I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Graham. We were talking about it, but they know we’re together. I’ve mentioned you to my mom and they just saw me kiss you. I’m not hiding our relationship. I’m sorry if I made you feel like I was.”
“I’m a handyman, Abby. Your ex is a lawyer.”
“And a liar and a cheat. What does your job have to do with anything?”
He sighed heavily and I knew there was something he wasn’t telling me. Something big. Something we needed to talk about.
The problem was, I had no idea what it was.
“Please, Graham, stay. Talk to my family. They want to get to know you. I’d like to introduce you to my friends also. Tomorrow night. If you’re willing.”
I waited, wondering what he was going to say, or do. He studied me, and whatever he found would determine his answer. I just hoped he’d find what he was looking for because every time I looked into his eyes I knew I had.
Home.
Chapter 17
Graham sighed and nodded. “If you’re sure.”
I smiled at him and gripped his hand. “Definitely.” We walked back over to my mom and Grams. “As you both know, Graham did a lot of the work with Max. What Graham thinks you don’t know is that we’ve been seeing each other. He was a huge help to me last week when I was getting ready for my last meeting with the mayor.”
“We also heard you gave that jackass she married something to think about, too. What I would give to have seen his smug face when he got a load of you.” I snorted then tried to cover my laugh with a cough. Graham just froze. Then burst out laughing.
“Yeah, well, he deserved it.”
“That and more, young man.” Grams patted his cheek, her hand barely making it up that high. She turned to me, her hand still resting on his face. “Why didn’t you find him before you found that other one? He’s a much nicer man. Hotter, too.”
“Grams!”
“Mom!”
Graham just laughed.
“What?” Grams said innocently. “I’m just telling the truth. You two catch up. I’m going to flirt with Abby’s hot new boyfriend.”
Grams slipped her hand through Graham’s arm and led him to the purple chairs in the corner. Mom and I watched them go. Once Graham helped Grams sit and the two of them fell into easy conversation, Mom spoke.
“You look happy.”
I nodded. “I am.”
“There’s something bothering you though.”
I took a deep breath. “I don’t like dating, Mom. I like Graham, a lot actually, but dating is tough.”
Mom laughed softly. “I know. It is hard to put yourself out there, especially after what happened with Brett, but I think you’ve found one of the good ones.”
I nodded. “I think so, too. I just hope I don’t mess it up. I don’t know if I’m ready for… whatever is happening between us.”
Mom smiled and brushed a strand of hair back from my face. “We’re never ready to fall in love, honey. That’s one of the hardest things about it. Love isn’t going to wait until the time is convenient. If it did, no one would ever fall in love.”
I nodded, knowing she was right. “True. But I never said I was falling in love with Graham.”
She patted my cheek. “You didn’t have to, honey. I can see it in the way you look at him. You never looked at Brett that way. I know you did love him, in a way, but never like this.”
I shook my head. “It’s too soon, Mom. We’ve only been out a few times.”
She smiled. “That’s another one of those tough things about love. It doesn’t wait until you think it’s been long enough. It usually sneaks up on you when you aren’t looking. And I know you weren’t looking.”
“No, I wasn’t. But I don’t think I’m in love with him.”
She nodded. “He’s a nice man, Abby. He’s helped you a lot with this place. Turned it into your dream. Make sure you’re falling for him for the right reasons, when you do fall.”
“What are the right reasons?”
“Because of who he is. Not because of what he can do for you.”
She gestured around SkinnyCakes as she spoke and I understood what she meant. I fell in love with Brett because of what he could do for me. He gave me a purpose, a sense of belonging and being needed. But the man underneath those things was not the person I thought he was. I wanted his family, I wanted someone to believe in me. I got both of those things, but wrapped up in a man who didn’t really want me. Who wasn’t ever going to treat me the way I truly deserved to be treated.
