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I carefully removed my limbs from being intertwined with Gracie’s. My poor baby had been exhausted. We spent most of the day at the park and then had lunch at some small café near the house.
People spoke to Jaasir and some stared but no one actually interrupted us or intruded on our time. He was right, these people out here minded their business.
They clearly knew who he was. A few took a little longer to place him, likely because they were used to clean cut Sol, less hair on his head and face but eventually they figured it out.
After lunch, we came back to the house and Jaah spent a few hours in his office taking business calls while I hung out at the pool with Gracie. Kaliq joined us for a little while and even spent time with Gracie in the pool praising her horrible swimming skills.
She was better but there was nothing smooth or refined about her jerky motions. However she could keep her head above water and wasn’t afraid to jump in by herself on both the shallow and deep ends of the pool.
I wouldn’t dare kill her enthusiasm about what a great swimmer she was, but I also wasn’t ready to set her free in the ocean. After slipping out of Gracie’s room, I decided to jump in the shower myself. A day at the park and by the pool had me just as exhausted and ready to curl up in the bed but it was early so I powered through.
I hadn’t seen Jaasir in a few hours and it was likely he could still be locked away in his office or possibly the studio since he’d spent most of the day with us.
His mood had been more or less light, especially when dealing with Gracie but I could still tell he was somewhat off. Something heavy was on his mind. I intended to do a little digging after I finished my shower because my situation with Dresden was still looming.
As much as Jaah insisted I not worry, I didn’t like the stress of knowing Dresden could show up at any time and demand that I prove or disprove that Gracie was his daughter.
Truly I didn’t know with certainty because I’d never fully regained all my memories from that night but something in my gut made me believe that she was his.
They shared no common features that I could tell other than her dark brown eyes whereas mine were on the light side but half the population had dark brown eyes.
Gracie looked and acted like me and maybe that was mostly because I convinced myself she was mine and only mine. I didn’t want to share my greatest gift with anyone who didn’t deserve her light and Dresden damn sure didn’t.
Feeling refreshed and somewhat energized after my shower, I dressed in comfy sweats and a tee, grabbed my phone, and made up my mind to go search for Jaasir.
The house was quiet. Usually his staff was gone by nine and didn’t return until six in the morning, so I was on my own. Free to explore without interruption but as soon as my foot hit the first step, my phone was illuminating with a call that had a smile on my face.
Instead of continuing down the stairs, I sat at the top, tucking my knees into my chest and circling them with one arm while I held the phone with the other.
“You miss me, don’t you?” I rattled off and smiled while I waited.
“Hell no. I have the house all to myself and haven’t worn clothes all week.”
“Thank you for the visual and for the record why is that any different than when I’m there? You never wear clothes, Val.”
“You have a point.” Her tone was light and had me resting my face on my knees while I smiled into the phone. “But I do miss you. Gracie more than you though.”
“Why her and not me?”
“Because she’s Gracie. I can’tnotmiss her and I’m a little jealous of you right now. Not only do you have in-house dick. You have in-house dick that’s attached to a guy that just might be as top notch as said in-house dick.”
I sputtered a laugh. “You are one of a kind.”
“Which is why you love me but how are things? Is he top notch or is the honeymoon phase over?”
I exhaled a sigh. “He’s the real deal, Val.”
“Then why do you sound like your world is falling apart instead of coming together.”
“Because I’m scared, and overwhelmed, and falling for a guy who will totally destroy me if I let go and allow myself to actuallyfall.”
“Oryou might find something great and amazing and yeah, he might totally destroy you but I’d be willing to bet every penny I own that he would also do the work to piece you back together again.”
I choked a laugh. “That doesn’t sound like fun and you betting every penny you own isn’t helping. I know what your bank account looks like.”
“Valid point, but you’re right, it doesn’t sound like fun because it’s not. Love is a lot of things but it’s never easy or simple. It’s messy and frustrating but so damn worth it if you’re doing it with the right person. Kind of like sex. You get the best orgasms when it’s the right person.”
“If this were just about sex, I would agree. I would even agree if it were just about me but it’s not…”
