Page 89 of Catch Me When I Fall

She twisted her neck, her big blue eyes landing on mine. “Where are they going?”

“Back to Denver,” I answered softly.

“Is that where your—is that where Red Snake is?”

I nodded. “One of the locations, yeah. We have another one in Charlotte.”

“Charlotte?” she parroted.

“Mhm,” I hummed softly, taking in her beauty, counting the freckles that ran across the bridge of her nose.

Fuck, I’d almost lost her.

“Don’t you need to go with them?”

I brought my hand up to cup her face. “I’m right where I need to be,” I whispered, my voice thicker than usual.

She swallowed. “You’re really not leaving this time, are you?”

My thumb dropped to her lips, brushing over their softness gently. Fuck, I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to claim her body, her heart, her soul, but I couldn’t. Not now.

She needed time, and I had all the time in the fucking world for her.

“I’m never leaving you again, Sunshine.”

“Grayson?”

I looked at Carrie perched on the counter adjacent from her stove. Her ankles were crossed, her curls beginning to dry and take shape, and she was twisting her fingers in her lap, a look of uncertainty flickering in her eyes. “What is it?” I questioned, still stirring the sauce in the pan.

“Don’t you think we should have a conversation? Or something?” she asked, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

There were many conversations we needed to have, but I needed to feed her first. “I need to get some food in you first,” I told her. “The sooner we do that, the better you’ll feel.” I looked back down to the creamy sauce I started throwing together after the boys left. They would be back in Denver soon, and Hayes would conduct daily check-ins with me. Once Carrie and I were settled, we would need to discuss our relationship and whether she wanted to stay in Astoria.

Of course, I wasn’t rushing anything now.

After the last six months, just being in her presence was enough.

When I turned to look at her, I found her staring at me. My lips twitched. “What is it, Sunshine?”

“You know everything about me, and I know nothing about you,” she noted, tucking a curl behind her ear.

I gestured to the space between us with an open palmed. “Start asking then,” I invited.

“Asking what?”

A chuckle rumbled up from my chest. “The hundreds of questions you have swirling around in that gorgeous head of yours,” I clarified softly, looking back to the food. I set the wooden spoon aside and moved closer to her, grabbing her butcher knife and chopping up some herbs while feeling her eyes on me. Without looking at her, I added, “Can’t read your mind, baby. Ask aloud.”

Her fuzzy sock-covered foot pressed into my hip, giving me a small but playful shove. “Don’t be a smartass,” she chided as she dropped her foot.

“Don’t give me a reason to be one,” I shot back lightly, twisting my neck to look at her again. Those bright blue eyes scanned my face for a moment. Then, the interrogation began.

“Can I ask anything?”

“Yes,” I told her, returning to chopping.

“Why is there a security panel in my living room?”

I shot her a look. “Because you aren’t living in a house without a security system,” I deadpanned.

---