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“Fair enough.” Eden shoved her hands into the oversized coat pockets and stared off into space for a few seconds. “I love my daughter and I know that the two of you are involved. I have to be honest with you, Mathew. I have some concerns about that.”
And there it was. Her truth.
Matt didn’t want to be rude—not to this woman—and yet, he wasn’t playing this game with Eden Simon or anyone else for that matter.
He looked her straight in the eye because he wanted her to hear his truth.
“You probably want me to say that Grace won’t get hurt or that I’ll back off and leave her alone.”
“It’s not as simple as that, Mathew. You’re older, you live in another state entirely and—“
“I’m going to have to stop you right there, Eden, because it is as simple as that. Your daughter and I are involved. At the moment I can’t tell you what the future holds, because I don’t happen to own a damn crystal ball. But she’s a grown woman with a mind of her own and I’m not sure that anyone in your family sees that. I know you want to protect her. I get that. She’s worth protecting. But this thing between us, is between us. I don’t want to sound disrespectful, but it’s really none of your business.”
Eden was silent for a few moments, and maybe he’d rattled her a bit with his frankness, but so be it. “Well, I guess I can thank you for your honesty.”
She wasn’t happy and he felt like a dick. How could he make her understand something that he wasn’t so sure he understood himself?
“Grace makes me want to be a better man. She makes me…” Now he was stumbling over his words because he’d said too much. He shook his head and looked away from Eden. “She makes me feel and it’s been a long time. I’m not willing to give that up just yet.”
Holy. Shit. Had those words just c
ome out of his mouth?
“But what happens when you are, Mathew? When Grace becomes too much for you and you close yourself off and disappear?” She held her hand up, stopping his reply cold. “You know what? You’re right. It’s none of my business and maybe it was rude to ask. But can you do something for me? Can you promise me you won’t let her fall in love with you?”
Love? Shit. That was a word that made him uncomfortable and by the look on Eden’s face, she knew it.
“You see what I’m saying here, Mathew?”
The two of them stared at each other for a long time and then Eden took a step back. “She’s my baby and I love her. We all do.”
“I know.”
“All right. I’ve said what I wanted to say and am heading into the house. Are you coming?”
“No.” He shook his head. “I’m good out here for a bit.”
He watched Grace’s mother until she disappeared inside and then turned his attention back to the big, night sky. When had his life gotten so complicated, and on what planet did his name and love come up in the same sentence? He scowled darkly.
But then he thought of Grace, saw her sweet face in his mind and his chest tightened. He wasn’t capable of love. His past had killed any chance of that.
Hadn’t it?
15
The first annual Alzheimer’s awareness fundraiser was a huge success. The event was a sellout and that didn’t surprise anyone even though it had been postponed an entire week. Most of the scheduled participants such as Josh Hayden weren’t able to make it back, but that didn’t matter.
New Waterford had a host of local celebrities such as Billie Jo Barker, two-time Olympic medal winner with the women’s hockey team, as well as her sister Betty, the up-and-coming Hollywood ingénue. Of course Betty came with baggage—her husband, bona fide superstar, actor Beau Simon, and the females in attendance were certainly glad she did.
Held at Billie Jo Barker’s hockey facility, all the money raised was donated to research, and to help families living with Alzheimer’s. It was a heavy thing—the disease—but the committee had been determined to make the day light. Joyous. Happy.
There had been indoor hockey, which Grace sat out. There had been tug-of-war, in which Grace ended up on her ass when her team lost to Matt’s. There had also been the balloon toss where she’d managed to get soaked on the first throw. All because she hadn’t been paying attention—her eyes had been on Matt when her partner tossed the damn balloon.
The challenge portion of the fundraiser ended on a high note, however, with an indoor volleyball game that brought Grace’s team head-to-head with Matt’s. The crowd was all in, and the facility got more than a little rowdy cheering for their favorites. In the end, Grace’s team which included Betty Jo and Grace’s brothers Beau and Tucker, came out on top.
It was a hard-fought battle and a lot of fun but Grace was glad it was over. She wiped sweat from her brow—totally aware that Matt’s eyes were on her. So maybe she stretched a little longer, arched her breasts a little higher—his eyes darkened when she did so and that was reward enough for Grace.
“Okay. You and Matt need to stop mind fucking each other from across the room. Because if you don’t, this place is going to go up in flames.” Betty Jo grabbed a towel from her bag and handed it to Grace along with a bottle of water. “Considering the entire fire department is volunteer and most of them have been in the beer garden all afternoon, that’s not a good thing.”
