Page 80 of Dangerous Secret

“Can I call you Gray?”

“Well, that depends. Are you my friend?”

That got a vigorous nod.

“Then Gray it is.” If things went the way he hoped, he’d be a father to this boy, and he almost fell on his ass at the idea of being a dad. Him, a father. Who would’ve thought? He lifted his gaze to Harlow. She looked down at him with love shining in her eyes. His heart, already half out of his chest, finished the job and gave itself to her, lock, stock and barrel.

No regrets about that. Not a one.

* * *

After an afternoon of playing in the ocean, which had included paddling Tyler around on the surfboard, he’d conked out on them. Grayson was glad they’d worn the boy out as he and Harlow needed to talk. Something they hadn’t been able to do with Tyler around. After tucking him into bed in the guest room, Grayson took Harlow’s hand and led her to the living room.

“You know I’m going to make a surfer out of him, right?” He pulled her down to the sofa with him.

She rolled her eyes. “I figured that out about five minutes after he was on the board. He loved every minute of it.”

“But did you figure out how hard it was to keep my hands off you the moment you walked out in that bikini?”

“Oh, I thought your fingers brushing across my bottom was an accident.”

He laughed. “Yeah, no.” He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed the inside of her wrist. “I thought I was hallucinating when I saw you walking up the beach, that I wanted it to be you so badly that I was putting your face on a stranger. I thought I’d lost you.”

She threaded her fingers around his. “I had it in my mind that Tyler would need one hundred percent of me after being left with his father for so long, but it’s like he’s already adjusted to the change and more than happy with it.”

“Kids are pretty resilient. I’m guessing he’s happy because he’s with his mother now.”

“He is. He told me he doesn’t ever want to live in his father’s house again. Then he started asking when you were going to come play with him. It’s been Richie this and Richie that. ‘Richie read me to sleep’ and ‘Richie took care of me when I was sick.’ Thank you for that.”

“He’s a great kid.” But that wasn’t what he wanted to talk about. “What about us? Is there anus?”Yeswas the only word he wanted to hear. Needed to.

“I’m hoping so. When you left…” She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before opening them and lifting her gaze to his. “When I made you leave, you took my heart with you.”

“Only fair since you stole mine. And just so you know, I’m not giving yours back.” Best day of his life. This morning, he’d thought he’d lost her, and now it turned out that he was luckiest man in the world.

She smiled. “Good, because I’m falling in love with you.”

What could he do to that but kiss her? Slow and deep, showing her that he was falling, too. He was where he belonged—right here, right now—with her.

Epilogue

It hadn’t been as hard as Grayson thought it would to talk Harlow into moving in with him. That she didn’t want to be anywhere near Faberville and her memories there had certainly helped. He’d ask her to marry him today if he thought she was ready. She wasn’t there yet, so the ring he’d already bought was locked up in his desk. Soon, though.

“Gray, I’m here! We can go surfing now.”

He smiled at the boy he loved like his own. “You have fun in school today?” He was going to school for the first time in his life and loved getting to spend time with other kids.

“Yes! I spelled all my words right.”

“Excellent.” Grayson lifted his hand for a high five, and Tyler laughed as he slapped his small hand against Grayson’s. “I knew you’d ace the test.” They’d practiced spelling the five words—cat, dog, cow, hat and car—last night until Tyler could spell the word as soon as Grayson pointed at the picture. He’d loved every minute of working with the kid. His boy was a smart one.

“The waves are good today. Go get your suit on.”

“Yay!” Tyler took off, running back into the house.

It had been only three weeks since Harlow and Tyler had moved in with him, and he’d known how much he wasgoing to love being a family with her and Tyler. He just hadn’t realized how much he was going to love it.

The sound of the French door opening and then closing sounded, and although he didn’t turn away from the railing, he smiled. His girl would be next to him in a few seconds, and he tried to guess which bikini she’d have on. Now that she lived at the beach and because he’d made sure she knew how sexy she was in a bikini, she’d gone bathing suit shopping and now had a drawer full. Worked for him.

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