Total pages in book: 64
Estimated words: 62095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62095 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 310(@200wpm)___ 248(@250wpm)___ 207(@300wpm)
I unfastened his belt and picked him up, then earned myself a soft giggle when I hurried along the path toward the house. The rain was picking up.
Gray must’ve been keeping an eye out from inside, because he came out just as I climbed the porch steps.
Even though I’d seen him plenty since I’d moved up here, it was so difficult to comprehend how much he’d matured. How tall he was, how adult he looked—heck, he was growing a beard! My hockey-playing goof of a nephew was simply gone.
“Hey, you two.” He smiled warmly at the sight of us, and Justin whipped around in my arms and immediately reached out to him.
“Daddy!”
My heart.
“I’m right here, buddy.” Gray gathered the boy in his arms and kissed his forehead, and I knew exactly why. It was such a parent way of feeling a child’s temperature. Gray was a natural. “What’s this I hear about you being sick, huh? We don’t like fevers, do we?”
“Nuh-uh.” Justin shook his head. “Can Nana give me ice cream?”
I grinned.
“You bet,” Gray assured. “She’s turning our reading chair in the staff room into a movie zone for you as we speak.”
Justin nodded. “We speak.”
I sighed, finding them both too adorable for words. I guessed part of it was because I was still soaking up every second I got to spend with Gray. He’d been through so much.
“I know that expression,” he told me. “That’s how Mom still looks at me sometimes.”
“Can you blame us?” I didn’t want to put a damper on the mood, so I walked up to him and pinched his cheek. “And look at you, you’re growin’ a beard.”
He groaned through a laugh. “Do you see how Nattie treats Daddy, Justin? That’s how Nana and Grandma pinch your cheeks.”
Nattie, huh? Well, all right, that could be my nickname.
“Yeah, lots,” Justin snickered. “But then I get ice cream. Daddy, I want ice cream.”
The boy was determined.
“Goodness, go give him ice cream, Gray,” I urged.
“Okay, okay—” He stepped aside—we both did—as two guests came outside with firm grasps on their umbrellas and tourist maps. “Thanks again for saving the day.” Gray dipped down and kissed my cheek. “By the way, Mom said you’re thinking about joining a gym? If you go to the place across the street from your apartment, avoid Ethan at all costs.”
Whoa, wait, what?
“Wh-what?” I stammered like an idiot.
“Uncle Ethan!” Justin exclaimed.
So he was related to Darius.
Gray grinned ruefully. “Yes, Uncle Ethan, buddy. He works close to where Nattie lives.” He turned to me again. “Let’s just say he’s easy to love but extremely difficult to like. You’re just like Mom—zero filter—and if you discover how arrogant and vain that dude is, you won’t be able to keep your mouth shut. And I would like to keep the peace in the family.”
Oh my God, he couldn’t say that to me and expect me not to wanna hash it out. I had questions! Ethan was my PT!
“Anyway—it’s still a great gym,” Gray told me. “Cathy’s amazing. She helped Abel—you remember my best friend, right? She helped him with his knee injury a couple years ago.”
My head was officially fucked, and I had no time to ask my questions. Gray said he’d call me later, and then he excused himself to head back inside. I could tell he was a little stressed out. Summer was tourist season and whatever. But what about me? I hadn’t freaking chosen Cathy!
Avoid Ethan at all costs.
I cursed and went back to my car.
After killing the engine, I gripped the wheel with both hands and bit my lip.
I was ten minutes early.
The grocery store didn’t open till eight, when I was meeting Ethan.
Was I making a big mistake?
Last night, I’d gone back and forth for hours. It made sense that Gray would recommend Cathy if she’d helped my nephew’s best friend with a sports injury. I did remember Abel; he was an NHL player. But he’d played in high school too, with Gray. So they had that athlete mind-set, I’d rationalized. And maybe what was best for a hockey player wasn’t a good fit for me. As for Ethan being arrogant and vain…?
I…I didn’t know what to think. Gray obviously knew the man better than I did—but that was the thing. I wasn’t planning on getting to know Ethan at all, and he’d been very nice in a professional setting.
Granted, if he was Darius’s brother, chances were I’d see Ethan at a dinner or birthday party eventually, though I wanted to drag that out. I’d been so hopeful yesterday, and I didn’t want to start over so soon.
No, I was gonna do what I’d decided last night. I was gonna keep quiet about the family members Ethan and I had in common, and I was going to take full advantage of our professional relationship so I could get my weight loss off the ground.