Not Alone (10 page)

Nearly a half an hour and one yummy pumpkin spice latte  later Tessa strolled in. Being it was only eight in the morning, on a Sunday, she looked like hell. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her usual styled hair had been thrown up in a messy bun atop her head.

“Honey, you look like you were rode hard and put up wet.” Toby didn’t sugarcoat anything.

“Yeah, well, I closed the bar since Grady was off, and then Brock and I partook in an all-night sexathon. And when I finally closed my eyes to go to sleep it was only to be woken up by Em’s text at the ass crack of dawn.”

“Well, excuse me for having a crisis. Not all of us have such an over active sex life.” I was getting really frustrated. “No one said you had to come, in fact I’d rather not talk about last night at all.” Now I was yelling, which was quite unusual for me, but seemed to be happening more and more as of late.

“Oh Emmy, I’m sorry. I’m just cranky. Brock and I are trying for a baby, and all this sex is taking its toll.”

“Shit, if I actually had an active sex life I certainly wouldn’t be complaining,” Toby added.

“A baby?! That’s so exciting! You’ll have to let me know the minute you find out!” I was done being pissy and moved straight into being overjoyed.

“Of course I will. Now tell us about your date. Was it good? Bad?”

“It was actually good.” I made my way over to one of the deep red couches, sitting down while tucking my right leg underneath me. “Well, it was both good and bad. We had a nice dinner at Magdalena’s but this was after he came to pick me up, and pressed me up against the wall and kissed me stupid. He said he couldn’t do it the night before since I was drunk.” I was getting giddy remembering that kiss.

“See, I told you so,” Toby said.

“Shh…” Tessa cut in with her finger pressed against her lips. “Was he a good kisser?”

“The best. I swear I forgot what country I lived in. Anyways…,” Then I proceeded to give them the details of the rest of our date: our intense conversation, him telling me I’m beautiful, our gun lessons at Gus’, and even how he invited me to lunch today. Then I skipped to the close of the date.

“So, we are practically mauling each other when his phone rings.” They each sense this was going to be good, so they leaned forward, putting their elbows on their knees, and their chins in their hands. “He looked at his phone and for a split second his face looks panicked, then it goes blank. He couldn’t hightail it outta there fast enough. You don’t think he’s married or something, do you?”

“Surely Mac, or Grady himself, would’ve said something if he was. I’ve not heard anything about it at the bar. Perhaps Mac needed help or something,” Tessa explained.

“I think you should text him and find out,” Toby added.

“You think?”

“Absolutely,” they both replied.

I walked over to my purse and actually find my phone fairly quickly since I set it on top after texting Tess and Toby this morning.

After unlocking the screen, I noticed I already had a text message. I open it and proceed to read.

Grady: Good morning, beautiful! I just wanted to let you know that I had a great time last night.

Squealing with glee, I told my friends what the text said.

“Okay now ask him.” I think Toby was getting agitated for me. And I completely understood; he had been there throughout everything with me, and he wanted me to be happy. And he would pulverize anyone who tried to play games with me. His words, not mine. Personally, I thought he had been watching far too many superhero shows with Tuck lately.

“Okay, okay,” I said as I typed out my message and hit send.

Me: Good morning! I hope everything is okay! You left pretty quickly after you received that call.

Grady: Oh yeah, it was nothing. I can’t wait to see you, at 11:00??

Me: That sounds great, see you then.

His next text included his address, and living here my entire life, I knew exactly where it was.

I relayed his messages back to the gang and Tessa said, “I think we should give him the benefit of the doubt. I’m sure it was nothing, just see how today goes.” She was really rooting for Grady, and deep inside, I was too.

“Yeah, I agree, see how today goes. But remember, if he plays games with you I’ll-“

“You’ll pulverize him, I know I know,” I interrupted Toby, rolling my eyes.

“Now, if y’all will excuse me, I have work to finish if I want to make my lunch date.”

