Just One Reason (21 page)

“Is that a hint?”  She ask
ed, her hands going to my fly.

“
Not yet,” I said pulling her hands behind her back.  “You’re going to take a nice hot relaxing shower, and then I’m going to tuck you into bed.”  She pouted her bottom lip out, and I kissed it before turning her toward the shower and slapping her bare ass.

Lindsay

After my hot relaxing shower, I dressed in the
pajamas Grady had set out for me, even if I didn’t plan on staying in them for very long.  I dried my hair and brushed my teeth before going to find Grady already in bed watching ESPN.

Leaning over the bed I took the remote from Grady’s hand and turned it off.  He didn’t have time to protest before I pulled my shirt over my head and dropped my pants to the floor.  Grady’s eyes took in every inch of my naked body as I crawled across the bed and threw my leg across his lap to straddle him.  He was wearing his pajama pants, b
ut that didn’t stop me from rocking my hips and pressing against him.

“Lindsay,” he exhaled, dropping his head back against the headboard.  That move gave me access to his neck, and I kissed my way up
to his ear.  His fingers gripped my hips when our lips met, and I angled my head to deepen the kiss.  There was nothing better than kissing Grady and knowing he was mine.

Grady’s arm circled my waist as he rolled me over and shucked off his pajama pants in one smooth move.  I giggled against his mouth, “Very smooth.  Have you been practicing that?”

His chuckle turned to a groan when his cock slid through my damp flesh and rubbed against my clit.  “Oh, God,” I whimpered, not giggling anymore.  I gripped his ass and urged him inside me.  He slid inside in one long thrust and then stilled for a minute.  The muscles in his back and arms were tense, and he closed his eyes against the sensations that our joining always brought.

I lifted my hips to pull him deeper and raked my nails over his shoulders.  Grady’s ice blue eyes opened to gaze into mine.  He started to move in a slow agonizing rhythm and leaned down to kiss me softly. 
I wrapped my legs around his waist to take all of him, and he groaned as he stopped holding back and took us both to the edge and over.  When he could speak again, Grady brushed my hair back and cupped my face in his hand.

“Nothing in the world is as beautiful as you are at this moment, Lindsay.  I love you.  I will love you forever.”

Warm tears slid from the corners of my eyes onto the pillow.  “Grady,” I breathed.  I don’t know how, but this man made me fall more in love with him every day.  There were no words to accurately describe how I felt, so I pulled him down for a kiss like no other.

When he pulled back he smiled and
said, “I know, Linz.  I know.”

***

Taryn and I were perched on barstools sipping coffee (decaf for me) and watching my aunt Rebecca and Wyatt’s mom, Anne roll out dough for pies.  Both Wyatt’s and Taryn’s parents arrived in town this morning, and all the guys promptly left for the game.  Grady didn’t seem intimidated by meeting Taryn’s dad.  He took it all in stride.

He shook hands with Uncle James and Wyatt’s dad, Robert, gave me a kiss and a wink, and followed them into the elevator. 
Taryn and I were still in our pajamas.  Even though it was mid-morning, it was still early for Taryn on a day she didn’t have class.  The girl could sleep until noon, take a two hour nap and still be ready for bed by 9:00pm.  She leaned heavily on the breakfast bar and yawned into her coffee mug.

Our assignment for the day was to keep Rebecca
and Anne company.  They knew better than to trust us with preparing any sort of food.  Especially food that would actually be ingested by people…or animals…or any living thing.

Rebecca wiped flour off her cheek with her sleeve. 
“So, Lindsay…tell us about Grady,” she said.  I knew that Taryn had told her parents the truth about what happened five years ago, but I also knew that Rebecca wouldn’t get into that with Wyatt’s mom here.  When I was silent too long, she prompted, “He’s awfully handsome.  I always had a thing for the bad boy look.”

That got
Taryn’s sleepy eyes to snap wide open.  “Mom!”

Rebecca shrugged
. “What?  Your father may look clean cut and polished on the outside, but he has his bad boy moments.”

