“I might have.”
He reached out and took her hand as he steered one-handed through the narrow back streets to Patty’s house. It didn’t take long, but he was still surprised Wren didn’t nod off on the way.
He’d hadn’t overheard much of her conversation with Cait while Aidan and Gavin were arguing about some stupid rule they ended up searching for on their cell phones. But he’d heard a little bit.
I actually kind of love living in Patty’s house right now.
He should leave it alone for now. Not for too long, but Wren had had a tough go when it came to family and if being with Cait’s family was making her happy—maybe even healing some old wounds—he could wait. Did he like Wren leaving his place to go home? Or dropping her off like they were teenagers out on a date? Hell no. But he loved seeing her happy, relaxed and laughing about Patty making sure she ate well and bickering with Carter.
His resolve to leave it alone faltered, though, when he pulled into Patty’s driveway. He left the engine running and walked around to help Wren climb down, and then walked her to the door.
“I’d invite you in, but I think Patty’s still up and she’ll want to chat and I’ll never get to bed.”
He smiled, brushing her hair back from her face. Then he leaned down and gave her a long, slow kiss that left him with an ache he knew would be with him until he saw her again.
“Get some sleep,” he said softly.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” She sighed. “And see you the day after. Be safe tomorrow.”
“Always.” He kissed her again, and then gave her a nudge toward the door. If he had his way, he’d stand on the step kissing her all night. Or at least until she got tired of kissing in the cold and agreed to go home with him.
“Goodnight,” she said as she slipped inside.
Grant shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked back to the Jeep. Nope, definitely not going to be able to wait much longer, he admitted to himself. He wanted Wren with him, in their home, where she belonged.
Chapter Nineteen
“You’re in a good mood this morning,” Sadie said when she unlocked the salon door to let Wren in.
“I haven’t even said anything yet.”
“I could see your smile from across the street, and I bet you can see the bounce in your step if you look at your tracks in the snow.”
Wren laughed and put her bag in the cubby with her name on it. Then she hit the button on the Keurig to brew herself a coffee to take to the desk.
She was definitely in a good mood this morning. On a whim—or rather because it had been in the back of her mind for months—she’d gone by the bookstore she’d worked at before getting that first phone call from Ben. They opened an hour before the salon, so she’d taken a deep breath and gone inside.
The owner had been surprised to see her, to say the least. Rhonda had been kind to her, and it meant a lot to Wren to finally apologize for disappearing and leaving her in the lurch. She told her everything because she deserved that much, and she left feeling a lot lighter, emotionally. And Rhonda had told her to come in anytime, which was good. She’d fallen in love with the bookstore as a customer, before she’d worked there, and she couldn’t wait to go back and browse the shelves.
And in the days since they’d returned from New Hampshire, Wren had felt a shift in her relationship with Grant. She didn’t want to jinx things by even thinking it, but she couldn’t help wondering if they’d be having a serious conversation about their future soon. She got the feeling he really didn’t like having to say goodbye to her and watch her go home, so he might ask her to move in with him soon.
As much as she loved living with Patty and Carter, she was pretty sure she’d say yes. She’d loved living with Grant more, and Patty and Carter weren’t going anywhere. She knew she’d not only be welcome to stop in any time, but Patty would insist on it. Not that she was thinking about moving in with Grant, because she’d hate to jinx it.
“Maybe I should date a firefighter,” Kelli said. “If they put that kind of smile on your face.”
Wren nodded, then took a sip of her coffee. She’d been slowly letting bits of her private life come out as she got to know the women. They didn’t know a lot, but they did know she had a firefighter boyfriend.
One who made her smile. A lot. Even more than bookstores did, which was no easy feat.
“I dated a firefighter once,” Barb said. The nail tech was the quietest of the women in the salon and spoke even less than Wren did. “He did not make me smile like that.”
They were all laughing when Sadie unlocked the front door, where the first two clients of the day were already waiting.
The first hour flew by because that’s when the most cancellations and requests for emergency appointments came in, from people who had to wait until they opened to call.
Answering the phones was her least favorite part of her job, but she still put a smile on her face when it rang because rumor had it you could hear a person’s smile in their voice.
“Good morning,” she said in a chipper voice, followed by the name of the salon and an upbeat “How can I help you today?”