Graham was the opposite. He gave me himself. He took care of me, like my family always had. He didn’t do things for me, not outright. He did things he knew I wanted to do. He worked around SkinnyCakes, but using my vision, not implementing his own ideas. He didn’t convert it into his place. It was still mine, he was just helping make that possible.
But Mom was right. I needed to make sure I loved him for the man he was, not for the way he made me feel. Not for what he did for me.
Not for all the wrong reasons.
I served my first rush of customers while Mom and Grams talked to Graham. I wasn’t entirely sure I liked the three of them being alone, but I trusted them all to play nice. As long as they weren’t trying to talk Graham into changing my last name again, it would all be okay.
Mom and Grams left an hour or so later, but Graham stayed. He moved to the counter and I joined him after I said goodbye.
“I like them. I see where you get your spunk from.”
I laughed. “I wish I was half as spunky as they are.”
Graham shook his head. “You’re just as spunky, maybe more. I can’t see your grandmother telling any man exactly how she deserved to be-”
I pressed my hand over his lips to stop him from finishing. His eyes sparked with fiery passion. We both knew exactly what he was going to say and the thought sent shivers through me that pooled low in my gut. I didn’t know how he did it, but Graham had me wanting him within seconds every time we were together.
“You’re dangerous,” I said, removing my hand from his mouth, but not before he nipped my palm. “And yes, I agree. I’m sure she wouldn’t have.”
Graham flashed me a devilish smile then leaned over the counter and planted a kiss on my lips. He kept it chaste, with his tongue in his mouth and mine in mine, but he made me want to pull him into the kitchen and have my way with him there. Customers be damned.
“I’m glad you liked the coffee cart,” he murmured against my lips when he pulled back.
I nodded. “I love it. It’s perfect in here. Just like everything else you’ve done for me.”
He shrugged, dropping back to his seat. “I enjoy it. I like making you smile.” I beamed for him, and he laughed. “With that beautiful thought, I’ve gotta run. I’ve got some clients to check on.”
I nodded even though I didn’t want him to leave and didn’t like feeling like I was in the dark about his life. “Did you think about tomorrow?”
He nodded. “Are you sure you want me to meet your friends? I know how important they are to you.”
“Which is exactly why I want you to meet them. You’re important to me, too.”
His eyes locked on mine as though he could see inside me and determine if I was telling the truth. I let him look, knowing what he’d find there.
“What time should I pick you up?”
“We usually meet at five, but Tara has been riding with me. You met her in here last week. Do you mind if she comes along, too?”
Graham shook his head. “I can fit five in the truck. It won’t be a problem.”
“Thank you. She’s great. They all are. You’ll have fun meeting them. You already know Max, and you can meet Tara ahead of time. Again. None of the husbands have been coming, but once they find out you’ll be there, I’m sure they will be too.”
“Is this going to be an inquisition?”
I laughed and nodded. “Probably, but I should tell you no, right?”
Graham laughed again then kissed me softly. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bye,” I whispered.
The next afternoon Tara and Graham both showed up at Max’s apartment within minutes of each other. I’d warned Charlie and Claire that Graham was coming with me and I had no doubt they’d passed the word on to the others. At least Graham already knew Tara, Max, Sam, and Brady. It would be a lot, but he’d handle it.
“How many people are going to be there?” Graham asked as I was putting my shoes on.
“I’ve only met the women,” Tara answered. “There’s eight besides Abby and me. They’re all married though. If they all come, you’re facing sixteen new people tonight.”
“You already know Max and Brady though, and you met Sam the other day. Brady’s wife.”
My phone rang, pulling me away before Graham answered. I groaned when I saw it was Brett, but answered anyway. “Yes?”
“Abby, you gotta help me. Megan needs to give a month’s notice before she can start. I can’t do all this without you. You need to help me.”
I stepped away from Graham and Tara, not wanting to get into another fight with Graham about Brett. “I don’t know what you expect me to do. I have a job. One I chose. And it’s not working for you.”
