Page 73 of The Grump I Loathe
Even after telling myself I’d never make that mistake after Ryker. And not only that, but this time I’d picked someone with infinitely more power than me and a massive foothold in the industry. Connor could destroy everything I’d worked so hard for with a snap of his fingers.
The red flags were waving hard. I looked up at his face, studying each piece of stubble along his jaw, each eyelash, and the anxiety settled, the panic fading.
Connor was nothing like Ryker. Dependable was his middle name. He wouldn’t pivot on a dime, and he wouldn’t leave me hanging. That just wasn’t the kind of man he was. Right?
After Ryker, I wasn’t prepared to compromise my worth again, but as I stared into Connor’s eyes, breathing in the warmth and spice of his skin, I knew he wouldn’t ask me to make those kinds of compromises.
This time things would be different.
22
CONNOR
“Grace told me she wants to go to Italy,” Finn said as we sat in Cora’s, a chain breakfast joint near the private airstrip we used. We’d moved our last weekly September lunch to breakfast in order to see Mom and X off to Italy in an hour.
“She just wants to go there to eat pizza and pasta,” I said.
“And there’s nothing wrong with that,” Finn said, working his way through a plate of breakfast tacos.
Liam had opted for a stack of pancakes the size of his head. “God, I have to bring Mia here,” he said. “Her cravings for French toast at odd hours of the morning have been out of control.”
“They’re open twenty-four seven,” I said.
“And this sweet and spicy maple butter…” He groaned in happiness.
“Gotta squeeze the fun in while you can,” Finn said. “Once the baby gets here, it’ll be no sleep and diapers and round-the-clock feedings. No more pancakes for you. Right?” he said, elbowing me in the arm. “Tell him. You remember those days.”
“I don’t actually,” I muttered. “It’s all a sleep-deprived blur.” I didn’t want to think about those early days anyway, back when things were still good between me and Ali. Not perfect, but who actually expects to be perfectly happy? I thought we were happy enough in our little family bubble.
“What’s up with you?” Liam asked.
“What?”
“I don’t know. You’ve got your brooding face on. Either Sawyer and Ali have annoyed you or something else is going on. Is it Mom?”
“No.” I cracked my knuckles. “It’s nothing, I’m fine.”
“Oh,” Finn said, stealing a sausage off my plate. “You’re cracking your knuckles. Something is definitely on your mind. Spill.”
I looked at my hands, having no idea where to start. With Eddie and the fact that I couldn’t stop thinking about her? Couldn’t help wanting to gush about her the way my brothers did Mia and Sierra? Or did I start with the fact my ex was getting married this weekend, making promises of forever she hadn’t been able to keep when she’d made them to me? Not that I wanted Ali to be the one to love me forever, but it still made me feel like a failure to think of how it had all fallen apart.
“I guess I am just thinking about Mom and the trip,” I said, glossing over everything else. “Worried about whether she has everything she needs.”
“I tried to help with the itinerary,” Finn said, “but Mom wouldn’t let me do any more than schedule the plane. She said you helped with her travel documentation and her new work laptop. How’d you get around that?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t exactly ask.” After all these years, I was good at anticipating Mom’s needs. The paperwork to enter the country.Adding an international plan to her phone. Sorting out her tech to make sure she could work on her next writing project while in Italy.
“If I’d asked, she would have told me she had it under control, then she would have regretted it when she got there and itwasn’tsorted.” I just wanted to make sure she enjoyed herself and that there weren’t any hiccups that might stress her out. “I know X will be there, but he’ll be working. He isn’t going to be around to help with everything.”
Liam put his hand up for the check, glancing at the time on his phone. “Speaking of which, we should probably run. They’ll be arriving any moment.”
Liam paid, and we made our way over to the airport, meeting Mom and X in the tiny private lounge. Mom looked relaxed, clad in a breezy cream pantsuit, her hair pinned back with gold clips, and a latte in her hand.
“You made it!” she announced as we walked in.
“Of course we made it,” Liam said. “We promised to see you off.”
She hugged him first. “Yes, well, I know how busy you all are.” She pulled back, prodding his chest. “And you call me immediately if you think this baby is coming early. I’ll hop right on a plane and fly back.”
