gracie’s parents or my parents know that anything was going on between us would be a disaster.
The expectations would be outrageous, and they wouldn’t understand what this was.
Hell, I was having a hard time wrapping my head around it.
“I’ll get the door,” I said as I smacked her on the ass and walked toward the entryway.
When I pulled the door open, I found Cage and Presley Reynolds standing on the other side, with big smiles on their faces and two suitcases. They were family to me. I’d grown up with them. I wrapped my arms around Gracie’s mom first, and then Cage pulled me in for a big hug.
They’d been to my home a few times over the last few years, but they’d never stayed with me.
“Hey, guys, come on in,” I said, and we set their bags to the side, because I knew they were anxious to see Gracie.
She came running around the corner and threw herself into her father’s arms, and then into her mother’s embrace.
They’d always been very close.
She took them to the kitchen, and I grabbed their bags and rolled them down the hallway to the guest room.
Gracie would be staying in her room this weekend, one she hadn’t stayed in over the last few weeks.
We’d both be sleeping alone, which I wasn’t thrilled about.
But it was definitely the right move with her parents staying here.
They wouldn’t understand, as our families were just too connected.
This is why friends don’t typically cross the line—or so I’ve been told…by my very own type A best friend, whom I just had sex with in the bathtub less than an hour ago.
Involving our families was a can of worms neither of us wanted to open.
We were talking and catching up, and Gracie set down a stack of pancakes and a large bowl of scrambled eggs in the center of the table, and I pulled the bacon out of the oven and set it down as well. I made sure everyone had a fresh cup of hot coffee, as they’d gotten up early to drive here.
“You look so much happier than when we saw you in Paris,” Presley said. “I’m so grateful you came here, and that you two got to spend this time together before you leave for New York.”
I felt my chest tighten at the mention of her leaving. I knew it was coming. I knew it would suck.
But I felt it physically, which surprised me.
Like a deep, heavy pain moved into the center of my chest every time I thought about it.
“It’s been great having her here,” I said, taking a sip of my coffee.
“You two have always been thick as thieves. Everyone needs a best friendship like the two of you have,” her mother said.
“I’m grateful she’s got you looking out for her,” Cage said. “I don’t think there’s another guy on the planet that I’d be comfortable letting Gracie stay with other than you. As a father, I can’t even tell you how much it means to have that peace of mind.” His gaze locked with mine, and I suddenly felt like he could read my face. Like he was aware of what had just happened in the bathtub right before he arrived.
I jumped to my feet and moved to the coffeepot.