“Abby, you know you can’t tell me no. I need your help. It’s just for a few weeks.”
“I got the job with the mayor.”
“Thanks to me,” he interjected.
I ignored him and continued, “I can’t be spending all my time working for you. My shop is doing well.”
“And it’ll continue to do well after I get my assistant. I need you now though, Abby.”
I sighed. I really didn’t want to give in to him. I had the job. Could he really do anything? “What if I say no?”
He laughed mirthlessly. “Then I call the mayor’s office and let them know you’re not as reliable as I thought and that I have serious doubts about your ability to deliver what you promised.”
I took a deep breath. He was blackmailing me. My ex-husband, the lawyer, was blackmailing me. The worst part was I couldn’t do a damn thing about it. I had to suck it up and do what he asked until the picnic was over. I’d managed so far. It was only a day every week. I could deal with that. “Fine,” I huffed, making sure he understood I wasn’t happy about it. “When do you need me?”
“I’ll call you tomorrow. I’m about to leave for the night. We’ll set up a schedule then.”
“Schedule? What do you mean?” The phone beeped in my ear, telling me he’d already hung up. That bastard. I called him back but he sent it to voicemail.
“What’s wrong?” Tara asked innocently.
I glanced at Graham. His jaw was tight. His whole body rigid. He knew exactly what it was about, and he didn’t like it. Hell, neither did I, but I had no choice. “Brett needs me to work for him.”
“Why the hell would you do him a favor?”
I sighed. “He’s the one who got me the interview with the mayor. Without that I never would have gotten the job.”
“Are you sure? He really has that much influence?”
I shrugged. “That’s what he said. When I asked what would happen if I told him I wouldn’t work he said he’d call the mayor and tell him I was unreliable.”
“Son of a bitch. He was a dick in college, but now he’s a conniving asshole. I wish you’d never married him.”
“You’re not the only one,” I muttered. I shook my head and tried to let Brett and his insertion back into my life fall away. “Let’s get going. I don’t want to talk about Brett anymore.”
The ride to Bite Me! was tense. Tara tried to talk to us, but Graham was wound too tight to engage in much conversation. When he parked the truck I asked Tara to go ahead in so Graham and I could talk.
“Are you okay?” I asked once Tara was out of the truck.
He took a deep breath. “What do you want me to say, Ab? That I like you being around that guy? Because I don’t. He’s a worthless piece of shit who’s going to take whatever he wants from whoever he wants. I don’t trust him.”
“Do you trust me?”
His green eyes softened and his body released some of the tension. “Yes.”
“If he did or said anything inappropriate I’d talk to you. I also wouldn’t be working with him, no matter what he held over my head.”
“You know what he’s doing is illegal, right?”
I nodded. “I know. The problem is I have no proof that he’s actually doing it.”
“Maybe you should record your phone conversations.”
I huffed a laugh. “Maybe I should. I don’t want to worry about him tonight though. I’m excited for you to meet my friends. Are you ready?”
He leaned forward and kissed me softly, a grin playing on his lips. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
We got out of the truck and walked into Bite Me! hand in hand. Charlie was waiting at the counter for us. She shook Graham’s hand and introduced herself. “I’m Charlie, Max’s wife. He and Abby both speak very highly of you. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
“You as well. I think I got a cavity just walking in here.”
Charlie laughed good-naturedly. “Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised. Unlike Abby, my secret is adding as much sugar as possible.”
“She’s telling the truth,” I teased. “It’s hard to walk out of here without feeling like you got your sugar intake for the week.”
Charlie grinned. “That’s the way I like it. I’m a big fan of sugar.”
“Mmm, me too,” Max said, joining us and leaning over the counter to kiss Charlie. She eagerly welcomed his affection, wrapping her arms around his neck. I’d never seen my brother happier than when he met Charlie. She was definitely the missing piece in his world.
