Found by Love (29 page)

I had some pretty harsh words with Mattie about telling Grayson too much and Caleb had to intervene so who knows if he's coming to Thanksgiving dinner now after the way I went off on him. In his mind Grayson is older than he is because of his maturity but he's STILL just a scared little boy which is exactly what I told him! Dammit! Men can be such idiots sometimes!

I look over at Grayson to my left and he's leaned up as far as the seat belt will allow him to and he's looking out the window checking out the scenery. I keep wondering what's going through his mind and I point out different places that we like to go eat and showed him our office where we worked and he would just grin as if taking it all in.

Caleb grabbed my hand and pulled it up to his lips and kissed the inside of my hand with a peaceful look on his face and made me realize that this is the moment that we are taking our son home. HOME! To our house! We may only be staying for a night before we head to Olivia and Cash's tomorrow but we decided that the first night should just be the three of us at HOME. Just that word alone put a smile on my face. We pulled up to the house and I see Cash and Olivia's car in the driveway and I look over at Caleb with a silent questioning look and he smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

The last thing that I wanted to do was overwhelming Grayson and introducing him to everyone the first day. I pray it's only Cash and Olivia and not the kids to. Don't get me wrong, I've missed the kids terribly but I don't want him feeling shy and worrying about what to say or how to act around everyone because everyone is going to bombard him with lots of hugs and questions.

Caleb reached in and paid the cab driver and we all went to the back of the trunk to get our luggage. I wasn't sure who should walk in first so I nudged Caleb in the arm to take the lead. Walking into the house was such a wonderful feeling with the love of my life and my only child I looked behind me and grinned at Grayson and he gave me a nervous grin back.

"Well.. It's not as big as Mattie's house by no means but this is home sweet home. I want you to feel welcome here Gray. I need to run to the store and get some of your favorite snacks but feel free to roam the house and raid the fridge if you want."

"Okay.." He gave me a hesitant look and shook his head. "Mom. I promise I'll be annoying you in no time. Hey. Can we get a puppy?" I stopped dead in my tracks and looked at him to see if he was serious or not. I've never been crazy about animals in the house and the idea of them going to the bathroom on my carpet didn't appeal to me at all! "Geez! I was just kidding MOM!! Well.. Kind of, haha." Oh boy! He really wants a dog!

"How about we talk about that when everything settles down alright? I'm not saying yes but I'm not saying no either."

"Wow! You're really getting the hang on this mom thing huh? Haha. That sounded like something my.... Mom would say." He put his head down and looked at the ground.

"Oh you have no idea what kind of skills I have up my sleeve buddy. And hey... I told you not to feel bad or weird about calling Jane exactly what she was. She was your mom." He nodded his head and grinned that gorgeous grin of his back at me.

"It'll quit being weird one day. Hey. Is someone else here? I saw a car outside and it sounds like Caleb is talking to someone." I heard Caleb talking to Olivia and Cash and didn't want to rush the introductions but I guess now is the best time to do that.

"That would be your Uncle Cash and Aunt Olivia. Are you ready to meet them? They're pretty cool and hopefully won't squeeze you to death!" I giggled because I know Olivia can't wait to meet him. He nodded his head and rolled his eyes and let out a big sigh.

"As long as they don't pinch my cheeks I guess it'll be alright."

"Oh they'll wait a week or two before they start doing that." I tried to sound serious but the panicked look that he got on his face had me rolling. "I'm just kidding! We only do that to babies."

I grabbed his bag and set it next to mine and grabbed his hand and had him follow me into the living room. It was so great seeing Olivia and one look into her eyes had me trying not to choke up. I went in for a hug and Cash patted me on the back since Olivia and I wouldn't quit hugging. I felt Olivia's body tense up and I looked at her and she was staring at Grayson with tears in her eyes. I pulled out of her arms and motioned for Grayson's hand for him to come closer to us because he was still standing back taking everything in.

"Grayson. I'd like to introduce you to your Aunt Olivia and Uncle Cash." Olivia wasn't moving at all but was just staring at him which made the introduction a bit awkward. I looked at Cash for help and he grinned at Grayson and put his hand out to him.

"Hey Grayson. How was the flight? If I would have had more notice I would have sent one of my jets to fly you guys home." He leaned down and gave Grayson a big hug but Grayson's eyes were about to bug out.

"Did you say JETS? As in plural?" Cash got a shy look on his face and laughed.

"Yeah, I have two. Maybe we can all go on a guy’s trip some time. Caleb and I can take you and Gideon somewhere cool or something. Maybe a ski trip sometime."

"Wow! That would be awesome!" He looked over at Caleb. "Do you have a jet too?" We all laughed at his question but Caleb answered him.

"No... Why should I spend my hard earned money when my brother has two that I can use any time I need to?"

Caleb winked at Cash who punched him in the arm by his comment. Before you knew it the two brothers were playing around trying to slap each other like ninjas which had all of us laughing. I looked at Olivia who was still staring at Grayson and was starting to make him feel a little uncomfortable and she could tell by the look on my face that she needed to stop. She slowly walked over to him.

