Charley: I’m far too pregnant for this. *sweaty face emoji* Remind me to never do something like this while pregnant again.
Thatagainmakes my heart thump in my chest. I shouldn’t let myself read too deep into anything, but I can’t help but wonder if that means she wants more kids in the future. And if she does… Does she want to have them with me?
Wow, way to jump about a hundred steps, Graham.
Graham: I’ll be happy to remind you of that. Anything wrong in particular, or just uncomfortable?
“Is that Charley?” Grace asks, trying to sneak a peek at my phone.
Chuckling, I turn the screen away from her. “Yes, busybody, it’s Charley.”
“What are they doing?”
“Hell if I know,” I drawl as another message comes in.
Charley: Yeah, uncomfortable, and SWEATY. It’s gross. My back is killing me, but we finally finished setting up for tomorrow morning, so we’re ordering room service and relaxing the rest of the night.
Me: Good. Maybe take a bubble bath.
Charley: Oh, trust me, I plan to. *smirk emoji*
It’s right there on the tip of my finger to tell her how badly I want to put her in the tub here and get her nice and clean before getting her dirty all over again, but I don’t. After last night, I don’t really know where we stand. Was it a one-time thing? I know exactly where I stand, where I have this entire time, but where her head’s at is a mystery, and without knowing that, I don’t want to risk saying anything that may be overstepping.
Me: Good, take care of yourself and our baby. Hope y’all have a good night.
Charley: I will! Say hi to Grace for me.
“Charley says hi,” I say, grabbing another slice. Then, remembering something she told me, I add, “Oh, she mentioned something earlier this week about you wanting to offer classes at the bakery,”
“Yes!” Her eyes light up as a smile spreads up her face. “I’ve been thinking about doing a kids’ baking class, like maybe once a week for six weeks or something like that.”
“Teaching a group of kids for any amount of time sounds like my personal version of hell,” I mutter with a chuckle. “But it sounds right up your alley. You should do it.”
“Speaking of kids,” she says, taking a sip from her wine. “How’s the pregnancy been the last couple weeks? We’ve both been so busy, I haven’t had a chance to really talk to her about anything.”
“You should probably ask Charley.” I huff out a small chuckle.
“Yeah, but I’m asking you.” Grace gives me her well-practiced, sweet-as-pie smile.
I knew when she asked to come over, she was going to try to do some digging. It’s in her nature, just like it’s in mine to brush her off. Out of all my siblings, I’m, without a doubt, the mostprivate one. But for the sake of wanting to get back to how close we used to be, I don’t brush her off this time.
“Charley’s feeling much better than she was a couple months ago,” I say. “But work has taken it out of her this week. Her ankles have been swelling up, and she’s been dealing with heartburn lately.”
“How did her first week go?” she asks. “I mean, other than being exhausting.”
A smile curls my lips, remembering how excited she was coming home after her first shift. “It’s going well, I think. Her co-workers seem to be nice, and I’m sure she’s picking up the job quickly.”
Grace blows out a breath. “Lordy, I cannot imagine starting a new job halfway through my pregnancy, especially one as active as I imagine this one is.” After she pours us more wine, she flicks her gaze over to me, mischief dancing in her eyes, and somehow, I already know what her next question is. “Sooo,” she starts. “How are things going…between you two?”
My heart nearly leaps out of my chest in response, a flash of heat cascading down my spine as flashbacks of last night flood my mind...again. “They’re good,” I say, clearing my throat. “Fine.”
“Bullshit!” she booms, pulling her legs underneath her as she turns her whole body toward me on the couch. “Graham, what aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing,” I lie. “Believe it or not, not everything is your business, Grace.”
“Yeah, but Charley is my best friend and you’re my brother. This is my business, and I want all the deets. You guys are sleeping together, aren’t you?”
My cheeks are surely flushing. “We are not sleeping together.”
