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Things are fucking perfect the following day. We spend the day walking along Lake Superior with Winter and then head into town, perusing the few shops once more. I mean, we’ve seen it all already, but we do it again anyways. Then we head to the grocery store where we have to tie Winter up outside. He whines and looks so damn sad that Grey ends up staying outside with him while I head in to grab the items we need to make dinner.
I love him even more for doing that, for never wanting to cause harm, even to an animal.
Tomorrow we will pack up and head out to Marquette, an hour’s drive across the UP with some stops in between. I can’t fucking wait to pull over and see the falls and the dunes, and to just be with Grey.
And Winter. He’s fast becoming a favorite of mine. I cannot wait to see what he thinks about Grey’s home when we finally get back. I wonder if Grey will make him sleep on the floor or will invite him into bed every night.
There might be a discussion to be had over this. I want to be able to access Grey all the time, without interruptions.
Hmm, I may need to do some convincing.
“We have a feast here,” Grey says as he pulls things out of grocery bags and sets them on the counter. I’m making us steak and mashed potatoes. I was going to get green beans and then decided against it.
Who needs green things? Not me, that’s who.
I got ice cream instead.
“Only the best for my boo,” I say, already imagining what I’m going to do with that ice cream later.
Suddenly, Grey’s phone rings.
He glances down at it and smiles softly, tapping on the screen and placing it to his ear.
“Hey, Josh,” he says cheerfully, his entire face breaking out in a grin.
Oh, my heart. My fucking heart. Josh has no idea how much his dad loves him. I don’t know how he doesn’t see it, that longing in his eyes. I’ve never much liked his mom, but I never knew if that was because I was so fiercely into Grey that anyone who hurt him immediately became an enemy.
But the more I get to know him, the more I realize that Karen did a lot of things to Grey with the sole purpose of hurting him. She kept Joshua away from his dad, not because it was what was best for her son, but because she knew how desperate Grey was for that relationship.
“Of course. Yeah. Of course. We’d love that,” Grey says, his cheeks flushed.
My brows meet at his expression and the way his voice has changed. What’s Grey agreeing to? I pull my phone out immediately, having set it on silent while we were out, and see that I missed some texts from my best friend.
Fuck. This is so my luck.
“See you soon,” Grey says and then hangs up, his eyes meeting mine, and my heart sinks.
“Goddammit, Grey,” I mutter, and he runs a hand over his head, huffing.
“Yeah, I know.”
I know he’s split between being excited his son is coming on this trip and knowing that it will put a damper on the two of us. There is no way we can behave like we have been when Joshua is here. We will have to go back to how it was before.
I don’t know if I can handle it. I don’t know if I can survive it—not when I’ve had him, when I’ve had a taste.
“I’m assuming we aren’t telling him about us,” I say, and Grey runs a hand down his face, his lips turned into a frown. He doesn’t know what to say. I don’t blame him. I don’t know what to say either.
I get why he would want to keep it a secret.
“It’s gonna be damn hard for me, Greyson,” I tell him, being completely honest.
“I just…” he resumes pulling stuff out of the grocery bags, his voice trailing off. “I just don’t know how I’d even approach that with him, Quinn. You’re his best friend. I’m his dad.”
“And we’re both adults.”
He peeks over at me and nods.
