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Gramma grabbed two bowls from an upper cabinet and scooped some of the chicken and dumplings into each. She pulled spoons from a drawer, placed a bowl in front of Farren, and sat in her seat across with a bowl of her own.
“Did your relationship with Papa change after you had my dad?” she asked, focusing on the steaming bowl in front of her instead of Gramma’s eyes that were fixed directly on her.
Gramma gave a knowing nod. “Everything changed when I had your dad. I wasn't the same person I had been before. My priorities were different, but men were a whole different breed back then. James was a responsible young man, a military man in the Navy. He worked and took care of the bills, and I stayed home to raise your dad.”
“How did you go from being a girlfriend... or in your case a wife, to being a mother? How did you keep the spark alive?” Farren asked.
“Oh, I suppose we found our ways. You just have to find a way to change your mindset when the time is right. You fill so much more than just one role. You're a smart, beautiful, talented, young woman, and so far have made a wonderful mother.”
Gramma took a bite from her soup as Farren let her words sink in.
“I guess it's hard to get in the right mindset when I'm exhausted all the time, and I'm constantly on alert for the sound of crying. I swear, Rogan could sleep through a tornado, but if I even think I hear a whimper, I spring up out of bed.”
She took a few bites, feeling the weariness deep in her bones as Gramma chuckled.
“Women are just hard-wired that way. Cut him a little slack, honey. This won't last forever, and you'll eventually miss these days when Harley was this little and relied on you so much for everything.”
Farren was quiet for a while, letting the comfort food work its magic. After a few minutes of silence, she set her spoon down. She had another question but knew it would be awkward.
“Gramma, what about... the attraction? I still have this baby weight, and I'm so tired, I know I just look haggard all the time, but I just don't have the energy to do anything about it. Plus, I'm even afraid to take too long in the shower because I might miss Harley crying, but I'm afraid that Rogan sees me and I disgust him. I worry that something better will come along and he'll lose interest in me.”
It was hard to say the words, but it was a genuine fear, and she knew if anyone could give her honest, sage advice, it was Gramma.
“Farren, all this time and you still don't let this sink in. Have some faith in people. But more than that, have some faith in yourself. That man loves you for a lot more than just your looks. I've seen him in the room with you. He's a protector. He's going to protect what's his.”
Gramma sounded so sure. Farren felt a little better, but she still felt some doubt. Harley was his, but what about her? And even if he saw her as his, did he see himself as hers?
When Harley began crying from the living room a few feet away, Farren got up to tend to him. It was his dirty diaper cry, and she figured she was done with her dinner, anyway.
Gramma took care of her bowl, and she was just about to sit down in her recliner as Farren came walking back into the living room from changing him in the bedroom when a heavy knock came pounding on the apartment door.
An electric current spread through the room as Harley startled. Farren clung him tighter into her chest as her eyes met Gramma's.
Farren stood by the sofa as Gramma walked to the door and looked through the peephole. Her eyes were wide when she turned around to look back at Farren. Farren’s panic began welling inside her as they stood looking at each other for several seconds, and she moved her hand up to cup the back of Harley's head.
Gramma turned and reached for the doorknob. With a twist and a click, the door opened, revealing the most unexpected of guests standing on the other side.
Farren gasped. “Dad?”
SEVEN
Pound, pound, pound. The heavy bag swayed from swift left and right jabs as Rogan spent the time alone in the apartment in his home gym. Sweat rolled down his neck and drenched his tight, white tank top. Droplets flung in each direction, leaving dark spots on the mat beneath him that protected the floor.
It felt good to release all the pent up energy he had inside him like this. Boxing had at one point in his life been a sport. Now, on days like this, it was his sanity.
Ever since he’d fired Dallas Evans, his former Head of Marketing and little brother to the ghost that haunted his nightmares, things had been easier and harder at the same time. He’d always given Dallas free reign to run the marketing department as he’d liked, not because Dallas was all that good at it, but because the less he interacted with the rat bastard, the better.
Now, he had Edith fucking Underwood to worry about, and that bitch was good. Really good, and he didn’t just mean at marketing. She was skilled and persistent at getting what she wanted, which was part of what made her the best of the best at her job and a no-brainer of a hire selection.
The trouble was, she had been giving him some not-so-subtle hints that she was interested in a benefits package involving him and extracurricular activities of a sexual nature.
The old Rogan Rayner would have pounded that pussy so fucking hard by now, she’d be glued to him, hungry for more.
Now, he had Farren and their life together to think about, and meaningless sex had a much lesser appeal to him than it had even a year ago. On a primal level, sure, he may have had a cock twitch or two at Edith’s expense, and now, she wanted him to go on this business trip with her out of town, just the two of them. He could tell by the provocative gleam in her eyes that she was hoping it would be her opportunity to get him alone to see how far he would let her go.
He had plans of his own for this trip. That was what really had him so strung out today and in need of pounding the fuck out of that bag. If he went through with it, it would change everything between him and Farren once she found out. Was he making the right choice?
He let up when he heard the door to his condo open and heard Harley’s soft coos as Farren walked in. It was earlier than he had expected them home that night, since she said she was going to visit with her Gramma after work.
