Page 29 of Bad & Bossy

Grayson shut the door behind him, ignoring her completely.

“Daddy!” Penny grinned, her rabbit long forgotten as Gray scooped her up in his arms. “You won!”

Gray laughed, his smile unparalleled. “My team won. Not me, sweetheart.” He glanced at Halsey, his face falling for the briefest moment. “Thank you for bringing her.”

“To be honest, I wouldn’t have if I knew he’d be here,” Halsey said, her chin jutting out in my direction.

My mouth popped open but words failed me, the shock of it hit me like a brick. She said it as if I were the plague, as if I were the spawn of the Grim Reaper himself and was here to influence her daughter into becoming the next Hitler.

“Don’t look so surprised,” Halsey deadpanned. “I heard you were off galivanting all over Vegas the last six months. Who knows what you picked up there.”

Bobby snorted as he shoved the last of the hotdog into his mouth. On the one hand, I was grateful for Grayson covering for me and keeping my whereabouts a secret but come on—Vegas?

“So what if I was?” I joked. “Don’t want my wicked ways to rub off on your ex?”

Her glare could have cut right through me. “Keep an eye on him,” she grumbled to Grayson, leaning forward to plant a kiss on her daughter’s cheek. “Love you, sweetheart. I’ll see you later.”

“Love you too,” Bobby grinned.

I swear, she nearly gagged.

————

The cheers and cries of the fans in the stadium had been left behind and exchanged for ones from children and adults alike, all clinging to the handrails of rides like their lives depended on it. As I walked through the gates of the state fair, the scent of cotton candy and fried dough filled the air, the sounds of victory bells and plastic guns firing overwhelmed my hearing, and the lights and crowds triggered a flood of memories that I had fought hard to leave behind.

It had been two years since I’d been to the annual local fair. It was a shock to me, Gray, and Bobby that they’d even let me in—the last time I was here I’d left in handcuffs, coated in my own vomit after having fallen face first in the dirt. I was charged with drunk and disorderly conduct. Thankfully, I was able to wipe it from my record, but the memories were still there.

Bobby and Grayson talked idly as Penelope dragged us around, her infectious laughter the only thing keeping me grounded. The two of them seemed to be getting along fairly well, and although Grayson had his worries about me living with another alcoholic, I couldn’t help but feel like it was the right thing to do. We could hold each other accountable without judgment. We knew what the other was going through. Hell, I’d spent the last six months living with him. It only made sense.

It didn’t make it easier being at the fair, though. Temptation was at every corner. Nearly every adult carried a plastic cup of beer, and somehow that sounded miles more refreshing than the contents of my bottle of water. Stand after stand was packed with Pearson Beers. I’d kill to taste it again. But having Bobby, Grayson, and Penelope by my side reminded me of the purpose behind my recovery. I wanted to be present for moments like this, to experience the joy and wonder of life without the haze of alcohol turning me into someone I didn’t recognize.

My thoughts drifted to Dana, and part of me wished she was here, too.

A handful of rides and a giant wad of cotton candy later, we sat at a picnic table with Penny happily picking at her sugar-coated funnel cake.

“Your ex is a looker,” Bobby snickered at Gray. He dipped a tortilla chip into a massive vat of liquid cheese and passed it to me. “Sour attitude, though.”

Gray gave him the side-eye before double-checking that Penny hadn’t picked up on what was said. “She’s just protective of our daughter.”

“Yeah, but she’s rude about it,” Bobby continued. “Like, what was that comment about you fucking a cheerleader?”

Penny’s little giggle told me she’d picked up on his swearing. “Don’t curse in front of Pen,” I said, before Gray even had the chance.

Gray sighed, his eyes meeting mine quickly, conveying way too much information. I knew he wasn’t overly fond of Bobby, but it didn’t seem too bad between them until that moment. “I get around. That’s all she meant. It’s not a big deal.”

“Seems like she’s got a stick up her ass,” Bobby grumbled, and thankfully, Penny didn’t snicker that time.

“How’s things with Dana?” Gray asked, taking his chance to change the conversation. If only he knew how intense things were at the moment.

I sighed. “I don’t know. She fu—freaking left in the middle of the night,” I explained, sneaking a hand across the table toward Penny’s funnel cake and stealing an edge that her grubby, three-year-old hands hadn’t yet touched. “Normally, that wouldn’t bother me, but it does. And there’s a part of me that already wants more with her, and that’s confusing in itself, considering what happened.”

“Of course it would bother you. There’s history there,” Gray offered, his voice dropping and filling with sincerity. “You really liked her when you first started seeing her.”

“Yeah, but I fucked that up,” I snapped, quickly covering my mouth the second I realized I’d cursed. “Sorry, Pen. Don’t repeat that.”

“Mommy cusses all the time,” Pen giggled.

“Oh, great,” Gray mumbled, ruffling the top of her hair and dragging a laugh out of her. “Look, man, you just need to apologize and start fresh. She’s probably just as confused as you are.”

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