Chapter Seventeen

Grady

“Listen, stop calling me!” I roared into the receiver of my phone. “We are through, remember?? You dumped me through a fucking letter when I got hurt, which in the end was best so I should actually thank you for that! But you cheated on me I don’t know how many fucking times, and NOW you’re trying to crawl back to me? I’m in a good place and you are just fucking it up with your trips here and constant phone calls.” Finally I’d had enough and disconnected the call.

Becca, the stupid bitch who found herself someone who wasn’t
broken,
wouldn’t stay the fuck out of my life. Said she wanted me back, and I wanted nothing more to do with her. Hopefully she would get the hint. When her phone call interrupted my date with Emmalynne, that was when it was time to so something. It was bad enough she showed up Friday night during
The Nation’s Capital’s
set. Luckily, she didn’t end up staying long once I threatened to have her removed from the bar. Why in the world would she wait six months and then come all the way from New York to Georgia, just to let me know she wanted me back?

Once I looked at the screen and noticed her name, I had to get out of there before I flipped the fuck out. And now, sweet Emmalynne thought that something was wrong. Hopefully it wouldn’t be a problem for long because nothing would come in between me and Emmalynne.

I wasn’t kidding when I said it was a great date. It truly was, and if that call hadn’t come through, Emmalynne and I might have been in more compromising positions. I was trying to take things slow but fuck, I get hard just thinking about her.

Getting back to my chili, it was almost time for Emmalynne to come over for our lunch date. I looked around my duplex and noted that I should’ve cleaned up more of the boxes instead of just shoving them into the corner of the room. I’d only been here for a few weeks and it was truly nothing to write home about, but it was home…for now.

I had an old couch from Uncle Mac and a TV stand with my flat screen and a picture of me and my mom on it. That was the extent of decoration and furniture in my living room.

Hearing a light knock on the door, I gave the chili one last stir before placing the lid back on the pot. I made my way to the door and opened it to a smiling, bright eyed Emmalynne. Taking in her appearance, she was wearing simple faded jeans and a t-shirt and she looked great. I loved her interpretation of
dressed up,
but I liked this Emmalynne even more. She was comfortable which just did it for me.

“Come on in sweetheart.” I leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “I’m finishing up lunch in the kitchen if you’d like to come on through.” I made my way back to the kitchen but not before noticing she wasn’t following me.

The look on her face was a mix between sadness and confusion.

“Is everything ok?” I asked, moving back towards her.

“I’ve…I’ve never had a man cook for me before.” She almost looked like she was about ready to cry.

“Well, when you are in the Army and live in the barracks, you get used to making microwave dinners or you learn to cook. I personally fucking hate microwave dinners, so my only option was to learn how to cook,” I gave by way of an explanation.

Evidently that was sufficient and she moved the rest of the way into the kitchen.

“Go ahead and have a seat.” I directed her towards my kitchen table and chairs, which were another hand me down, but they served their purpose. “I hope chili is ok. It was my grandmother’s recipe. I tweaked it a little, but it is simply the best.”

She let out a little cough and cleared her throat. “We shall see if it is the best. I personally make the best chili in all of Brown County. I have several years of trophies to prove it from the Harvest Festival Chili cook off,” she said with an air of pride.

“I guess we will see about that. Are you entering this year?”

“I enter. Every. Year.” She seemed self-confident in her baking and cooking, but just not in herself as a person. I didn’t get it.

“Alright, then I’ll enter as well and we will see who’s is the best- we can even make a little wager on it.”

Her eyes grow big and round. “You want to make a bet on who makes the best chili? What’s the bet?”

“Hmm... I’ll have to think about it.”

“You are so full of it,” she said as she tried to playfully slap my arm, but I caught her off guard when I grabbed her wrist and pulled her into me. I took her lips in a brief, soft kiss. When I pulled back her eyes were still closed. She slowly opened them and said, “Whatever the bet, you’re on.” She giggled as she went to pull out a chair. Well if that’s all it took to get her to agree with me.

I dished up two hearty bowls of chili and added a peanut butter sandwich to the side of each. She took the first bite and smiled. “This is really good, Grady, really good… But, mine’s better.”

“Yeah right, hush up and eat woman. We will see who reigns supreme at the Harvest Festival,” I said in a playful tone.

