Grace (The Family Simon Book 5) (20 page)

He pulled into a gas station in Gravenhurst at exactly six forty-five.

“Can’t we make it to the house? It’s only five minutes from here.” Grace peered into the dark. “Do we really need to stop?”

“I’m running on fumes, Bluebell. Give me five minutes.”

It took more than five minutes. The pump was having issues and wouldn’t accept his credit card, and then he had to wait for the vehicle in front of him before he could move to the next one. All in all, it was a ten-minute adventure and Grace was literally jumping up and down in the truck when he slid back inside.

“It’s almost seven,” she said.

“Yeah. I got that.” Matt pulled onto the road. “Is there anything I need to know about seven o’clock?”

She hesitated. “Not really.”

“That doesn’t sound exactly promising.”

“It’s just…” She sighed. “My family is pretty rigid. We have traditions and things that we’re expected to do and…”

“Just what the hell am I walking into?”

But she didn’t answer. “There it is.” Grace slapped his arm. “There’s my house.”

Matt whistled. “That’s a damn nice lake house.”

Grace had her door open before he’d got the truck to a stop and she ran like the wind, twisting between the menagerie of parked cars as she ran to the house. Everything from an old beat up Ford, to a Land Rover and a Mercedes.

He grabbed their
periwinkle weekender
and followed in her footsteps, his long strides eating up the distance in a few seconds. When he reached the door, Matt hesitated. There were voices, excited voices. There was laughter, kids babbling and he picked out Grace’s excited chatter.

It brought a smile to his face. What the hell was she saying?

He opened the door and walked inside. At first no one paid him any mind, but then a little girl with long, dark hair who looked to be about maybe eight or nine tugged on his arm.

“I’m Morgan. Who are you?” she asked, twirling a pigtail.

“Matt.”

“Are you Matt Simon?”

“Nope.”

“I thought you might be another twinner.”

“Twinner?”

She nodded. “I’m a twin and my new daddy is a twin.” She tugged on his arm. “Thought maybe you were one too.”

“I’m not that special.” He paused, searching the room. “I’m with Grace.”

Her little face lit up and she giggled. “You’re Auntie Grace’s boyfriend.” She turned around and shouted. “Hey, it’s Auntie Grace’s boyfriend.”

Busted.

The full brunt of the Simon family interest swung his way, but the only person he saw was Grace. She stood in the middle of them all, eyes sparkling, her face split wide in a huge grin. In her hand, she waved a sparkly pink ribbon.

“I made it in time to pick our team,” she said excitedly. “We’re pink!”

Someone snorted. And a few male chuckles joined in.

Betty Jo and a dark haired woman who looked an awful lot like the little girl who still held onto his hand, joined them. Betty thrust her fist into the air and the other girls made a similar action. “Go pink!” Betty shouted.

Matt dropped his bag. He didn’t know what was worse. Periwinkle or pink or the fact that he didn’t know what Betty or Grace was talking about.

Grace beamed at him, her laughing eyes infectious
. Go pink
, she mouthed. He was guessing he was going to find out.

25

T
he Simon family, in all its extended glory, enjoyed a late buffet-style dinner. Everything from Chinese and Mexican, to good old hamburgers and hotdogs. There was something for everyone’s palette and by the time the food was cleared and dishes done, it was nearly ten.

Grace gave her nephew Fitz a big hug and kiss before surrendering him to his mother, Betty Jo. It was well past the little guy’s bedtime and with sleep-heavy eyes, he waved to her as she watched her sister-in-law head upstairs. Her brother Teague and his wife Sabrina had already left—Teague outside to join his brother, Tucker, and Matt. And Sabrina to their cottage next door. With Sabrina’s twins gone, the noise level had dropped dramatically.

Gracce smiled. Teague was now father to Sabrina’s twins, and she’d given birth to their son Axel less than a year after they were married. Funny how things worked out. She’d thought Teague would be a bachelor forever—married to a dangerous job—but he’d gone and surprised the heck out of everyone when he’d fallen in love with Sabrina.

She couldn’t remember seeing her brother happier than he was right now, and right now felt pretty damn good.

