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Jake has gone out to the nursing home to pick her up, and in the meantime Grayson, Tucker and Holden are helping me get things ready for dinner. Tucker set the table, Grayson tossed the salad and Holden is busy setting up the card table. You’d think Gran was a long-lost friend by the way they’re fussing. I guess in a way she is.
“I hear you’re nervous to show your grandma what you’ve done with the place,” Holden says from the living room, where he’s stacking chips into neat little piles.
“A little,” I admit, wiping my hands on a dish towel as I join him in the living room. “I’m just worried she’s going to think I hated the way she kept things.”
“You’re worrying for nothing,” Tucker chimes in with a beer in his hand. “I still can’t believe what you did with the place, and all on your own. It’s really impressive, Si. You should be proud.”
Grayson winks at me from across the room. Everywhere I look, I’m reminded of the times he and I spent together working on the house. Like the time I painted a stripe down his old T-shirt when we were painting the kitchen and he promptly got me back by running his paint-dipped fingertips up and down my arms. Or the time he caged me into the counter from behind as I was screwing in a door handle and one thing led to another and before we knew it, we were naked on the kitchen floor.
This house already holds so many memories for me, and right now I am about to make more.
Even though Gran and Grayson have known each other for years, it still feels like I’ll be introducing them to each other for the first time because this time is different. This time he’s mine, even though we’re still a secret. It makes my heart swell to know that Gran knows and loves the man who has become my boyfriend.
The timer goes off on the stove, and I remember I still have to finish up dinner. I’m pulling the roast potatoes from the oven when I hear the front door open and Gran’s sweet voice filling the space.
I walk towards the front entrance in time to see Grayson wrap up Gran in a big, adoring hug. My heart melts inside my chest as Gray takes her arm and walks her to the couch, grabbing an extra pillow for her back. He sits next to her and immediately starts asking her questions about how she’s feeling, how she likes her new place. Gran soaks up the attention, while I try and process the emotions flowing through me. I can see how much he cares for her. I can see it in the way he talks to her, the way he listens to her so intently. It’s just one more reason that I’m falling for him.
“Hi, Gran,” I say, slipping off the apron I’m wearing, as I walk into the living room, and give her a hug.
“My baby,” Gran says against my neck. “I can’t believe what you’ve done with the place. It looks beautiful. I hope you had some help from these boys.”
I chuckle, taking a seat on the couch. “Oh Gran, the boys have better things to do than help me strip wallpaper. But I did get some help. I’m glad you like it. To be honest, I was worried you wouldn’t.”
“She was,” Tucker adds, nodding his head.
“How could I not? The place needed a makeover. I’m glad you got rid of all the owls,” she says, looking around the room. “Honest to goodness, the place was starting to look like a sanctuary… I just didn’t have the heart to get rid of them.”
Jake almost spits out his beer. “Gran! We thought you liked owls. That’s why Sierra and I kept buying them for you.”
Gran snickers. “I did wonder about that,” she admits. “How many owls does an old lady really need? But they came from you two, so I loved them. Now… who’s ready for a game of poker?”
“You don’t waste a beat,” Tuck laughs. “What do you say, Si? Do we have time for a quick game?”
I sigh, getting up from the couch. “You have time for a few hands. Dinner is almost ready.”
While I finish up dinner in the kitchen, the boys and Gran play poker in the living room. I can hear their conversation—mostly a lot of trash talk about who has the worst poker face or who doesn’t know a flush from a full house from a hole in the wall. I laugh as I listen in, pouring each of them a glass of lemonade. The five of them are adorable together. Anyone looking in would think all four of the guys were her grandsons.
“Have you ever even won a hand?” Jake asks Tucker, sliding a stack of chips towards his chest.
“I’ve won plenty. Right, Gran?” Tucker says as he shuffles the deck.
“Maybe when you’ve been doing this as long as I have, you’ll get the hang of it,” she says matter-of-factly as she stacks her pile of chips on the table in front of her.
“Listen, you’re lucky we even let you sit at the table with us,” Grayson teases Tucker. “Watch and learn from this woman right here. She’s the GOAT of poker. She could teach you a few things.”
Gran winks at Gray as I walk into the living room with their drinks. My insides turn to mush at the sight of them— Gran and my boyfriend. I love that she makes him laugh. I also love how sweet he is to her, how he treats her as if she’s his favorite person in the world.
“Thanks, Sierra, but you didn’t have to do that. We could have sent Tucker in to get us drinks. He’ll need something to do once he loses this hand,” Gray jokes, taking the lemonade from my hand and then pushing his chair back. “I’m sitting the next one out. Let me help you with dinner.”
I can feel Jake watching us and it makes me uneasy, so I try to brush off Grayson’s offer. “It’s okay, Grayson, I’ve got it. Just about done now anyways.”
“Let the man help you, Sierra,” Gran says, catching my eye. “It’s not every day you get a man who looks like that offering to help you in the kitchen.”
The legs of Jake’s chair screech across the wood floor. “You know what? I’ll help my sister—”
“Sit down, Jake. I’d like to play some poker with my grandson.”
He returns to his chair reluctantly, and I can’t get to the kitchen fast enough. Grayson shoots me an apologetic smile when we’re alone, tucking his hands into his pockets. I’m glad he doesn’t try to touch me right now, because I’m feeling so on edge with my brother on high alert in the next room. As happy as I am to have Gran here, I’ll be happy if we survive this evening in one piece.
