Until Now (Not Yet #2) (6 page)

Finn asked me a ton of questions about the game, and I knew the answers to about ten percent of them. I’d need to study up on football. Finn didn’t have a daddy to teach him sports. He didn’t have anyone but me.

That thought used to scare me. Now it was what kept me going.

Chapter Seven

Dean

WHAT WAS WRONG with me? Sunday morning after our games, I usually woke up in bed with a girl—or two. Those were good times. This Sunday morning I was using Google Maps to search for a park near Grace and Finn’s apartment. I’d shown up at their door with a bag of donuts, but they weren’t home. A hot chick walking by told me they were at the park, but she didn’t know which one. I also noticed the hot chick was wearing a wedding band. Who the fuck got married in college?

Laughter filled the air, and I walked faster. Sure enough, around the corner was a large playground surrounded by green grass and picnic benches. Grace was sitting on a picnic bench with her long red hair tied up in a bun. Finn was the dude who was laughing. He was sliding down the slide and then racing up the steps to do it again. The idea of hanging out with Finn felt natural to me. Maybe it was my big family? Being the oldest, I was used to being around younger kids. They were funny as shit, and hanging with my siblings always gave me a break from the stupid, petty crap that seemed to infest my life. I had a feeling being around Finn would be the same.

“Hey.” I waved as I approached her table.

Grace jumped up, and her mouth dropped open when she saw me. Her eyes hardened, and a crease formed on her forehead. “What the…?”

I slowed my pace. In actuality, this was the third time I had stalked this girl.
Balls.
I really was a creeper. I could only hope she wasn’t carrying mace or a stun gun.

“Dean!” Finn raced toward me, hurling his body against my legs. “You’re here! I’m so glad. Could you hear me at the game? I was calling for you! Mama and I cheered so loud when you threw that ball real good. You heard us, right?” His words came out so fast I had a hard time keeping up. He dragged in a breath, and I took the break to kneel on the ground.

“I couldn’t hear you, Just Finn. But I knew you were there, and I was hoping you were cheering for me. Did you have fun?”

His face erupted into a blinding smile. “I had the best day ever. I ate a hotdog, popcorn, a pretzel, and cotton candy. I liked the marching band and those pretty cheer girls.” His eyes got big when he mentioned the cheerleaders, and I threw my head back and laughed.

“You like the cheerleaders, Just Finn?” He nodded, and I looked up at Grace. She twisted her mouth, but I could tell she was smiling. “None of them are as pretty as your mom though.” She pressed her lips together and looked away.

Finn reached over and grabbed his mom’s pinky finger. “That’s true. My mommy is the most beautiful in the world.” At his words, Grace relaxed. She leaned down and kissed his lips, making a loud popping sound. They both giggled, and my chest tightened.

I stood up and handed the bag to Grace. “I brought donuts,” I said, grinning when Finn whooped and then sat down at the picnic table like a perfect gentleman.

Grace’s eyebrows rose high on her face. “Why?” She asked as she sat the bag down on the table.

“Why what?” I pulled out a stack of napkins and handed a few to Finn. He reached into the bag and placed three large donuts on his napkin. I liked this little dude more and more.

“Chocolate are my favorite! Yes!” Finn cheered.

“Why did you bring donuts? Why are you here? And how did you know where we were?” Grace took one donut off his pile and placed it back in the bag, shaking her head at Finn when he opened his mouth in protest.

I handed her a donut from the bag and then grabbed two chocolates for myself. I took a big bite, chewing, and swallowing before I answered her. “I was hungry. Felt like a donut. Thought you guys might too. And I asked your neighbor.” I ate the rest of the donut in another two bites and moved on to the next.

Grace looked at the donut in front of her as if it could answer all these questions she had. “I never told anyone what park we were going to.”

I grinned and held up my phone. “Google Maps rocks. Now eat that. It’s called a cronut. It’s what happens when a donut and a croissant breed.” She laughed, and something inside me warmed. “I should have asked you what kind you like. Tell me what your favorite is so I know for next time.”

Grace stilled, and she studied her hands.

“Well?” I reached into the bag and pulled out another cronut. “Cheers!” I knocked my pastry against Finn’s, and he giggled. Grace looked between us and sighed, her shoulders sagging as she made her decision.

“I’ve always liked glazed.” She took a small bite and let out a low moan. “But this might be my new favorite.” She swallowed and then looked at me for a few seconds before speaking again. I could almost see her weighing her choices and trying to decide how to handle me. I wanted to laugh, but I was pretty sure I’d be ejected from the park if I did. “Thank you… Dean.”

I winked. “This great company’s thanks enough, Red. Now after this fuel, I want to check out the swings. Sound good, Just Finn?”

Finn squealed and high-fived me, his hands sticky with sugar and chocolate frosting. “Yes!”

