I purposefully save the aisle with granola bars, fruit snacks, and cereal for last. If we had come down this one first, he would have spent the entire trip either begging me to open the box and let him have one or complaining about how long it was taking us. His warm brown eyes dart excitedly between each side of the aisle as his hand drops from the cart.
“Momma! Gray is over there.” He points a finger toward him. “Can I go say hi?”
I glance down the aisle where he’s pointing and see the man in navy tactical pants and a tucked-in Hartridge Fire T-shirt with a black belt around his waist. Grayson is standing there, eyeing the section of protein bars in front of him. He runs a hand back through his tousled dark hair, frowning at the display as he grabs one of the boxes from the shelf.
Smiling down at Jake, I say, “Sure, go ahead.”
Jake runs excitedly to Gray, nearly colliding with him. He quickly looks up as Jake reaches his side, a friendly smile spreading over his face. “Hey, buddy,” he greets. Gray looks up, glancing in my direction as I walk toward them.
“I’m sorry, he insisted on coming over to say hi.” I don’t know why I’m apologizing, other than it seems like the polite thing to do after interrupting his shopping when I know he’s likely on a time crunch.
He chuckles. “It’s not a problem.” Keeping the box of protein bars in his hand, he squats down to Jake’s level. “You’re being a big helper for your mom, right?”
“That’s what I like to hear.” He stands to his full height. “You doing alright?” he asks, the question directed at me.
My lips press into a tight line as I shrug one shoulder. “Yeah, we’re fine. Adjusting to the new schedule with school.”
He reaches out and places a hand on my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I meant, areyoudoing alright?”
It’s been six years, and Gray has been around for all of it. Like me, he was born and raised here in Hartridge. Growing up, we went to schooltogether, and he even ran in the same circle of friends as Ryan when we were teenagers.
I pull in a deep breath, letting the air fill my lungs before releasing it with a heavy sigh. “I promise I’m doing well.” It’s not a lie. For the most part, I’m doing just fine. Spending the night with a handsome stranger has honestly made me feel more alive and more like myself than I’ve felt in a long time.
Like taking that step uncovered the person I used to be before tragedy struck.
“Hey, man. You almost done? We gotta get back,” another man says as he rounds the corner. He’s dressed in the same style of uniform with a Hartridge F.D. baseball hat. Curls of light brown hair peek out from beneath his hat, and my breath catches as my heart kicks in my chest.
“Logan?”
Chapter eleven
Logan
Iwaspreparedtohave to track her down like some kind of psycho. I had it all planned out. I was going to hit up The Stampede on my next night off and beg—if it came to that—for Tilly to give me her number or at least tell me where I could find her. Of the two sisters, she’s the one I’m most familiar with since she runs the bar. As luck would have it, begging isn’t in my immediate future thanks to Tessa standing right in front of me in the grocery store.
With a kid.
And not just any kid, but the same little boy from earlier today who stood up and asked if we were heroes. The one who said his dadwasa police officer, whose mom says his dadwasa hero.
Was.
Past tense.
“Tessa, hey.” I push the words out with a smile, realizing I’ve been quietly standing here, staring like I’ve seen a ghost. Not exactly how I thought our second encounter would go.
Fuck. I’m already messing this up.
Do I care that she is a mom? Is it a deal breaker? I don’t think so. I love kids. Always imagined I would be a dad someday. But… she’s a widow. I mean, that’s what I’m assuming. But then there’s that whole saying:Assuming makes an ass out of you and me.It doesn’t do any good and only leads to misunderstandings.
“I’ve been hoping I’d see you again,” I say, moving closer while still keeping a safe distance between us. There’s a primal side of me that wants nothing more than to pull her into my arms and ask why she pulled a disappearing act after the night we spent together. I don’t want to scare her off, though. She left the way she did because she wasn’t interested in anything more than what we had. Plus, I don’t want to overstep the invisible boundary suddenly in place. I doubt she would be all that thrilled if I acted like a fucking caveman in front of her kid.
Gray’s eyes flick between us before his lips pull into a knowing smile. “I’ve got this,” he says, clapping me on the shoulder. “Five minutes. I’ll find Kinsley and meet you up front.” He shares a look with Tessa, her lips pressing into a tight-lipped smile as she gives a little shoulder shrug.
I nod. “Thanks, man.” I wait until he has disappeared from the aisle before turning my attention back to Tessa and the little boy. His hair is a dark blond, almost brown at the roots, indicating it may darken over time. Tessa’s eyes are hazel, green with flecks of brown and gold, while her son’s are a warm brown.Same color as his dad’s, maybe?
“So…” Her teeth scrape over her bottom lip, biting it as she fights back a smile. “I didn’t expect to see you again like this.”
I laugh. “Me either, but I’m glad. I was hoping—” Shit. How do I tell her that I was hoping to see her again, tobewith her again, in a way her son won’t pick up on what I’m saying? I haven’t been around children much. I have no idea how much they understand at his age.
