Page 76 of His to Seduce
And while we ate dinner, laughing at Leia and Grant, who were more of a handful than Lindsay and I ever were, as Grant Sr. talked about what was going on at McGregor Motors, I sat back quietly, wondering why in the hell I’d ever thought that turning my back on my family to go do my own thing, even if it was agoodthing, had been the best idea for me at the time. And why no one had ever tried to talk me out of it when I brought it up.
—
After dinner, as Grant and I helped hand-dry all the pots and pans while Lindsay and Camden and my mom cleaned up the rest of the kitchen, I quit wondering about what-ifs.
Camden slid up next to me and my arm fell to her waist. I settled her to my side like it was the most natural thing in the world to do. She fit perfectly, right there in my arm, next to me.
I held back the desire to tell her that, right then and there, only for fear of ruining what had been a peaceful and hilarious night with my family, most things considered.
Kissing the top of her head as she rested against me, a glass of water in one hand and a drying towel in the other, I briefly questioned if it was the right time, or the right night.
What the hell. “You mind if I go talk to Grant for a minute, babe?” I whispered it low so no one else could hear.
She tipped her head back, a smile shining so bright on her face it erased all the worry I’d had earlier when she’d been crying. Other than after she jumped off a cliff and snorkeled with me, I didn’t know if I’d ever seen her smile so large.
I liked that she did it around me. Around my family.
“Of course not.” Her brows pulled in as if she’d thought of something. “Everything okay?”
“It will be.” I kissed her cheek and turned to Grant. “Hey, man…mind if we go talk in the office for a minute?”
His head jerked back, and the bottle of beer he was drinking from froze on his bottom lip. “Yeah, sure. Things good?”
I chuckled. Why did my wanting to talk make everyone so concerned?
“No business at Friday family dinner,” my mom warned, pointing a finger at me.
“It’s not business,” I replied, lying. It was totally business related. “It’ll just take a few minutes.”
She huffed playfully. “Fine. I suppose us women will just get first dibs on the pie, then.”
I gasped, a hand flying to my chest. “You wouldn’t.”
“If you’re not back in ten, I most definitely will. I’ve been smelling it all afternoon and it might be my best one yet.”
Camden must have sensed my sudden hesitation because her hip bumped against mine, pushing me away. “Go. I’ll hold them off until you get back.”
“You think you can take her?”
She smiled again and laughed, a sweet, sweet melody I wanted to hear every day.Damn.I had it bad for her. “Yeah, David. I think I can handle her.”
I flashed her wide eyes, flickering my eyes to my mom playfully before moving back to Camden. “Okay…if you’re sure.”
The sting of her towel hitting my arm smacked me before I saw it coming. “Hey!”
“Go!” She waved the towel in the air, and Grant set his hand on my shoulder.
“Best come with me,” he muttered. “I don’t think you want to get on that girl’s bad side. She’s got bite.”
“I like her bite,” I teased, grinning at the red hue that immediately shaded her cheeks. “And she doesn’t have a bad side.”
“My God, you’re like a little puppy,” my sister chimed in. “So freaking adorable when you’re all cutesy-lovey-dovey.”
“Back off, woman. Or I’ll tell Grant all your secrets.”
She rolled her eyes. “We’ve been married too long to have any secrets.”
She had a point. Still, I bet there were things she hadn’t mentioned. “Yeah? You remember when we were in France on vacation—”