"Hey Grayson. I'm so glad to finally get to meet you. I'm sorry if I'm making you feel uncomfortable but it's just that... Well you..." She let out a huge sigh and grinned through her tears. "Do you mind if I hug you?"

"It's okay. My mom told me I look a lot like my cousin Jeremiah. Is that why you're crying?" I gasped because I couldn't believe that he just came out and said it like that and Caleb and Cash immediately stopped what they were doing and Cash walked behind Olivia to put his hand protectively on her back but she pushed his hand away and turned around and looked at us.

"I'm fine Cash, really. I'm fine." She turned around and looked at Grayson. "I'm not going to lie Grayson. You and Jeremiah could have passed as brothers more than he and Jordan did. I'm alright though. Welcome to the family nephew."

She choked on the last few words which had me about lose it and I had to turn around while they embraced. Caleb came around to me and pulled me into his arms. I never thought that finally introducing my child to my oldest and dearest friend would turn out to be so emotional for the two of us. I turned around and Olivia pulled away from him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Do you know what aunts and uncles are good for Grayson?" He laughed and arched his eyebrow at her. "When your parents don't let you have your way you go to them because they can never say no! Haha. Feel free to come to Cash or I any time you feel that Claudia and Caleb are picking on you. Okay?" He nodded his head and gave her a quick little hug again.

"Hey now! That's not going to happen. You'll have to back us up if he gets into any trouble." Of course he's a good kid so I'm really not worried about it and we are just playing around.

"Oh yeah? The same way that you and Caleb back us up with our kids?" I started to say something but she knew she had me so I laughed and bowed to her which had everyone laughing.

"Touché. You got me there."

I looked around the house and nothing seemed to have changed. I still keep wondering about what renovations Olivia was talking about and was hoping that my house was still intact. Olivia noticed me looking around.

"We brought some pizza and Chinese for dinner and it's all on the table. I wasn't sure which food to get you so now you can have both." She came up and gave me a hug. "I'm so glad you're back and SO HAPPY that you three will be staying with us for a while! I've missed my best friend so much and the kids have missed their aunt and uncle, too!" She reached around me and gave Caleb a hug and kiss on his cheek.

"So does that mean that you two are leaving?" Cash was the first one to respond as he came to hug me.

"Yes little sis. We didn't want to bombard the three of you but we wanted to see with our own eyes that you were okay and bring you dinner and meet our new nephew." By now he's already hugged the three of us and is standing close to the foyer with his arm around Olivia's waist.

"Um okay. I guess it was.. Nice to see you while we did? Haha." Olivia was standing next to Cash with tears in her eyes and I silently gave her a questioning look.

"It's just so awesome to see the three of you standing there. You're a family now and I'm so happy for each of you." She wiped her cheeks off and grinned back. "I'll see you three tomorrow. Carmen will be cooking a feast so come hungry." I couldn't say anything because her statement had me so emotional my throat had closed up on me. We are a family! It's slowly but surely kicking in.

"Okay Liv. We will see them tomorrow. We have our dinner reservations to get to." Her eyes lit up.

"Oh I forgot you were taking me to dinner and without the kids!" She blew us all a kiss and they left. The three of us looked at each other one by one and it was Caleb who busted up laughing first and Grayson and I joined in.

"Grayson, I promise you that your Aunt Olivia isn't that emotional. Yes she's sweet but she's pretty cool and funny. She'll get used to the similarities between you and Jeremiah so don't worry about her staring at you all of the time."

"Oh it's cool! I really like her and she gives really good hugs." He looked up at me and smiled. "Like you do."

"Well come here and give me another one before we go eat. I could use one of your hugs right now." He ran into my arms and we held each other and then he was gone. Caleb pulled him into his arms and picked him up and pulled me close.

"I say we have a group hug because big old Caleb here could use one too." We all three held onto each other for a few minutes and then realized how funny we must look and busted up laughing. It was good while it lasted having both of my guys in my arms.

**************

A few hours later I'm sprawled across my king sized bed taking in the comfort of my own bed. I spread my legs and arms out up and down remembering the snow angels I used to make when I was a kid growing up in Kansas. Oh the fun times that Olivia, Derek and I used to have growing up.

"Am I interrupting? I can always sleep on the couch if I have to but I'd prefer to sleep next to your warm body." I jumped because I forgot all about Caleb taking a shower. I reached up and grabbed a pillow and threw it at him to which he ducked and smirked at me.

"How is it that you are always scaring me when I'm so deep in thought?" I forget about how scared he made me and stared at his beautiful physique in nothing but a towel around his waist. He noticed me watching him and gave me that seductive look of his. Dimples and all which had my heart melting.

"Oh stop it Nerd Boy! I'm not in the mood tonight. I just want to be held so if you're wanting to do more than cuddle tonight you might go sleep on the couch. Or you can sleep with Grayson because I doubt he'll notice you're in bed with him. He's OUT! I think we wore him out tonight!" He threw his towel in the hamper and pulled some boxers out of the drawer and put them on and walked over to the bed and crawled in beside me and pulled me into his arms.

