Beyond What is Given(85)

His brow furrowed as he typed back.

“What’s up?” I didn’t really want to know, but I had my best supportive-girlfriend hat on.

“It’s Grace, she was just asking what I’m up to.”

“Do you have a drink?” I asked, skipping right over the part where I daydreamed I took his phone and crushed it into a million tiny pieces.

“Do we have sweet tea?” he asked, not looking up.

“Coming up.” I poured us two glasses and set them at the table.

“Do we what?” Grayson said aloud.

“Hmmm?”

“Grace wants to know if we have two extra seats for Sunday night dinner?”

Everyone’s head snapped to Grayson, and then to the door when the bell rang. No way. No f*cking way. Grayson met my eyes with a panicked look, and as my stomach fell to the floor, I felt myself systematically shutting down.

Maybe there were more responses than just flight or fight. Maybe shut-down-and-deny was a viable option. “You’d better get that,” I said.

He nodded and left the room.

I sat on the side next to Grayson’s seat, while Jagger and Paisley took up the side to our left. His hand took mine from where they were playing with the silverware and gave it a soft squeeze. If Jagger wasn’t even being sarcastic, we were headed for a hell of an evening.

“Holy shit, you’re standing!” I heard Grayson exclaim.

“Not for long,” a sweet voice responded.

“Help her out, Gray,” another voice snapped, and my hand gripped Jagger’s.

“Parker?” Paisley asked softly. I nodded, and she sighed. “I suppose I should grab the extinguisher in case you accidentally set her on fire. I’ll also provide the lighter.”

Jagger snorted and kissed her on the cheek.

Grayson’s head popped over the half wall, and everything inside me turned ice cold, froze, and shattered. In his arms, with her dainty hands wrapped around his neck, was Grace. She wore a white sundress, and with her hair twisted and braided up like that, their goofy smiles, and the way he carried her… I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Grayson Masters. Holy shit, I was going to be sick.

“Breathe,” Jagger whispered under his breath.

I’d seen the possibility of her beauty while she lay comatose, but Grace awake was far more than I could have imagined. Her tiny feet kicked lightly and her smile was infectious and full of such joy that I knew I was totally screwed.

I couldn’t even bring myself to hate the woman who would steal away the man I loved.

“Hi,” Grace said, looking us all in the eye. When she reached me, her eyes widened for a split second before she spoke. “Thank you for letting us barge in on you like this.”

“It’s no trouble. I’m Paisley, and you must be Grace,” Paisley responded, southern manners to the rescue. “Grayson, why don’t you settle her at the table?” Her chair creaked on the floor as she pushed back and headed to the cabinet.

“Where do you want this?” Parker asked, pointing to a small suitcase. “Mia said you have a thing for this peppermint-mocha coffee creamer she made us bring.”

Grayson smiled. “That’s for Sam, actually.”

“I’ll take it. Thank you, Parker.” I wound my way around the table to take the suitcase from her.

“Wow, I didn’t realize you were still living here, Sam.”

Oh, her claws were out. “Parker,” Grayson growled as he settled Grace into the seat closest to his on the corner.

“Not for long,” Parker whispered in my ear, and then skipped over to Grayson and gave him a hug. “I’ve missed you, Gray!”

“You are tougher than this, and that man worships everything about you, Sam,” Paisley said, squeezing my hand as I put the creamers into the freezer.

I nodded, unable to say anything.

“So let me guess who is who?” Grace asked as Paisley set places in front of her and Parker. “You must be Jagger, and you’re Josh.” She turned, sending me a kind and curious smile. “So you must be Sam? Grayson’s other roommate?”

Paisley was wrong. I was so not tougher than this.

“Actually, Grace,” Grayson started, sending me a smile, but I shook my head. I wasn’t going to destroy this girl at the dinner table. That was a private conversation for them to have. His face fell, and I dropped my eyes, skimming past him to take my seat.

“What?” Grace asked.

“You know he thought she was a guy when she first moved in,” Josh supplied. “He didn’t realize she was a girl until he met her.”

Grace’s mouth popped open in a perfect O. “What happened?”

I gave my first genuine smile. “He basically implied that I was sleeping with these two”—I pointed to Josh and Jagger—“and then I slipped off the counter and fell.”

“She’d been standing on it to reach the coffee,” Grayson explained, dishing food onto her plate. “I’ve since moved the coffee lower, of course.”

“You weren’t hurt, were you?” she asked.

“No,” I said softly as he took my hand under the table. “Grayson caught me.”

She turned a soft smile on him. “Good. He’s got good reflexes.”