Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Once the girls’ tummies were full of nuggets, the four of them headed to the gym at the elementary school. It had been set up like prom, complete with balloon arches, streamers, and a DJ in the corner. A photographer was taking photos with a custom backdrop. Grayson and Lynnea posed for their photo, and then, at his suggestion, the girls took one with Reuben and then by themselves. If anything, Nadia could use the picture for their holiday card or something. Or he could take it and mess around with it, adding Rafe to the background. Digital arts were his specialty, but he wasn’t sure how Nadia would feel about it.
Lynnea and Grayson hit the dance floor. He twirled her around once, causing a fit of giggles, and then she spun around and around as fast as she could, to show him how the tulle of her dress fluffed out when she went in circles. She stopped and almost toppled over from being dizzy. Grayson caught her and told her to put her feet on his. He held her hands and waited, feeling very little pressure. She was light as a feather and wouldn’t hurt him. With her settled, he began swaying to the music.
When the song changed, she stepped off and started busting a move on the dance floor. Grayson tried to keep up with his own moves—anything to keep her smiling.
“This is so fun,” she yelled over the music. “Can you come next time?” she asked him minutes into the dance.
“Of course.”
After a couple of times around the room, Grayson danced with Gemma. She copied her sister and put her feet on his, and he moved them around the dance floor. As the night wore on, Lynnea became tired. For their last dance, Grayson picked her up and held her while they danced. All night long, his heart beat in double time. This was where he was meant to be.
“Thank you,” she said groggily.
“You’re welcome, Lynnea.”
On the way home, they stopped for ice cream; even though Lynnea was barely awake, she was adamant that she could eat an ice cream cone. By the time he’d pulled up to the curb, Lynnea had fallen asleep. Nadia greeted them at the door and led the way to her bedroom.
He laid Lynnea down and kissed her forehead. “Thank you for an amazing night,” he said to her before leaving the room. Grayson waited for Nadia at the bottom of the stairs. When she came down, her eyes were watery.
“Thank you for doing this.”
“It was my pleasure,” he told her. “I had the best time.” He kissed her on the cheek, said goodbye to Reuben and Gemma, and headed to his car. He made it as far as the corner before he began crying. The night had been emotional for the girls, and for him, but they didn’t know that. All they knew was that their mommy had an old friend who was willing to do stuff with them. How would they feel once they found out the friend had their father’s heart beating in his chest?
Would they still accept him?
Would Nadia forgive him for the deceit?
Grayson didn’t want to find out. Reid’s ultimatum would have to wait. He’d tell Nadia soon. He just needed more time.
The next morning, Grayson was there bright and early. He didn’t bother to go to the front door, in case they were sleeping. Out back, he began opening the boxes and reading the instructions on how to put the swing set together. Reuben came out of the house, in sweats and no shirt, hair standing on end.
“You’re early, man.”
“Yeah, I couldn’t sleep.”
“Give me a minute or sixty,” Reuben said, laughing.
“Take your time.”
Nadia or Reuben had already removed the grass where the swing set would go. Once it was built, they’d haul in some straw and sawdust to pad the ground in case the girls fell. And Grayson expected Lynnea to fall a lot. He had yet to see it, but according to Nadia, she was a daredevil, and he pictured her doing some crazy shit off this swing set.
By the time Reuben came back, Grayson had everything laid out. He’d be able to build this in one day and mentally questioned why Reuben was there if he wasn’t actually helping with the girls. This should’ve gone up last year for them, to give them something to do.
Another hour later, Rafe’s best friend, Kiran, came over to help or take over for Reuben. Grayson wasn’t exactly sure. Not that he cared. He was on a mission to build the girls their play set. Tomorrow, once the cement footings had set for twenty-four hours, they’d be able to swing, slide, climb, and play princesses if that was what they wanted to do.
At lunch, they took a break. Nadia had made sandwiches for everyone. As soon as Grayson sat down, Lynnea crawled into his lap and rested against his chest. He didn’t mind, but he did wonder if she somehow knew the heart of the man she loved unconditionally still beat for her.