"Cru, the look you just gave me wasn't the look of 'I'm not in the mood' but cuddling is okay I guess. You do realize that this is the first night home as an official couple and yes... I was hoping to make love to you all night in a way of celebrating our engagement."

I looked down at my ring finger to see the faint lines of my initials that he wrote on it and grinned. I hadn't realized what a romantic he could be at realizing we had never officially christened the house that we've shared for the past year as friends. Although if Cash and Olivia hadn't have shown up when they did that Saturday morning we definitely would have christened it that morning.

"When you put it that way how can I resist your charms? Are you as terrified and as happy as I am right now?" I looked up at him with tears in my eyes and he grabbed my chin and leaned down and gave me a soft kiss across my lips and pulled me in closer to where my head was against his chest.

"Why are you crying baby? I'm truly happy but not terrified. Why are you terrified and you're shaking baby what's wrong?"

"I just... I've NEVER been this happy but this whole nonsense with Roger and Meredith has me scared to death! Why are you not terrified?" I looked up at him and I could tell that he felt the same way but had been hiding it well.

"Oh I am and I'm not taking their threat lightly but I refuse to live in fear Cru. Cash and I are taking all precautions and he's hired an extra security guard for their house and right now we have one sitting outside the house so don't worry too much. I will do whatever needs to be done to protect my family so have a little faith in me alright?" He seems quite offended at the moment.

"I do have faith in YOU it's the crazy people that want to hurt my child that I don't have much faith in. Why do people have to be so evil? How in the world did they get out of jail for what they did to him?" I rose up and realized I was yelling and lowered my voice so as not to wake Grayson up. "Why did Mattie have to tell an innocent child that there are evil people in the world trying to do harm to us and are trying to get him back in any way possible? That's too much for his little shoulders and he has been through enough shit this past year to think about any of that mess." He pulled me back down next to him and pulled my hair back away from my face and started rubbing my forehead.

"Shhh.. You don't want to wake Grayson up but if I remember correctly your stubborn son refused to stay longer than a week because of his dreams in thinking his father doesn't want him to. Speaking of fathers." His voice seemed pained all of a sudden. "Do you think he'll ever call me Dad? I love it when he calls you Mom but I'm not going to deny the fact that I'm a little jealous." Oh no! Here I've been only thinking of myself and bonding with my son and I haven't even thought about his desires of wanting the same thing. I turned my head up to him and kissed him.

"Caleb... I've been so jealous of yours and his relationship that I hadn't even noticed that he hadn't. He absolutely adores you and I know he will when he's ready. Maybe when we get married it'll just feel more natural to him." He let out a big sigh and nodded.

"Maybe you're right." He pulled me on top of him and my hair cascaded down to his chest and he pushed it back over my ears and gave me that smoldering seductive look of his that turns me to mush. "How about we push all of our worries aside and pretend that this is our wedding night?" He flipped me over and was on top of me and started kissing my throat which had me moaning in his ear.

"Sounds like a plan Nerd Boy but as much as my mind is working right now it might take you awhile to make me forget about my worries. Are you up for the challenge?" He chuckled against my mouth.

"Oh challenged accepted Cruella. Challenge accepted! I hope you're ready for this baby because you're in for a long night and I plan on you not being able to walk in the morning."

"Oh I love it when you talk dirty to me! Game on Nerd Boy! Game on!"

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

The next morning after we finished our breakfast and was cleaning up the kitchen we had a knock at the door and it happened to be Lucas, Cash's limo driver. He was dressed all professional and actually bowed and tipped his hat at me. I couldn't help but giggle.

"I hear we have some long lost relatives moving into the castle for a while. I'm here offering my services to help in any way that I can and to give you all a ride." Caleb ran around me like a kid and pulled Lucas into a big bear hug and slapped him on the back.

"Lucas my man! It's so good to see ya! How are Carmen and the kids doing?" Lucas chuckled at his excitement and winked at me as he pulled away from their hug.

"Good to see you too Caleb and the kids are great and you know how Carmen is before a big holiday. 'Lucas do this and Lucas do that.' Haha. We are definitely going to have a lot of people to feed this year and we all have a lot of reasons to be thankful for." He looked behind me and grinned at Grayson. I pulled him around me to stand in front of me to introduce them with my hands resting on his shoulders.

"Lucas, I'd like to introduce you to my son Grayson. Grayson, this is Lucas. He's Cash and Olivia's limo driver but he's family as well. His wife Carmen is their cook and runs their house like a prison warden but is just as sweet as Lucas here." He extended his hand to Grayson and he shook it in return.

"Nice to meet you Master Grayson and Claudia's right about Carmen but if you learn the house rules quickly you'll have no problems and it's mainly rule Number 1 that you have to worry about and that's to stay out of her kitchen. If you need anything at all like something to drink or a snack just tell her and she'll get you fixed up real quick."