They pulled apart and Max hugged me, then shook Graham’s hand. I waited for Max to do the big brother thing and warn Graham, but he just smiled and slapped his back. “Good to see you again.”
“You, too, Max. Miss you around SkinnyCakes, but I can see the appeal for you coming here. Hard to say no to your beautiful wife.”
Charlie blushed and Max nodded. “I’m a lucky man.”
“That you are.”
We ordered cupcakes and went to join the others at the table. As I’d predicted, the men were there too, examining the latest victim. I introduced Graham around, watching as his eyes glazed over halfway through.
“Damn, there’s a lot of you.”
Tara grinned. “I warned you. It’s easier if you can come up with nicknames for them.”
“Nicknames?” Lexi asked. “What are you talking about?”
“Well, you’re easy because you know my mom, but the night I met all of you I came up with mnemonics to remember everyone’s name.”
“What’s mine?” Sam asked.
“You’re Sassy Sam.” Everyone laughed then demanded Tara share her nickname for everyone. “We have Cupcake Charlie, Adorable Addi, Crass Carrie, Laughing Lexi, Quiet Claire, Mommy Mandy, and Reader Riley.”
“I like that,” Graham said. “What about the guys? Not that I’ll remember the ones you already told me.”
Tara shrugged. “First time I’ve met them. I don’t know who they are either.”
“I’m perfectly happy being identified as Claire’s husband,” Aidan said with a wink. He tugged Claire closer and kissed her cheek.
“Works for me,” the others agreed.
“Yeah,” Xander said, bouncing Elise on his lap. “I don’t need a name.”
Everyone laughed.
“How did you all meet?” Graham asked.
The others laughed and groaned and begged him to take the question back. Mandy quieted everyone down and said, “I’ll tell him. Claire and I grew up together. We met Sam and Addi in college. Xander and I met by chance on the phone. We met Charlie and Lexi when this place opened. Well, the old Bite Me! Claire and Aidan worked together. Lexi and Mike did too. Addi and Joey met when she worked on ski club for her sc
hool. Sam joined Dave’s Gym, where she met Brady. She also met Riley around the same time and Riley came with Carrie. Riley and Connor went to high school together. Drew is Xander’s best friend from college. And Max plowed the parking lot where Bite Me! used to be. Does that about cover it?”
Graham took a second to catch up then said, “I sense there’s a lot more than just that.”
We all exchanged looks and laughed. “Oh, yeah.”
Graham chuckled. “I’ll learn eventually. For now, it’s good to be here.”
Chapter 18
The conversation turned to babies before too long. At five, almost six, months old, Elise was trying to crawl. “It’s funny to watch her get up on her knees and wiggle her little butt,” Mandy said, laughing. “It’s like she thinks if she gets it moving fast enough it’ll make her go.”
“It’s so cute to watch,” Claire agreed, wiping tears from her eyes. “She wants to do so much. She’s a smart kid though.”
“Not that you’re biased,” Sam teased.
“Not one bit,” Claire agreed with a grin.
“I can’t wait for all this stuff,” Carrie gushed. “It feels like I’ve been waiting forever to become a mom.”
Drew, his arm around her, pulled Carrie in for a kiss. The two of them had so much love and passion. It was obvious to anyone who knew them or just saw them around. I couldn’t help but feel a little envious of what they had. I tried telling myself I didn’t want it, but I’d always thought I’d have kids and a perfect life.
“It’ll go by fast. The end is the worst part,” Mandy said with the authority of the only mom in the group. “You’ll be wishing you could have been pregnant for a little while longer when the baby comes.”
Sam shook her head. “I can’t wait to hold her. I’m so excited for that.”
“Me, too,” Carrie agreed. “Feeling the baby inside is great, or will be, but holding him or her and looking into those eyes is something I can’t wait to experience.”
A few others murmured their agreement. “If I ever get pregnant,” Addi said, “I can’t imagine wishing it would last longer. Waiting is tough, especially when it’s not going well.”
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