Humming to herself, Grace turned off the light in the kitchen and wandered into the large, open family room. The entire wall was glass and gave her a spectacular view of the lake at night.

She had the place to herself, which was a miracle considering everyone had made it to Gravenhurst except Jack and Donovan. Her parents had retired to bed and so had Tucker’s wife Abby.

She frowned. Something was up with her sister-in-law.

“What’s with the face?” Her cousin Cooper came in from outside where all the guys were. Cigars were the likely culprit, and Matt had been all over it.

“I could ask the same.”

Cooper flashed a smile, wincing a bit on account of the black eye he sported. The guy could pass as her brother Beau’s twin. Both of them were good looking Charlie Hunnam or Brad Pitt-types, and Cooper could have made a fortune in Hollywood. Instead he… Actually, Grace wasn’t exactly sure what Cooper did to pass the time. Other than the obvious—women.

“I asked first.”

She leaned against the sofa and pulled no punches. “What’s going on with Abby?”

The smile on Cooper’s face slowly faded and his blue eyes slid away from hers. All sorts of alarm bells went off inside Grace and she tugged at his arm. She knew Cooper and Abby were good friends. Hell, it had been a bone of contention between her brother, Tucker, and her cousin Coop from the moment they’d met.

“Cooper. What the hell is going on?”

Cooper shoved his hands into his pockets. “I don’t know anything.” At her sharp intake of breath, he continued. “I don’t. But something’s up. I’m sure of it. She’s not herself.” He shrugged. “I guess they’ll tell us when the time’s right.”

Grace thought about that for a few moments. “I guess so. I just hope it’s nothing serious.” She shoved her elbow into her cousin’s side. “So? The black eye? That’s gotta be a good story.”

“Oh, it’s a story all right.”

“Spill.”

Cooper exhaled and ran a hand through his thick blond hair. “It’s a long, drawn-out tale that involves a married woman, a cheating husband and, well…” He flashed that million-dollar smile again. “Me.”

“Somehow I’m not surprised.”

Her cousin Cooper had a long history of getting involved with unattainable women. As in women who were either spoken for, engaged, or already married. The world saw him as a celebrated scoundrel—a guy with Hollywood looks, no ambition and no morals. Grace found it interesting that Coop perpetuated the myth because she knew him—she knew him well—and he was none of those things.

There was a reason why he was the way he was. But it was his story and as far as she knew, he’d never shared it. At least not with her.

The two of them stared out into the darkness and Grace found the twinkling lights that lined the edge of the lake mesmerizing.

“I love coming up here,” she murmured. She could see the guys—her brothers Tucker and Teague, and Matt—walking near the boathouse. The embers from their cigars gave them away.

“Yeah? What do you like about it?”

“I’m not sure really. The quiet? The stripped-down version of a life I think we all want, but not many of us get. Everything moves so fast. I can see why Teague loves it up here.”

“So what’s up with you and Hawkins?”

Leave it to Cooper to ask the question that everyone was too afraid to ask.

Her eyes on the glowing tips in the darkness, she thought about the question for a long time. She reached for her half-empty glass of wine and finished it in one gulp. Then she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth and set the now empty glass down.

“I’m not exactly sure yet. But…”

“But?”

“I know what I want, but Matt’s got stuff going on, life stuff. And even though I’m pretty sure our feelings are the same, this other stuff bothers me. I don’t know if he’s ever going to share it. I don’t know if he knows
how
to share it with me. And I don’t think we can move forward until he does.”

“Have you told him that?”

She shook her head and swore. “We don’t really talk. It’s stupid and frustrating and so high school. We keep saying that we’ll talk. That we’ll communicate.” She shook her head. “But we never really do. I’m afraid to bring it up, and he’s avoiding it altogether.”

“You love him.”

Grace’s head whipped up so fast she was surprised it didn’t crack in two. “Why would you say that?”

“Because any idiot with two eyes in his head can see that you do.”

Oh.
God.
Cheeks now flaming, Grace squeezed her eyes shut. What if Matt knew? What if he knew and this whole trip up north was a pity trip?

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Cooper said, tugging on a long piece of her hair. It had escaped the messy bun at the back of her head and, irritated, she tucked it behind her ear.

“Worry about what?”

