Ryan Kim:Here we go again.
Dean Briggs:I see I’ve been summoned. Who was the one-night stand?
Justin Holloway:A girl I met at a bar. She was fun and I couldn’t get her out of my mind ... Guess I know why.
Dean Briggs:All right, buddy. Have a plan. Throw the plan out the window. And tell us everything. I’m just glad it ain’t me foronce.
I was late getting home.
Grace would have made Sammy dinner and gotten him started in his bath by now. I didn’t plan on getting back this late, and I slowly opened the door, wondering if she would be mad.
I found her as she was washing Sammy’s hair. Even while his hair was wet, the ends still curled. He’d gotten Grace’s hair texture but my lighter color. His eyes were hazel, just like Grace’s too. Once we’d both figured out how to be parents, we loved raising him. Grace still worked at the shop, but she always looked forward to coming home to see him. I did too, which is why she cocked an eyebrow at me when I walked in at bedtime.
“I would have stopped for flowers, but that would’ve made me later.” I’d still ordered some. They would be delivered tomorrow.
“It’s fine, Dean.”
Sammy looked at me and smiled wide.
“Still, I never try to be this late. I owe you coffee in the morning at the very least.”
“I’ll take the coffee,” she said. “Did work keep you?”
“Something like that.”
Sammy was done in the bath, and he let us know by trying to throw water out of the tub. Grace yelped and immediately pulled the plug and got him out. I helped her get him ready for bed before she met me in the hallway.
My life had calmed down ever since she’d given birth to Sammy. Sometimes, I thought back to that time and wondered how the hell we’d survived. Hell, I wasn’t sure how Grace had survived Brooke for so long. But now that we were surrounded by people who cared about us, there was less drama.
Luckily, Grace would never have to deal with her again. Brooke didn’t get a long sentence, but it was the kind that would stay on her record forever. We were awarded a restraining orderfor both of us and a promise from Mike that he would come immediately if she ever tried anything.
Her restraining order was strict enough that she would either wind up with hefty fines or go back to jail if she couldn’t pay them. Considering how hard the restraining order was to get, I was glad for the extra money the STM grant had provided.
We both got the peace that we deserved, and we had the money to renovate some of the basement into a mother-in-law suite for Mom, who was thrilled to stay as long as she could. I was ecstatic to be able to have a little more privacy when Grace and I got time alone.
I had told Mom what my plan was and why I would be late. So she was spending her time in her suite because she knew that Grace and I would need some time alone once I revealed what I’d done.
“So, are you gonna tell me what you were up to?” She put a hand on my chest and I nearly jumped straight into the air. She raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, okay. I’ll tell you. It’s just sensitive right now.”
“Did you get injured at work?” She narrowed her eyes. “Clyde should’ve called me.”
I shook my head. “Come here.”
I took her to our room and peeled off my shirt.
“You’re not gonna distract me with?—”
“Look at my chest.”
Her eyes flicked over me. At first, she missed it, and then her eyes widened.
It was her name, exactly the way she’d written it just over a year ago. I’d taken a picture and found an artist who could replicate it. Back then, I wasn’t sure if I would go through with a tattoo, but I wanted the option of it to be open.
“Oh my God,” she said. “You got my name tattooed? Don’t you know you’re never supposed to get a name?”
“Oh, yeah. I got a long lecture about it, but when does a lecture ever stop me?”