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“Damn right. And I’ll be sure to keepRyan Reynoldsout of your way next time, sweetie,” Nan laughed.
“Ryan Reynolds? Isn’t he an actor?” Blake asked, looking confused. I looked to Nan too, wondering what the hell she was talking about.
“What do you mean?” I asked, realizing I had failed to tell my Nan how scared Blake was of our crazy dog. Had Blake had a run in with Rye again that day?
“I brought him over to hang out in the garden while I was cooking. I didn’t realize Blake was out there and terrified of the big lug,” Nan explained.
“It’s okay,” Blake added hurriedly, looking a little embarrassed.
“That’s on me. I didn’t tell Nan about you being scared of Rye. I should have thought. She brings him around here pretty often,” I confessed, feeling like shit. There I was wanting to protect Blake and I didn’t even spare her an attack from my overzealous mutt.
“I was fine. I just n-need time to get used to him. He’s a big dog and I…well, I’m not good with pets.”
“I’ll introduce him to you when you feel ready, Blake. There’s no hurry. In the meantime, let’s just not bring him over here with us,” I suggested, looking to Nan, who nodded her agreement easily. We had a dog walker who took him out twice a day when we weren’t there, so leaving him home until Blake felt comfortable with him was no big deal.
“So, hold on…is your dog calledRyan Reynolds?” Blake asked as she looked to me with a grin.
“Nan named him,” I groaned.
“He’s a handsome dog, named after a beautiful man,” Nan shrugged. “Plus I get to tell everyone I sleep with Ryan Reynolds every night.”
“He sleeps with Nan. We got him when I started working night shifts, to keep her company and as a guard dog. Thankfully, I was able to shorten the name to Rye,” I explained. “Imagine how crazy I’d look in the park or on the beach yelling forRyan Reynolds.”
“Nan doesn’t seem to mind,” Dec chuckled.
“It’s just an excuse for her to go around yelling forRyan Reynolds. She’s hoping he will actually appear instead of Rye one day,” Tom joked, but we all knew it wasn’t really a joke. Lord help that poor actor if he ever ran into the whirlwind that was my grandmother.
“Too right. That man looks as though he needs a more mature woman to teach him a thing or two,” my nan purred and I groaned, knowing if we didn’t stop her now, she would happily go into detail about her fantasies.
“Moving on! How about those gifts?” I asked as I looked to Blake and Trent pleadingly.
“You go first, tiny,” Trent offered as he pulled out an empty stool between himself and Simon.
“It’s not much, but I…I bought it myself, with my money,” Blake said shyly as she pulled a huge, brightly wrapped gift from behind her back. I had been so preoccupied by Nan I hadn’t even seen what Blake had been trying to keep hidden behind her.
“You didn’t need to get me anything, sweetheart,” Simon told her as Trent leaned over to help Blake get the huge gift onto the counter before Simon.
“I wanted to,” Blake told him as she climbed onto the seat beside him.
“Thank you,” Simon said as he leant over a little and placed a kiss on top of her head. Blake watched on, her face filled with excited anticipation as Simon carefully peeled away the gift wrap to reveal a large canvas, printed with a great picture of the three of them, encased in a heavy wood frame I was sure was the work of the twins,
“Tom and Liam helped me with the f-frame,” Blake told him with a blush.
“Oh, sweetheart. I love it! We definitely need more pictures with you in around this place,” Simon told her as he carefully set the canvas on the counter and pulled his daughter into his arms. “I love you so much, Blake.”
“Love you too, Dad,” Blake squeaked and I knew she was emotional, her eyes glassy with tears as she clung onto her Dad tightly.
I looked over to the guys – the twins sat alongside me and Dec leant against the counter in the kitchen, and found all three of them looking lovingly to Blake. You could see how much they adored her in their eyes, could feel how much they each wanted her to be in their arms at that moment. We were in love, all four of us. Blake had found her way deep into our hearts and there was no way to ever get her out again.
More gifts were opened, then dinner was served. The evening was a special one, filled with the family we had formed having fun and making memories we could hold on to always.
CHAPTER 16
BLAKE
“Blake, can I talk to you for a second?” Luca asked as I walked into the kitchen around midday. I had been to physio with Declan, then hurried home to shower and change.
Fiona was picking me up and we were headed to the city. Before physio I had been planning to return home for a peaceful afternoon laid out in the garden, reading a book I had started just the night before.
