“I thought maybe if I went out with someone, it would help me start to move on from Ky.”
“How’d it go?”
“Horribly. She was the exact opposite of Kylie, and I hated every minute of being with her.”
“At least you tried.”
“She said something that’s been bothering me.”
I wait him out, knowing I’m probably going to be pissed at whoever this woman is for hurting Grayson’s feelings.
“She told me I was doing a disservice to London by having full custody of her instead of splitting it with Dani fifty-fifty.”
I grit my teeth to keep from cursing. There are too many little ears around to hear the shit I’d like to say about this fucking idiot woman, giving her opinion on things she knows nothing about.
“Gray, whose idea was it for you to be the primary caregiver?”
“Dani’s.” Grayson and Dani had a one-night stand that ended in an oops baby. She’s a great woman, but being a mother was never what she truly wanted for her life, so she asked Grayson to take full custody of London.
“And have you two ever fought about custody of London?”
“No, we get along great.”
“This woman you’ve spent all of an hour with does not get a say in how you raise your daughter. What you and Dani have is abnormal and wonderful. You’re lucky you get to co-parent with someone you get along with. My guess is that she felt threatened by both your relationship with Dani and London.”
“Why would she be threatened?”
“Because you share your attention with two other women you love. She’d have to compete with them for your time. Some people just can’t handle a situation like that.”
“Oh. I guess that makes sense. But it’s not a competition. There’s room in my heart for lots of people.”
I soften toward my best friend. He’s got the kindest soul of anyone I’ve ever met. “There is, and one day, you’ll have a partner who understands that.”
Up ahead, Holt and Emmett lead us to our campsite. There’s already a fire pit with a big grill that lies across the top. We started these rides right after Holt’s wife died. It was the only thing we could think of to get Holt and the girls out of the house without putting pressure on them to really interact with us. It seemed to help get them out of their fog of grief for a little bit, and it’s been our tradition ever since.
Getting our camp set up is a mirror of the chaos it takes for us to get ready to leave. The kids try to help as best they can, but most of them get bored soon after we arrive. The adults set up their respective camping spots far enough away to give everyone a sense of privacy. Grayson is done first, since all he has to work on is the one tent he shares with London. He starts helping Emmett with his two tents.
Farrah and I are like a well-oiled machine. She anticipates my next move with ease, and we get everything set up in a snap.
Finn got his tent built before the kids went to play. I double-check that he got all the straps and poles in place before I stake it down for him.
The adults gather in the camping chairs around the fire Holt built, and I’m taken back to the night I had a bonfire at my house. I’m still staring longingly at Farrah, but now I get a smile when she catches me. She walks over, her hips swaying in the tight denim jeans that I’m pretty sure are molded to her body.
I’d love to know how hard those will be to peel off herlater.
I grab her around her waist and pull her down onto my lap.
She tries to protest but quickly realizes it’s a losing battle. She settles against me instead, her head resting in the crook of my neck. It’s become one of my favorite ways to hold her. The weight of her on my lap is like a comforting blanket I can’t do without.
“You doing all right, Princess?”
She hums against me. “Mm-hmm.”
I slowly run my palm up and down her outer thigh, savoring every moment she lets me touch her.
The whine of the side-by-side engine cuts through our campsite. It’s good timing too. The kids are hovering on the edge of going feral from hunger. We’re going to roast hot dogs and shit, so they’ll be perfectly distracted by cooking their own food.
“Who’s ready for dinner?” Stan asks when he’s parked. The guys gather around the side-by-side to help unload the coolers. We set the drinks off to one side while the other cooler with the food is put closer to the fire pit.
