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Gray replaced the lid on the frying pan, turned the heat low, and took her hand leading her from the kitchen and through the living room. There was a hallway that led from the foyer and along the kitchen wall. The first room to the left was Gray’s office. The serene room was graced with a wall of built-in, oak bookshelves and a large oak desk sat in front of the bookshelves—his closed laptop the only item on it. Across from the desk were two leather-upholstered chairs.
Two large windows faced the front of the house. Her car was visible from this room, the sun glinting off the windows. On the wall, directly across from the desk was a collage of family pictures, enclosed in frames of differing sizes and styles, all placed on the wall, so they fit like a puzzle. It was charming. She walked to the pictures, recognizing Jax from seeing him in the office. There were pictures of a younger man who looked like Gray, but he had bright blue eyes.
Gray followed her line of sight. “That’s Ethan, my youngest.”
In one of the pictures, there was a beautiful blonde woman with him. Pointing he said, “Ethan’s girlfriend, Eva. They’ve been together for over two years.”
He continued pointing out people in the pictures. “My parents, Harrison and Mary. My sister, Dani, Dani’s husband, Nick, and their kids. My brother, Jamie, and his wife, Kathy, who died of cancer about five years ago.” His strong hands moved as he spoke, lovingly touching each picture as he introduced her to his family “This is my daughter Sarah and her husband Cole on their wedding day. These little munchkins are my grandchildren, Lily and Lincoln.”
They were a beautiful family, all of them similar in looks but still with their own unique features. Gray looked like his dad, Harry, with his dark hair and eyes. She could see that Jamie looked like Harry in height and build but he had his mother’s coloring, sandy brown hair and blue eyes. Dani had the dark hair and blue eyes, a blending of the two senior Kinkaides. Gray’s children were a mixture. Jax looked more like Jamie with sandy hair and blue eyes, and Sarah looked like Gray with the dark hair and dark eyes. Ethan had his dad’s hair and his grandmother’s blue eyes. Well, they could be Suzanne’s; Sam hadn’t seen a picture of her to know what she looked like.
They left the office and continued down the hall to the master bedroom. It was enormous. The four-poster, king-sized bed with decorative wrought iron slats running from post to post sat in the middle of the largest wall with the matching dresser and armoire to the right. A bump-out with large windows looked out to the back of the house and a portion of the backyard and its lush landscaping. It was stunning. Sam could see the view from the bed, and she imagined how peaceful it would be waking up here with this view greeting you each morning.
Leather chairs, similar to the ones in Gray’s office, were placed in the bump-out, a small table in between and a large matching ottoman in front of them. She imagined curling up in a chair to read or listen to music as she watched the birds and squirrels play outside. To the left of the bedroom door was a massive bathroom that housed a large Jacuzzi tub built up two steps. Alongside the tub was a two-person, walk-in shower. The jets and sprayers were positioned so you could spray your whole body at once. There was a long granite counter and two sinks, each with an oval mirror directly in front of them. Directly across from that was a water closet.
The enormous walk-in closet had little cubbies for shoes and drawers for clothing, though it was only partially filled and Sam wrinkled her forehead, wondering why he would build this big massive room and closet for just himself. She didn’t think Suzanne had ever lived here.
She turned to see Gray in the doorway watching her.
“When I built this house, I had every hope and dream that it would be my home with the love of my life. So far I have only lived here alone.”
She pursed her lips and stared into his mesmerizing eyes. She already felt so much for this man—sadness at his life, his loneliness, his hopelessness, and his hopes and dreams for more. She truly understood; she’d had those same feelings for years. Closing the distance between them, she stood on her toes and kissed him gently, but firmly enough that he knew she meant it. Warm, soft lips met fully yielding lips. Her heart raced at this simple act of affection, and a shiver ran from head to toe as moisture gathered between her legs sending carnal emotions surging through her body.
He pecked her lips softly and took her hand leading her down the hall to the other side of the living room where there was another hallway with a bathroom and two bedrooms with their own en suites.
Taking a breath to gather her emotions, she once again said, “You have a lovely home, Gray.”
“Thank you. It means a lot to me that you like it.” He nodded toward the kitchen. “I have to finish dinner before it burns. Please join me.”
They entered the bright, happy room, full of sunshine and aromas of dinner. The wine she’d sipped warmed her belly and lifted her spirits.
“May I help you with something?”
“Yes. Sit right there at the counter and talk to me.”
She smiled as she sat and began telling him about her day and the craziness that had ensued. She asked him about his project and how he felt about the end result. He told her about it and noted the client was very happy.
She enjoyed watching him move around his kitchen. He expertly managed dinner, efficiently filling pots and pans, moving and chatting with her at the same time. He picked up his wine glass and sipped, his eyes on hers, and the thrill that shot through her body was heady. It was probably him that made her feel giddy; the wine was just a beverage at this point.
He finished cooking dinner, and they moved to the table to eat. He’d made stir-fry chicken with snow peas, carrots, baby corn, and rice noodles.
She wanted to know this man. “Tell me about your childhood, Gray.”
“I have great parents; we were well taken care of. My father worked in a paper mill his whole life until he retired ten years ago. My mom didn’t work outside the home. We always had a hot meal on the table, a clean house to live in, and clean clothes to wear. We did things as a family when we could, and to this day, every Sunday is dinner at Mom and Dad’s. My mother insists on it. She’s worried we’ll drift apart as a family, so we all go every Sunday to have a noon lunch at their place.” He set his fork on his plate. “Come with me this Sunday.”
She froze with her fork halfway to her mouth, “You want me to meet your family? So soon?”
He shook his head again. “Sam, why not? How are we going to get to know each other if we don’t include each other in our respective lives? My parents are going to be over the moon to meet you. Besides, they already know about you.” He resumed eating as her stomach knotted.
“They know about me? How do they know about me?” she squeaked.
He laughed. “Well, first of all, Jax has had a field day telling everyone how you stopped me in my tracks when I first saw you. I’ve heard it over and over again. Then, because everyone at the office has heard it and my dad stops in the office a couple of times a week to have coffee and catch up with all of us, he heard about it. I told him that I felt an immediate connection with you and about Mrs. Koeppel and how everything had worked out. I’m very close to my parents; I feel like I can tell them anything.” He picked up his wine glass and took a sip.
She set her fork on her plate and folded her hands together in her lap. “Wow. I’m just a little overwhelmed, I guess. It’s scary meeting a whole family at one time and knowing that they’ll be judging me and comparing me to your other girlfriends.”
“First of all, I have only taken two women to meet my family—Suzanne and Cheryl. They hated Suzanne, and after we had been married a couple of years, she refused to go over there, so I took the kids and went without her. Cheryl only came with me a few times; sometimes she worked and sometimes I just didn’t invite her. I told you, I didn’t feel that connection with her, so it really didn’t matter to me one way or the other if she came along. But I would really like it if you’d come with me on Sunday. In fact, I insist.”
He stared into her eyes, and the earnest, hopeful look she saw in the deep brown depths made it hard to resist. Swallowing, she nodded yes.