Taryn
clapped her hands over her ears.  “Ewww, Mom!  TMI!”  The rest of us laughed at Taryn’s obvious discomfort.  I decided to save her from hearing anymore.

“Grady has been really great the last couple of months since we got back together.  I feel very settled with him.  Like I’m right where I’m supposed to be.”

Rebecca and Anne shared a smile.  “That’s great honey.  Does that mean we won’t be seeing you around the city anymore?”  There was a time when I had convinced myself that Manhattan had everything I could ever want.  My family, my school, my father’s law firm, any store I could want within walking distance.  But that all changed when I walked back into Grady’s life.

I turned to
Taryn, feeling suddenly sentimental.  “Taryn, thank you for making me go to Penn Yan.  If it wasn’t for you kicking my ass out of here, I’d still be moping on your couch.”

“
Awww, Linz.  I didn’t even know what I was doing at the time.  I’m so glad it worked out for you.”  We hugged awkwardly so neither of us fell off our stools.

“Why don’t you girls go shower and get dressed.  I think we have things under control here, don’t
we Anne?”  Rebecca joked.  “I’ll call Roland and have him send two of his men to take you to lunch and do some shopping.  You have to miss the shopping here, Lindsay.”  Really, I didn’t miss anything except for Taryn and her parents.  But some girl time with Taryn sounded wonderful.  After all, the last time we were together I was recovering from surgery.

***

Loaded down with at least six shopping bags each, Taryn and I collapsed against the elevator walls as we rode up to her apartment.  We had spent all afternoon shopping and talking and laughing.  There was probably just enough time to put away our purchases and freshen up before the boys came home.  Taryn and Wyatt were going out to dinner with their parents, so Grady and I were on our own.  I was planning to order take in and snuggle in front of the fireplace.

The second the elevator doors opened my nerves were
instantly on edge.  The sound of my mother’s fake trilling laughter filtered down the hallway.  I froze.  She wasn’t supposed to be here until tomorrow.  I thought I had another day to figure out what to say to my parents.

Taryn
ran right into my back when I stopped on the threshold of the elevator.  “Lindsay!”  Taryn said, shoving me forward.  Then she heard it too, and she set her bags down to walk ahead of me.  I stayed put until she came back into the foyer, her eyes full of sympathy.

“Come on, Linz.  Let’s put our bags in our rooms, and then we can go talk to her together.”  I was g
rateful for Taryn’s unwavering support, but I really wished Grady was here.  As much as I wanted to shield him from my mom’s venom, I needed him by my side even more.

Taking a deep breath, hoping to dr
aw strength with every inhale, I followed Taryn down the hall leading to our bedrooms.  Anne was nowhere to be seen, and I assumed she had returned to her hotel.  Rebecca was seated across from my mom in the living room, and her eyes mirrored Taryn’s when she saw me standing in the doorway.  She didn’t make any move to leave the room, and I understood that she too was supporting me.

My mom looked just as
beautiful and perfect as ever, in her ice blue suit with her blonde bob smooth and sleek.

“Lindsay!”  She cried and hurried over to pull me into a hug.  My arms hung loosely at my side.  Before I left I would have returned the hug
out of obligation.  But now, even though nothing had actually changed with our relationship since we hadn’t talked once, it seemed that everything had changed.  Remembering what she put me through before and bringing it out into the open brought all the resentment back to the surface.

She pulled back to take in my appearance, her bright blue eyes sweeping over me with quick efficiency.  “You look t
ired, dear.”  Gee, thanks Mom.

“Well, I am pregnant,” I replied. 
This was absolutely not how I planned to break the news, but somehow it just spilled out of my mouth.  Honestly, seeing the shock and horror on my mother’s face was worth it.  Taryn gently took my arm and led me to the couch, leaving my mom standing there staring at the spot where I had been.  Rebecca looked equally as shocked, but without the added element of horror.

When
Taryn urged me down on the couch between her and her mom, Rebecca rubbed my back and leaned close to whisper, “Congratulations, Lindsay.”  At least somebody’s mom was happy for me.