“Um, Grady can I say something?” All traces of playfulness completely gone.

“Of course sweetheart, you can say anything to me.”

“I don’t know what exactly is going on between us, but for now I’d really like it to stay between us. Meaning we don’t bring Tucker into yet.” I started to interrupt her, and she goes on in a panic. “It’s not that I don’t want this to come to anything, because I actually think I do, but I have to protect my son. I can’t have a man come into my life and decide one day that he can’t deal with me having a son and bolt, especially if Tucker becomes attached to you. So, for now, if you are ever around Tucker, it’s as a friend. Is that alright?”

I scooted my chair a little closer to hers and took her hand. “Of course that’s alright, Emmy Lou. That right there just proves my point about you being an amazing mother. You are putting your son first. Hell, you put everyone first. I’m here to put you first. I know this is new and scary, but I mean it when I say that I want to take care of you, and when the time comes, Tucker as well.”

She had tears in her eyes. “Sweetheart, don’t cry. We will take this one step at a time. I know your heart is fragile, but I’m going to mend it, you’ll see.”

“What..what did you call me?” she asked while wiping her eyes with her hands.

“Sweetheart?”

“No, before that.”

Trying to think back, I only had only ever called her Emmalynne or sweetheart, but then I remembered. “Emmy Lou?”

“Yeah, and you called me that last night too. I just didn’t realize it until now. My mother always called me Emmy Lou. No one has called me that since I was eight years old and she passed away.”

“I’m sorry Emmalynne. I won’t call you that anymore, especially if it upsets you.” I felt like a tool, even though I didn’t know.

“No, please, I actually like it when you call me that.” She sniffled and went on, “I don’t have many memories of her but the ones I do have are all great. I remember her being absolutely beautiful. I mean she was a total knockout. And the best mom ever, she would always play tea party with me even when…even when she was sick.” She grabbed a hold of her necklace. “This was my mother’s necklace. I always remembered her wearing it, then, on my sixteenth birthday, my father gave it to me. In all that time, I’ve never taken it off.”

We each finished our chili and made our way towards the sink. Emmalynne reached out for my plate. “What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m going to wash the dishes. You cooked, so I’ll clean.”

“No, no you are a guest. I’ll clean them later. Come on let’s go pick out a movie to watch.” I grabbed her hand and led her to the couch. “Okay, we’ve got
Fast and the Furious
,
The
Expendables
, or
The Town.
Which one would you like to watch?”

“Uh….that’s it? Those are the choices?” she said while waving her hands between the three Blu-Ray’s I held in my hand. “You don’t have anything like, oh say,
You’ve Got Mail
? You just have those-action packed, macho movies?”

“
You’ve Got Mail
? Are you fucking kidding me right now? I’m a dude, I don’t have corny chick flicks. I have, as you would say, action packed, macho movies.”

“I like corny!!! I prefer corny! But HELLO I own a bookstore, and in the movie Meg Ryan owns a bookstore!” She was getting riled up, and it was sexy as hell. “The romance in the movie is just an added bonus for me. They absolutely couldn’t stand each other, then fall in love. Oh. I love that movie.”

“Sweetheart, I gotta say, you are sexy as hell when you get all riled up and pissed. But these are your choices.” I snapped my fingers. “I have an idea. Our bet can be for next movie night. If you win you can choose any kind of corny, girlie movie. But if I win, I get no holds barred macho. Deal?”

“Oh, alright. You win! And I guess we can watch The Expendables. That bald guy in it is mega hot.”

I threw my head back and laughed. “Alright, Emmy Lou, you got it.” I put the disc into the Blu-Ray player, switched it on and made my way over to the couch. I sit down and pull Emmalynne close to me, making our thighs touch. I felt her shiver as I did, and it made me want her even more. I pressed play with the remote and felt her relax and make herself comfortable, cuddling into my side. I put my arm around her and thought to myself,
this is nice…

Chapter Eighteen

Emmalynne

I had started to doze off when I felt my body move, realizing that Grady had pulled me on top of him to where I was straddling his lap. He looked into my eyes and said, “I’ve gotta kiss you now, sweetheart.”