Page 44 of Always Been Yours

“There is nothing wrong with enjoying love stories,” I retort.

He turns his head toward me, assessing me. “Never said there was but you seem to have sworn off love in any form.”

His observation makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It’s the truth but I hate the call out all the same.

“A person can believe in love and not be sure if they want it for themselves.” And that’s also the truth. I can acknowledge that romantic and platonic love stomped on my heart, leaving it bleeding in my chest but there are good people and couples with happyendings. Grady’s parents are a perfect example.

“I guess so,” he turns his whole body toward me now. It reminds me of when he surrounded me at the bar, forcing me to drink water by flirting with me. “It’s disappointing when I’venevermet a person more deserving of being loved though. Or a little girl who wanted it as badly as you had.”

My mouth forms a smallOat his sober confession. It was easy to blame Friday night on the alcohol, even if he had only a couple drinks. But in the light of day, after sharing a meal together, I can’t deny the way my body heats up in response. I so badly want to believe that Grady haseverfelt that way about me, but it goes against a lot of what I know about our history.

Before I can think better of it, a disbelieving laugh bubbles out of me.

Grady’s brows scrunch at my response. I quickly shut my mouth, but I don’t look away.

He doesn’t look angry. Just confused.

“You can believe whatever you want. For now.”

Now I’m the one left confused. I don’t do anything while I watch him walk back toward the bakery counter. He stays over there until the cake is finished and gives us a simple goodbye before whisking off with his daughters.

Chapter Fifteen

Vivi

The email from Harper is open on my computer screen while I wait for Grady to meet me. It’s been ten days since we went to Spotlight and eight days since we ran into each other at Bella Donna’s. During that time, we’ve barely talked—excluding the few lunches we awkwardly got roped into with Selena—so I have yet to find any clarity into whatever the fuck is going on with Grady and me.

Thankfully, I don’t think she has any ideas about what’s going on—because I’m still telling myself it’s nothing—she’s just a hopeful mother and doesn’t change her mind often.

That week and a half clearly didn’t give Harper time to cool off after what happened at the bar. I’m not scared of Harper, and I don’t need anyone to defend me, but I really don’t know what to do about Harper’s threat. Especially when it involves the other coaches.

So as much as I hate it, I have no other options than to ask for help.

The longer Grady takes to arrive, the more anxious I get. It’s the largest project I’ve overseen, and four months really isnot a long time to put something of this magnitude together. With Harper’s backlash, it’s only going to make things more difficult. It doesn’t matter if the board says theymustparticipate. They can drag their feet the entire time and make it impossible to reach our goal.

I’m about to start tearing apart my craft closet to find a brown bag to breathe into at the same moment that Grady walks through the door.

He senses my panic and pulls a chair to my desk. His hand goes to the back of my chair and even though I can’t feel it, the gesture helps relax my chest a little.

“What’s wrong?” He scans my entire body as if he’s expecting to find blood oozing onto the floor.

“I…” Not able to put together a sentence, I shake my head and point to the computer screen.

Grady slides his chair close enough that I can feel his warmth and smell his earthy amber cologne. He leans toward the screen and reads the email from Harper out loud, “Genevieve,“ he says in a disgruntled voice, and it almost makes me smile despite my anxiety. He turns toward me. “Has he ever called you that?” I shake my head. Grady officially owns all my names in some way, and he knows it.“Yeah, I didn’t think so.” He turns back to the computer and continues, “I’ve talked to the other coaches on your behalf—what a butthead,“ he says it with the straightest face, and I can’t help but laugh. He graces me with a small smile. “And we have decided that the athletic seasons are our top priority. We won’t risk potential losses by forcing our athletes to split their focus when a majority of their time is already focused on their education.He says that like we don’t work at a school, but okay.I’m sure you can understand our need to be excluded from this little gathering. We can reconvene after you talk to the committee members. Thanks in advance.”

Grady stares at the screen for at least ten seconds before he turns toward me. He stares for another five seconds.

“What a fucking asshole. I hate that douchebag.”

His outburst takes me a moment to fully comprehend but once my brain catches up, I almost tip out of my chair in laughter. Gradyrarelycurses. I don’t know why but he never has. It has always made me giddy when that proper exterior cracks for a second.

At the same second my outburst happens, a shocked little gasp comes from the door. Grady whips around to find his daughters standing just inside my classroom. Daisy has her hand over her mouth and wide eyes from shock. Stella’s mouth and brows are set in hard lines.

“Dad,” she says in a very stern voice, making me want to lose it all over. “That’sa bad word.“ She holds up two fingers. “Two bad words actually!”

Grady looks at me over his shoulder with an expression that says,donotcorrect that statement.

I bite down on my lips, but a few snorts sneak out. Grady’s doing a much better job at keeping a straight face even if his shoulders are shaking.

---