Page 59 of (Un)Rivaled

“No such luck?”

“None at all,” I groaned, reaching for the take-out bag. “God, this smells amazing.”

“Yeah,” Gray sighed as he took off his coat and hung it on the hook by the door. “My mom was making dinner when I stopped by and insisted I take some with me.”

Guilt sank the elation in my chest, and I rubbed the spot, hoping to soothe some of it away. I cleared my throat, moving into the kitchen to grab some plates and utensils. As I dug in the drawer, Gray wrapped his arms around my waist, inhaling the spot beneath my ear. “Fuck, I love coming home to you, Ace. Look forward to it all day long.”

“Me too,” I said, but my tone betrayed me.

Gray’s hand tightened on my hips, shifting me so we were chest to chest. He gazed down at me, then ran his fingers along my jaw. “What’s going through that head of yours?”

I tried to embody my sister’s courage, knowing it wouldn’t do us any good if I buried every uncomfortable feeling that came up. “I feel bad,” I admitted. “You came back here to help your parents, and now you’re here with me all the time. I don’t want to distract you, not when they really need you.”

“You’re not distracting me from anything, Devy.”

“Aren’t I?” I asked, daring to meet his steely eyes. “You’ve been spending all your nights here, and I know you worry about them, especially your mom. If you want to go stay there, I’d completely understand.”

Gray reached around my waist and pulled me into a loose hug. “I know, Ace. And I’ve been thinking about this a lot too.” He pulled back to meet my eyes. “I talked to mymom about it today. I’m happy to go there as much as she needs, but we both agreed—I can’t stop living my life either. Before you came to town, my entire world revolved around my dad’s diagnosis and his treatment plan. As much as I wanted to help, it was leaving me feeling hollow.” He squeezed my hips. “I needed to find balance, and you’ve helped me with that. So yes, I’ll keep going to all the appointments and checking in during the day, but we’re going to hire a night nurse to help my mom.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“More than anything,” Gray said. “I want to enjoy this time with my dad, not be so worried about his meds and everything else that I miss those moments.” I reached up, placing my hand on his cheek. He took it in his grasp, turning it to kiss my palm. “And I really fucking want a life with you, Devyn. Iwantto be here.”

His words thrummed in my chest, and I felt the promise written in them. These were more than pretty words, more than just a promise to ease my doubts. This was the start of something that could be wild and beautiful, just like the flowers that covered these hills after the snow melted away.

“I like the sound of that.” I lightly pressed a kiss to his lips. “I like having you here too.”

“Yeah?” he said, letting his fingers trail along my exposed skin. “Do you like being here?”

His words gnawed at me like I was about to expose something I didn’t even know how to admit to myself. When I first came up here, it was supposed to be a temporary solution, a place to rest my head while looking for more clues about David’s dealings. It should have been a stop along the way, but now, Saint Stephen’s Lake felt a lot more like my destination. It had been my first home, the placeI met Gray, and the backdrop for so many of my best and worst moments.

This small, quiet town was the opposite of the big city future I had imagined, but it fit me. At least, this new version of me. The idea of going back to eighty-hour work weeks with no time for anything personal made my skin crawl.

I loved this quiet version of my life, especially if it included a tall, tattooed former baseball player at my side.

“Yeah,” I said, my words hushed and low. “I think I love it here.”

Gray’s resulting smile was almost blinding. He pulled me into his arms, lifting me until my feet dangled off the ground. As I wrapped my legs around him, Gray chuckled, “Does that mean I get to move your things into my room?”

I rolled my eyes. “The room is literally across the hall from yours. Does it really bother you if my stuff is in there?”

“Hell yes, it does,” Gray said, kissing my neck. “If we’re doing this, we’re doing it for real, Ace. You’re gonna be tucked against me every night, and I’m gonna wake up to you every morning.”

I toyed with the hair that had slipped out of his bun, smiling like I hadn’t in years. “I guess that could be arranged.”

“Good,” he chuckled, walking us out of the kitchen intoourbedroom. “Just got used to having you in my bed, Ace. Don’t think I could go back if I tried.”

THIRTY-ONE

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

I glanced at Devyn, who was squirming in my passenger seat. She plucked at the edge of her seatbelt, her eyes darting to the side window and back to the front. Her anxiety was coming out in waves, and honestly, it was starting to make me nervous as well.

No, I wasn’t sure if this was a good idea. A knot had burrowed itself into my stomach from the moment we left the house. I knew at some point, Laurel and Devyn would have to cross paths, but for some reason, I expected it to be when we had something to share. When I called Laurel to tell her Devyn knew about our investigation, the last thing I expected was for her to demand a meeting with all of us, Tomas included, to discuss our collective findings. The order had irritated me. It completely pissed off my wife. Devyn was not used to being bossed around, and I had a feeling it would only get worse when the sisters were face to face.

I reached across the console and took her hand, bringing it up to my lips. As I pressed a kiss to the back of her knuckles,she gradually relaxed. “I’ll be with you,” I promised, “the whole time. And if you don’t want to do this, we can turn around right now.”

“Laurel wouldn’t like that,” she deadpanned.

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