Page 111 of Sometimes You Fall

Grady pushes a hand through his hair and then takes a seat on the couch, placing my legs back across his lap so they’re still propped up. “After our road trip, when you told me about your situation with your ex, I knew it was only a matter of time before he came back. So, I called up Timothy McDonald, the lawyer in town, and had him draft up the form.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

He twists his head to face me, flashing that panty-melting smirk of his. “Because the game wasn’t over yet, and until it is, you keep some plays close to the vest.”

I crack a smile, remembering what he told me after his pep talk with my son during his last baseball game. “Smooth.”

He chuckles. “I knew getting him to sign it wouldn’t be easy, so I needed leverage. A buddy of mine I played with in San Francisco worked with a private investigator when he was going through his divorce because he was fairly certain his wife was cheating on him. I got his number and had Andrew followed for a few weeks. We discovered all kinds of extracurricular activities your ex likes to partake in, including fucking the wife of one of the judges in his district. So, I made sure to include those pictures in case he wanted to fight back.”

“Is that what made him look like he was going to throw up?” I ask, thinking back to how white Andrew looked as he flipped through the stack of papers.

“Probably. Or it was the picture of him snorting cocaine off a stripper’s bare chest.”

I close my eyes and shake my head. “Jesus. I can’t believe I ever married him.” But then I remember his words from earlier and my eyes well again. “He wasmygreatest mistake, Grady.” I look across the room so he can’t see what hearing that actually did to me, how betrayed and hurt it made me feel—not because I still have feelings for the man, but because without him, I wouldn’t have Chase, and I don’t see how any parent can regret their own child.

Grady tugs gently on my hand, pulling my attention back to him. “Scottie, don’t you dare fucking believe a word that piece of shit said, okay? He may consider you two his greatest mistake, but for me? Realizing that you and Chase belong in my life was my defining moment.” Instantly, it gets hard to breathe again. “The second you reentered my world, I knew what had been missing. His loss is my gain. You’ve completed my life, Scottie. You, your son, and this baby girl.” He places his hand back on my belly. “And I’ll keep reminding you of that until the end of time if you’ll let me.”

So many emotions are moving through me right now, but the one I’m choosing to focus on islove.

I tried to fight it, tried to deny what’s really between us, and I can sit here and make up more excuses about why letting him in scares the shit out of me.

But at the end of the day, this man could never hurt me. Hell, he went out of his way to help me, care for me, and protect me and my son from the man who never deserved us to begin with.

I love him.

“I want that, Grady.” Nodding, I swing my legs off of his lap and move to straddle him, holding his face in my hands. “What you did for me tonight? That’s love. What you do for me every day? That’slove. How you listen, how you show up, how you make me feel like I don’t have to live in fear anymore? That’s the kind of love I didn’t know existed.”

Grady cups the side of my face and speaks the words my heart already knew. “I’m so fucking in love with you, Scottie.” The gravel in his voice travels right down the center of my chest, coating my entire body in warmth. “You’re my best friend, and the woman I’m meant to be with. No one else ever stood a chance. Do you realize that?”

“I do now. And I—I love you too. So much that I’m terrified and overwhelmingly happy at the same time.”

He takes a deep breath. “Then stop fighting this, and let me love you forever.”

“Kiss me,” I breathe against his lips. And he does until we’re both out of control with need for each other, but he stops before it gets too far.

He lets out a sigh of relief, planting his lips on mine again. “Fuck, Scottie. You have no idea the brick you just lifted from my chest.”

“I might have a little idea…I feel like I’ve been carrying a similar brick myself.”

He lowers his hand to our baby, rubbing my stomach softly. “I want this life with you, for us to be a family. I want that so fucking much…”

“Me too. There’s still a lot to figure out, but I’m done fighting this. I love you and that’s all that matters.”

“You are the love of my life, Scottie Daniels.”

“I’m not Daniels anymore.”

He tilts my head to the side, stroking my cheek. “No. And soon you’ll be Scottie Reynolds, so we won’t have to argue about this anymore.”

“You love arguing with me,Grady.”

The corner of his mouth tips up. “I do, but I love loving you more. And I plan on doing that for the rest of our lives.”

***

“That’s it, Scottie. Open up for me.”

Closing my eyes, I focus on the feeling of Grady sliding in and out of me, lying behind me while he keeps my legs open with his arm under my knee.

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