Before my mom was able to recover
, the ding of the elevator signaled that the guys were back.  This shit storm just elevated to a Level 5.  From the living room we couldn’t see the foyer, but I distinctly heard Grady’s voice - I could pick it out of a crowd.  Wyatt entered the room first, giving my mom a curious look before sidestepping her to plant a kiss on Taryn’s mouth.

My uncle James followed.  He walked into the room with Grady, clapping
him on the back and laughing about something.  My mom narrowed her eyes at Grady, and he returned her gaze.  Though they had never met, there was no mistaking the resemblance between me and my mother.  I’m sure he quickly guessed who she was.  As for her, I had no doubt she had done her research on Grady Hawke five years ago.

The room was now overcrowded and full of people just looking at each other, all o
f us knowing what was to come.

James cleared his throat and said, “
Taryn, Wyatt - you should go get cleaned up for dinner.  We have reservations at 7:00.”  That was his polite way of clearing the room slightly.

Taryn
gave me a quick hug and whispered, “Don’t worry.  My parents are on your side.”

When she left, Grady sat down in her place, putting his arm possessively around my shoulder.  His body language was casual, but I could feel the tension like a force field around us.  James motioned for my mother to return to her seat while he
sat in the chair next to her.

Before he could continue the peace talks
that would surely rival any he would encounter in the Oval Office, my mother shot an angry glare at Grady, her eyes flickering to his hand rubbing up and down my arm.

“Is it your mission in life to fuck up my daughte
r’s life by impregnating her?”

Rebecca winced at my mother’s harsh words, and James looked taken aback for a brief moment.  Grady leaned forward, but I put my hand on his thigh.  This was my battle, not his.  He didn’t look happy about it, but he remained silent and let me take the lead.

“Mom,” I said, feeling calmer than I had with my mother in forever.  It was like I knew she couldn’t do anything anymore.  When I was sixteen she had control over my life.  But now?  Now I was in control of my future.

“I am with Grady now, and I am pregnant.  I plan on staying in Penn Yan and finishing up my degree there…in nursing.
  And I’m having this baby.  We’re having this baby,” I said, glancing at Grady.

My mother’s face pinched up in an unattractive look of disgust.  “Did you not learn anything, Lindsay?  You are so much better than that,” she spat.  Now it
was my turn to look disgusted.

“Oh, I learned plenty.  I learned that my mother cared more about her image than she did about her daughter’s feelings.  Did you ever, for one second, think about how I felt?  I lost a child, and until two days ago, I thought I had lost my ability to ever have children.  That part wasn’t your fault.  But forcing me to break up with Grady, and
making me go through that all alone - that is something I will never forget.  In time I might be able to forgive you, but I will never forget.  You irreparably damaged our relationship that day.”

My mother’s wide eyes looked over to Rebecca and James.  Yes, Mom, they know what you did.  I continued befor
e she could sputter more shit.

“I am going to tell Dad the whole story, too.  I want to have a relationship with both of you.  But you have to accept the choices I make.  And you have to accept Grady.  We’re a package deal now.”  Grady grasped my ha
nd and brought it to his lips.

My mother looked pissed beyond belief but, for once, was speechless.  Rebe
cca broke the awkward silence.

“Lisa, I think Lindsay has said what she needed to.  It would be best for you to go now and think about what she has said.  Dinner will be at 5:30 tomorrow.  We hope to see both you and Lawrence here.”  James and Rebecca stood, clearly waiting to escort my mom out.  When she left in a huff without another look at me, I relaxed against Grady.  I didn’t realize how tense my whole body had been. 
Grady wrapped me in his arms and pressed a kiss to the top of my head.

“I’m proud of you, Linz
.  That can’t have been easy.”

I exhaled and wrapped my arms around his waist.  “I said what I needed to.  I still need to talk to my dad, but the ball’s in their court.  If they want to be a part of my life, of their grandchild’s life, they need to be okay with my choices.
  And I choose you.”

Rebecca and James didn’t return, or if they did, they saw Grady and I snuggled together and decided to give us some privacy.  We stayed like that, not talking, just being together until
Taryn came in to tell us they were leaving.  She looked glamorous in a short red cocktail dress and black heels.