“Matt is so busy avoiding the talking thing that he’s not seeing the situation clearly.”

True. That was totally true.

“So I think it’s gotta be you who forces the issue.” Cooper shrugged. “You should do it before the not talking-thing gets so big that you can’t make sense of it.”

“That’s the thing. I don’t want to.”

“Because you’re afraid he’ll bolt? Because you’re afraid he won’t think you’re worth the commitment?”

She nodded.

Cooper pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Thing is, Gracie. You’re worth the commitment. Don’t forget that. Ever. Okay?”

She hugged her cousin. “Thank you. I needed to hear that.”

The back door off the deck opened and brought with it a gust of wind, two Simons and the one guy who made her heart beat fast and hard without even trying.

Matt was grinning at something her brother Teague was saying, and he looked so damn easy and relaxed that it made everything inside her melt. He glanced up suddenly, as if knowing her eyes were on him, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m heading out,” Teague said, walking over to Grace and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. “I like him,” he whispered.

“I should go up, too. Been traveling all day.” Tucker nodded and took the stairs two at a time.

“What are you guys up to?” Cooper opened the cabinet and grabbed a bottle of scotch.

“I should take our stuff out to the bunky,” Grace said, reaching for her jacket.

Cooper held up the bottle and arched an eyebrow at Matt. “Single malt.”

“Thanks, but I’m going to have to pass.” Matt took Grace’s hand.

“Not surprised. Have a good one.”

Grace and Matt headed outside and trudged through the snow to the bunky. It was small but the necessities were covered. A bed. A toilet and sink. And a desk that was big enough for her weekender.

The heat had been turned on and the lamp on the desk threw a soft glow. It was cozy and intimate and for the next few days, it was all theirs. Grace tossed her bag onto the desk, suddenly nervous and not really knowing why.

“Hey, you okay?” Matt reached for her and she snuggled up against him. With her cheek pressed into his chest, she inhaled that unique scent that was Matt and closed her eyes.

“I’m perfect.” And she was. In this moment, in this place, with this man…she was one hundred and fifty percent perfect with the world.

“Your family is real nice.”

“They’re not always so well behaved, but I’ll keep them.”

A few seconds ticked by. “Grace we should talk.” His voice was quiet. Too quiet.

Her stomach rolled and the panic that swelled inside her was something fierce.
No.
The word whispered through her head and she shook her head. “It can wait, Matt.”

“That’s just it, Bluebell. I don’t think it can.”

“Please, Matt.” Straight up, she was a coward and for the moment she could live with that. “Let’s just have tonight for us. Nothing but you and me. Let’s forget about everything else.”

His arms tightened around her and she squeezed her eyes shut when she felt his lips graze the top of her head. His hands sank into her hair and with a groan, she turned to him, accepting his mouth and kissing him back hungrily.

Clothes went flying. Elbows and knees bumped against furniture. Naked limbs entwined on the bed. Grace loved Matt with everything that she had. She used her body—her mouth, her fingers, her tongue and hips. She used everything but her words to let him know the depth of her love.

There was a frenetic, desperate quality to their lovemaking and it went on for hours. She loved him until the first streaks of dawn crept over the horizon. And when she finally fell asleep, exhausted, satiated and sore, that fear that had been building for hours twisted and turned. It was a heavy stone in her gut.

A heavy stone that stayed with her long after she fell asleep.

26

T
eam pink was up by five points. Matt had no idea how since they had some serious competition, but it seemed to him Grace was the secret weapon. His lady was fierce and competitive and not above using devious means to beat her brothers. And beating them was exactly what she and team Pink were doing.

They’d just finished a pretty intensive scavenger hunt through the bush and once again, team Pink had the most items on the list. They’d also won the wheel barrow race, and Grace could skip a stone across the water like no tomorrow.

It was early afternoon and they’d been at it since breakfast with no end in sight. Up next, hot potato toss (whatever the hell that was).

Matt accepted a hot beverage from Betty Jo and leaned back in his seat. The two of them had insisted on a break. A roaring fire was going down near the water and the heat felt wonderful. Beau had just taken Fitz up for a nap and Grace was arguing with her brothers over the validity of one of their finds.