Page 95 of Vengeful Secret

That Gray was the most sensitive of his children. That he needed the most understanding.

Gray keeps so much inside, and I wonder if that’s because he feels things more deeply than other people.

Ciara’s laughter reaches me before I catch sight of her, flying through the air in her floaties.

I hurry down to the pool, and Gray turns to look at me sheepishly when I call his name.

“Gray Burke. What are you doing?”

Just then, Ciara pops up from the deep end, wearing her floaties and giggling as she dog-paddles back over to her dad.

“Again! Again!”

“I don’t think your mother likes it much,” he says, looking down at her, and Ciara sighs deeply, rolling over onto her back and floating around the pool.

“Mama worries too much.”

“I worry just enough, thank you,” I say curtly and walk over to the edge of the pool, putting my feet in and looking over at Gray.

He walks over to me in the water, putting himself between my bare legs.

I reach out and put my hands on his water-spattered shoulders.

“How’d it go?” he asks softly.

I shrug. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Gray frowns, and I can’t help but laugh.

“It went well,” I assure him. "I think he likes me okay."

“He didn’t yell at you or anything, did he?”

“Not at all. He was a gentleman. Just like you.”

Gray snorts. “I don’t think either of us have ever been called gentlemen.”

I smirk. “You can show me why a bit later, when we put Ciara to bed.”

“I'm not going to bed!” Ciara yells. “I’m playing mermaids!”

“Not without me, you’re not.” I dive into the pool in my sundress, flipping my legs like a fish to get to her, and Ciara squeals and laughs.

Gray laughs, too, coming after us and pretending to be a shark, and Ciara loves it.

I end up sitting on the edge of the pool, watching those two play and feeling better about everything.

There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

26

GRAY

I’m early,so I’m the only one in the kitchen.

Declan and Bree trail in, and Bree groans as she sits down. She’s so miserable at the end of her pregnancy. I feel bad for her, but Declan rubs her back, and she smiles at him.

Sutton and Ciara enter the room, and I smile at my daughter.

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