Page 40 of Grayson

“I won’t hurt her.” The idea of either of them hurting in any way makes me feel sick to my stomach. I’m still shocked at how quickly they’ve both become a big part of my days.

When I am at work I’m thinking of them. Every situation, every call we get, I can’t help but put myself in the center of it. What would I feel like if this was Skye and Tori, it’s crippling.

It also blows my mind that I feel as close as I do to them.

The guys at the station, they are family. Rose, she is family. And family means everything to me. I generally don’t let people that are outside of that circle get too close.

But these girls, how can anyone not love them from the start.

“I want to meet this Dane kid.”

Her eyes widen in horror. “You are not meeting him.”

“Why, is he an ogre? Like does he got a third eye or a big nose or something?”

“You’re an idiot.” She laughs and the heavy weight pressing on my chest feels lighter. Tori’s smile can light up a room, just like her sister’s can.

“He’s probably got a face full of pimples and braces too huh?”

“Seriously Gray, you’re weird.” I shrug not denying it. But I’d act a fool all afternoon if it meant it would lighten the mood.

“I don’t know about weird,” Skye’s sleep filled voice fills the room as she slowly sits up. Rubbing at her eyes she yawns, looking between Tori and me. “But you are both loud.”

When she attempts to get up I grip her waist and she glances over at me. “Where you going?”

“I have to pee.” She wrinkles her forehead and scrunches up her eyes. “I was trying to be discreet about it, geesh!”

Her tone sounds so much like Tori in that moment.

When I release her and she stands, I check her out. Seeing Tori roll her eyes at me makes me laugh.

“Perv,” she whisper yells and Skye pauses to look between the two of us.

“If you ask me, you’re both weird.” Then she walks past her sister roughing her hair as she passes.

Tori grabs her hand, pulls her close and the two of them share a hug. Tori also whispers something that only the two of them can hear and right then they each take hold of another piece of my heart.

Loyalty and grace, love and devotion, they are both incredible.

27

Skye Simmons

“Before you dropped out of school, what was it you were studying?”

“Double major, business and accounting.” I rest my head on Gray’s chest, while tracing over his tattoos with the tip of my finger. My bedroom is dark and we’re whispering so that Tori doesn’t hear us.

We still haven’t openly shared the fact that he’s stayed over in my bed more than once.

We’ll ease into that. So instead I sneak him in after she’s in bed and back out before she wakes up. I know she’s warmed up to him, but she still has her opinions. This option seems easier than filtering her comments.

“I wanted to open my own business,” I finally confess.

“What kind of business?”

I take a deep breath, my finger pausing wondering if he’ll think it’s foolish. “A spa.” There is no response so I explain. “When I was Tori’s age, my mom took me for a spa day. We spent the whole day getting our nails done, our feet and hair too. We got facials, and even a massage. It was incredible. Granted the best part of the experience is that I shared it with her, but it’s that memory that had me leaving and knowing that I wanted to have a place like that. A place where mothers and daughters, or even best friends, could come to and leave with lasting memories. I pictured the building, what it would look like. The rooms and even the plush chairs where clients would sit while waiting for their technicians to come get them for their treatments. The pink drinks with cute umbrellas and fresh fruit. Calming music.” I nuzzle into his side a little deeper and start to drag my finger over his chest once more. “I’d be responsible for choosing each technician, I’d ensure they treat every single person that walked in the doors as if they were family.”

“That could still happen you know.” Gray starts combing his fingers through my hair and my eyes close as a soothing feeling takes over. “You could start out small, hire in a couple other girls and take courses online.”

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