Page 79 of Dangerous Secret

Cooper drove them to her apartment. When they arrived, Cooper took the suitcase, and Grayson carried Tyler, who woke up as they entered. He yawned, blinked several times and then stared at Grayson.

“You play with me, Richie?”

Grayson smiled sweetly at her son. “Not tonight, bud. I think your mommy needs some Tyler time.”

“Mommy?” He glanced around, and seeing her, he reached for her. “Mommy.”

That was the sweetest sound in the world. Graysonhanded him to her, and she wrapped her arms around him. She had her boy back.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Grayson said.

“No, it’s better if you don’t.” The words a goodbye. She forced a smile. “Thank you. I’ll never forget what you did for us.” Something flashed in his eyes as he took in her words. Sadness, she thought. Sadness was what was in her heart.

It was killing her to be so cold and unfair to him. She owed him so much more than a mere thank-you, but if she didn’t send him away now, if she let him stay one minute more, let him say anything to her, she’d lose her resolve. Their time would be over when she had Tyler back, and that time had come. It was what they’d agreed to. All that mattered now was her son. That was how it had to be.

“Be happy, Harlow,” he said, then followed Cooper out the door.

And just like that, he was gone.

If this was what she wanted, why were tears streaming down her cheeks?

Chapter 36

Two weeks had passed and no phone call, no text…nothing from Harlow. Grayson had started dozens of texts to her over the past seven days, then had deleted them all. She’d told him up front how it was going to be. He’d just thought things had changed.

The Feds had confirmed that the gun from Pressley’s safe had been the one used to kill George Pickens. Although Delgado had been the one to commit the murder, it had been at the direction of Pressley. Delgado was talking, hoping to cut a deal, and it seemed the man knew all Pressley’s secrets, even things Harlow hadn’t been aware of. At the prosecutor’s urging, the judge had refused to set bail for both men. Pressley would never be free again. She was finally rid of her ex, and Grayson had hoped knowing that would bring her back to him. Guess not.

Damn, he missed her. There was an ache in his chest that refused to go away. Was that love? He didn’t know. Maybe not yet, but he’d been getting there. He put his feet on the railing and stared at the ocean. Since he’d walked away from her, he’d vacillated between just showing up at her door versus honoring their agreement.

Maybe she needed him to show her that he wanted more, or maybe she was happy that she hadn’t heard from him.He’d never been an indecisive man, and he didn’t like being one now. It was just that every time he wrote a text or picked up the phone to call her, he hesitated. If he only knew what she wanted.

His gaze settled on a woman and a little boy walking down the beach. They were too far away to see their features, but he could tell the woman was laughing as the boy played the age-old game children loved…don’t let the water touch my toes.

Would Tyler love the beach? Would he laugh when the water touched his toes? Grayson swallowed past the lump in his throat. How many times during the past two weeks had he imagined Harlow and Tyler here, playing on his beach?

Answer: about every second of every minute of every hour of every day. He wanted to stop watching the woman and boy because watching them hurt for what he couldn’t have, but he was unable to tear his gaze away.

As the woman and the boy drew closer, Grayson’s breath caught in his throat, and his heart skipped a beat and then another. He dropped his feet to the floor, stood and squinted his eyes against the bright sun. Hope ballooned in his chest. Was it her? If it was, and that she was here, it had to mean she wanted to see him.

When they were close enough to see their faces, time stopped, the crash of the waves against the shore ceased, and the only thing he heard was the pounding of his heart in his ears.

It was her.

And she smiled at him.

Suddenly, all was right in his world.

He jogged down the steps, and she laughed when he almost fell on his face because he missed the last step. He’d gladly do a face-plant if it meant hearing that laugh. Hegrinned. Damn, his heart was going to beat itself right out of his chest and land at her feet. He’d beg her to keep it because it belonged to her. Now and always.

Double damn, hewasin love.

“Hi,” he breathed when he stopped a few feet from her.Please don’t let me be misinterpreting why you’re here.

“Hi,” she said with a shy smile.

“Richie, I came to play with you,” Tyler yelled.

“You did?” He tore his eyes away from the most beautiful woman on the planet and squatted. He did not want to be Richie to this boy. “That makes me very happy. But you want to know a secret?” When Tyler nodded, he said, “Richie was just a pretend name. My real name is Grayson. But my friends call me Gray.”

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