Lennox raised a brow. “Being nice for what exactly? He has no stake in this game with you, not anymore. It’s been years, and yet he’s standing in our yard every day, damn near panting after you for everyone to see.” I tried to speak, to argue, to tell her she was wrong, but she beat me to it. “Girl, don’t even try to tell me you haven’t noticed.”
“So, what, Lennox? What if he does? It doesn’t mean anything.”
“It means everything, actually.”
I snorted. “What would you have me do? Walk over to him tomorrow morning and kiss him? Or what if I sent him a dirty text right now, would that?—”
Lennox’s eyes flashed with trouble. I instantly regretted my choice of words as she said, “That’s exactly what you should do! Oh, Cleo. You’re brilliant! Where’s your phone?” she asked, scanning the immediate area. “We can sort through your lingerie, too, if you’re feeling a little bold. I know all the best poses.”
Lingerie? Did she not know me at all? I hadn’t worn anything outside of cotton staples for years now. They were comfortable, and it wasn’t like anyone was going to see them anyway, so it didn’t matter.
“It was a joke,” I deadpanned. “I’m not actually going to do that.”
She stared at me expectantly. “Yes, you are. Now give me your phone.”
I felt the strange sense of something tugging out from under me and surged forward as I realized Josie had my phone in her pocket. “Give that back right now.”
Josie had the decency to look a little sorry as she gave the device to our youngest sister, who instantly began typing. “It’s for your own good. I mean, I had some of the best sex of my life after talking to you about Lincoln?—”
Lennox plugged her ears and shook her head, and my phone dropped into her lap. “Nope, don’t want to remember that.”
“Just because you don’t want to talk about it doesn’t mean it isn’t true,” she snapped, taking the phone back. I sagged in relief when Josie handed it back, mouthing a quick, “Sorry.”
“Hey! What’d you do that for?” Lennox whined. “I was really getting into it.”
I looked down at the screen, feeling both relief and horror at the words on it. Thankfully, Josie had snatched it before she could hit send because I would’ve died if it’d actually gone out.
Cleo
What’re you doing right now? I can’t stop thinking about you.
Just thinking about Grady in that context had my cheeks flushing hot and thighs squeezing together. The text was suggestive, slightly flirty, but it had thoughts so vulgar, so filthy, so utterly decadent in every wrong way flitting through my mind. I’d always struggled to embrace sex the way my sisters did, and honestly, I was grateful they didn’t shy away from it like I did.
Most of the time, I was too deep in my head to actually enjoy it. The only time I’d been able to let myself be free was with Grady because he let me take control if it was what I needed. Even though my experience was limited, I knew Gradywas the best I would ever have, which only made me want him more.
I knew I should delete the words, should tell my sisters they’d overstepped, before heading off to bed and waking up tomorrow with my hangover as my only regret. But as I stared down at the words, something stopped me.
Why shouldn’t I be bold? Why shouldn’t I go after something I wanted for once in my life? Tomorrow was the last day of camp. If all of this backfired completely, I’d only have to see Grady one last time before he packed it up and went back to Tennessee. And even if the thought of dirty texting him sent shivers down my spine, it didn’t have to go that way. Maybe I could just be bold and say what was on my mind. It wasn’t a lie to say I was thinking about him, that I’d been thinking about him longer than was appropriate.
I could feel Lennox and Josie’s eyes on me as my finger hovered over the send button. Neither of them said anything, for which I was grateful. If I were to do this, it would need to be my decision. No one else could make it for me.
So, with a deep breath, I ignored every single warning bell going off in my mind, closed my eyes, and pressed send.
grady
. . .
Bringingthe bottle of beer to my lips, I scanned the email from my attorney. Barring any complications and Liv’s approval, they would be filing our divorce papers first thing on Monday morning. After getting off the phone with my soon-to-be-ex-wife, I listened to the myriad of voicemails I’d been avoiding from our legal and PR teams. It was time to stop ignoring my problems and tackle them head-on, regardless of the shit storm that would follow.
There were already rumors circulating about Liv’s and my separation, despite our teams trying their hardest to squash them before they garnered media attention. They ranged from cheating scandals to addiction troubles, none of which were true. However, truth never seemed to matter to the vultures circling for a single juicy morsel of gossip. Some part of me wanted to say fuck it and let them fly, but I wasn’t the only one who’d be affected. It was vital for us to control the narrative so Charlie remained unscathed, and Liv’s company didn’t take any heat.
The moment we filed those papers, it would be mayhem. It was all on public record, and I was willing to bet that peoplewere watching. It wouldn’t take long for our phones to start ringing off the hook and paparazzi to station themselves outside our Nashville home. Though it probably wouldn’t take long for someone to come sniffing around here, it would at least buy us more time for Charlie’s sake.
And Cleo’s.
When Liv and I first talked about separating, I’d wanted a clean cut. It wasn’t fair to come down here and pursue Cleo when I was technically married to someone else, but Liv asked to wait for both her sake and Charlie’s. I couldn’t say no to her, not when she’d given me such a wonderful life. Besides, nothing was happening with Cleo anyway. It wasn’t like I’d popped down here, professed my love, and was ready to run hand-in-hand for the hills. There was plenty of muddy water we would need to wade through before that ever became an option.
I thought back on my conversation with Liv, unable to stop myself from wondering if I was doing the right thing. I stood by what I said. Just because I wanted something didn’t make it right. Despite Cleo not immediately shying away from me when I picked Charlie up earlier, there had been no signs she was receptive to anything other than cordiality.
