Page 56 of Property of Gray

I made my bed and now I have to lay in it.

I climb on my bike and debate riding out of town, but I can’t walk away from her.

I can’t leave her behind.

Chapter Seventeen

I jolt awake at the sound of a soft thud. I blink and look around my room. I don’t see anything, but my curtains are moving. I hear a motorcycle fire up in the distance.

Was someone here? In my room? I get out of bed and open my window, and that’s when I see the boot prints in the flowerbed illuminated by the solar lights. Flipping on my lamp, I don’t notice anything missing or anything out of place.

Who would be lurking around my bedroom in the dark?

I should call Woods or Dirty, but I don’t want them to freak out.

Besides, we have cameras facing the driveway. I grab my cell phone off the charger and pull up the app. It should have sent me a notification if it sensed any movement. I scroll through the footage from the past hour, and there’s nothing. It takes scrolling back three hours to see a shadow at the edge of the driveway, but whoever they are, they were smart enough to stay out of frame. Which means it’s someone I know who knows where the cameras are.

I shiver and make sure I lock my window.

I’m not mentioning this to my gran. She’d start loading her guns and setting up traps or something.

There’s no way I can go back to sleep now. I pick up the pregnancy test on my dresser. When I went to buy tampons, I picked it up just in case, but surely I’d know if I was pregnant. There’d be signs.

I toss it to the side.

I’m freaking out for no reason.

Gray and I only had sex that one time.

One time is all it takes.

How awful would that be? For Kaylene and me to be pregnant by Gray at the same time.

I think about calling Elsie Jo for her opinion or even Jessika, but it’s late and I doubt they are even awake. Talking to Foolish about this seems cruel. He knows I’m not ready to date anyone, but still he’s a dude. I’m definitely not discussing it with my brothers. Fletcher would probably be a good listener, but then he’d want to chase Gray down and arrest him for something. He’d find a reason to stick him in the drunk tank for a night.

I laugh to myself at the thought, then burst into tears.

I miss his stupid, jerk face so much.

Is he home with her now? Are they decorating their nursery together? Do they know the sex of the baby?

The thought depresses me.

I toss and turn in my bed, unable to stop my thoughts from racing. From returning to him.

Will I always feel this way?

Will I always miss him?

Will I always love him?

Grannie Mags is hosting a baby shower for Jessika and my brother. He’s telling everyone that the kid is his. Dirty and Faye are here, which is ridiculous, but it’s a family affair. I can’t believe Gray is here. It’s the first time I’ve been around him in months. Of course, he’s been around in passing, like picking his check up or dropping things off at the office, but we’ve not spoken. Not since he shattered my heart into a million pieces.

He looks like shit and could use a shave and a haircut. I wonder where Kaylene is and if she didn’t come because I’m here. There’s so many things I want to say to him and yet when I try to open my mouth no words come out.

He keeps stealing glances at me. It’s unnerving.

By the time Jessika opens her presents and we cut the cake, I’m ready to jump out of my skin. But this is good. We’ve gotten our first awkward encounter out of the way. It’s got to get easier from here. That is until my gran opens her mouth and says, “When are you and Gray going to pop out a baby?”