And then I started crying harder, because how could he go and say something like that and expect me to be able to keep it together? I knew they were proud of me every day of my life, but it was strangely cathartic for him to show his pride at my leaving. “I’m going to miss you all so much.”
“God, why am I crying?” Liv asked from the sidelines. I turned over my shoulder, smiling when I saw Grady with his arm resting over her shoulder. “Healthy family dynamics freak me out.”
“You’re getting rid of us for good,” Lennox said, wiping beneath her eyes.
“Yeah, I’d like to show Stella where her mom and I met,” Lincoln added.
Josie shook her head. “You can’t take a baby into a bar.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s a bar,” she deadpanned.
“I don’t see what the problem is.”
Bishop clapped Lincoln on the shoulder. “You wouldn’t.”
Lincoln turned and flipped Bishop off, making our tears turn to laughter. As it died down, I realized there was nothing else to wait for. It was time to go.
“The driver will be by to get the truck later,” Grady said, stepping up beside me and placing his hand on my back. “He said he’d be here this afternoon.”
“Don’t worry. We got it,” Dad said, waving him off. Then he stuck his hand out for Grady to take. “Take care of my girl.”
“I will, sir.”
Dad’s gaze shifted to me. “You’re still my little girl, and you’ll always have a place here, sugar. Don’t forget that, okay?”
“I won’t, Daddy,” I mumbled, giving him one last hug. It lasted longer than the others, and I let his warmth ground me. “I’ll let you know when we get there.”
“You better,” he said, giving me one last squeeze before letting me go. “Better get on the road or else these goodbyes are gonna keep going ‘round in circles.”
Everyone followed us as we walked to the car, where yet another round of hugs awaited us before we climbed inside. Grady reached over and squeezed my hand as he put the car in reverse. “You ready for this?”
I nodded, blowing out a breath as I stared out at my family. “Let’s go.”
The house wasdark as we pulled into the drive. It was surrounded by thick pine trees, hidden off the road from pryingeyes. I’d seen it plenty of times in pictures, and when Grady FaceTimed me for a virtual tour.
It was the perfect secluded space for us.
The last half of the trip was spent in companionable silence, listening to Charlie snore in the backseat. Though she was keen, she didn’t have the opportunity to lighten her dad’s wallet this time. She didn’t even wake up when we dropped Liv off at their house. She offered to take Charlie for the night, but Grady and I said no, wanting to make sure she didn’t feel left out.
Quietly, we climbed out of Grady’s truck and stared at our new home. “What do you think?”
I leaned into his warm presence. “I think we probably should’ve grabbed a hotel for the night so we don’t have to sleep on air mattresses.”
“Oh come on, we agreed it’d be fun. Kind of like a sleepover,” he pouted. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”
“Probably packed away in one of the many boxes showing up tomorrow,” I chuckled. “Come on, grab our girl so we can go inside.”
He smiled at that, giving me a chaste kiss and tossing me the keys. “Go on in. I’ll be there in a second.”
Without waiting, I headed up the brick-paved walkway and unlocked the door. Grabbing my phone, I turned on the flashlight, scanning the wall for the switch. “There you are,” I murmured.
The entryway was immediately bathed in light, illuminating a large portion of the living room ahead, where there were two large air mattresses already set up. Floor-to-ceiling steel paned windows sat on either side of the massive stone fireplace. They’d be beautiful during the day, but honestly, it was slightly creepy at night. Thankfully, our furniture was scheduled to arrive tomorrow. If Grady hadn’t already grabbed them, curtains would be the first thing I’d order in the morning.
Soft footsteps had me turning around to see Grady carryingCharlie into the house. He walked over and laid her down on one of the beds, tucking her in tightly before kissing her forehead.
“She didn’t wake up?” I whispered, looking down at his daughter, whose mouth was hanging open.