Grace handed Finn his water bottle and a wipe. “Water?” She held up a bottle, and I nodded.

I took a long drink. Finn stood in front of me buzzing with energy from his sugar high. That was probably why Grace didn’t let him eat that third donut. “I’ll meet you on the swings, little dude. Give me five minutes.” Finn nodded and raced back to the playground.

I turned to Grace. “I hope you aren’t mad that I came here. I can’t stop thinking about you.” I couldn’t. That was why I passed on a hookup last night and why I was at a playground park on a Sunday. This beautiful girl had some kind of hold on me.

“I don’t want your pity, Dean. Finn and I are fine.” She crumpled a napkin in a ball. Her body was stiff again, and her mouth flat.

Damn.
That wasn’t my intention. “No pity. None. But I do admire you. I think you’re different from anyone else I’ve met here at college. I’d like to get to know you better…” Her face flushed pink, and she chewed on her lip. Aw hell, she was freaking out on me. “As a friend. I’d like to have friends like you and Finn.” I took another drink of water. I felt desperate for her to agree. “If that’s okay with you.”

She studied my face before answering. “Okay. Friends.” She didn’t smile, but she also didn’t seem angry or like she might hit me. That was a step in the right direction.

Yes!
I wanted to pump my fist in the air, but I stayed calm. I could tell Grace rattled easily. “Okay.” I reached over and squeezed her hand, still balled into a tight fist. Then I headed for the swings. I hadn’t played on a playground in well over ten years. Hanging here with Finn, though, made for a pretty damn good Sunday morning.

***

“YOU’RE LATE.” JON took a bite out of his hamburger, and I slid into the seat across from him. He chose the same booth, toward the back of the diner. I wasn’t sure if Grace was working today, but the thought that I could bump into her again made my heart pound faster in my chest.

I grabbed a fry off his plate, ignoring his glare as I shoved it in my mouth. “Sorry. Workout went long today.”

Jon wiped his mouth with a napkin. “Where’d you go yesterday? A couple of the guys and I did a bar crawl downtown. I texted you… never heard back.”

Shit.
I wasn’t ready to tell Jon or anybody else about Grace and Finn. There was no way he’d understand, and if he gave me a hard time about her, I was pretty sure I’d punch him right in the face. “Out. Had stuff to do.” I studied the menu and avoided my best friend. Growing up, I was close to four guys. Jon, Landon, Ricky, and I had been tight ever since we met in elementary school and ended up all playing ball together in high school. After we graduated, Landon went to school out West, and Ricky stayed home in Indianapolis, attending community college. Now we only saw each other during the summers and holidays.

Except for Jon and me. We were teammates and roommates. He knew everything about me. But I wasn’t sure he needed to know this information.

“What stuff? Or were you
doing
Leslie? Mary? Chantal? The entire cheerleading squad?” Jon threw his balled up napkin at me and laughed.

“Hi… Dean.”

Grace’s voice was soft and hesitant. Hearing it made me hard. Girls made me hard all the time but not from just speaking. I looked up at her, her bright red hair in a braid, face pale, save for the pink flush on her cheeks. I checked her out from head to toe. She wore the diner’s old-school uniform. A blue and white dress with a white apron. On anyone else it would be dorky. On her? She looked fucking cute.

“Hi, Grace.” I smiled, and her blush deepened. Her face changed color in time with her emotions. The times I’d watched her expressions and the color of her face change directly correlated with our conversations. Based on our interactions, I could tell the shade she would turn if she was shy, worried, or mad. I liked that it was kind of a window inside of her. I wanted to see more. What shade would she turn if I touched her? Kissed her?

Right now her blush seemed nervous, and I needed to figure out how to change that. I wanted Grace to feel comfortable around me. “How are you?” I asked her.

Jon looked back and forth between Grace and me, his eyes wide. Grace didn’t smile back. Instead, she seemed stiff and kind of awkward. Again, it was fucking cute.

“I’m fine.” She pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. “Know what you want?”

Damn that girl was cold. I thought after the park that we could at least talk to one another. “Are you working all day?”

Her eyebrows pulled together, and she stared at me in silence. “Working this afternoon, and then I have a class.” She looked around the restaurant and chewed on her lip. “I have to get to another table. What can I get you to eat?”

I didn’t look back down at my menu. “Surprise me.” I handed it to her and rested my arm along the back of the booth.

Grace dipped her head and studied me again. I’d pay all the money in the world to get inside her mind for a few minutes.

“All right. I’ll bring you the special.” She turned to leave but stopped and took a deep breath before facing me. “I don’t mean to be rude. Thank you again for the donuts. And for coming to the park. You made his day.” She gave me a small lopsided grin that was so goofy it was adorable.

I was one hundred percent certain that a happy Grace was the most beautiful sight in the world. And I was learning that whenever Finn was happy, so was Grace.

“I had fun too.” I reached up and squeezed her hand, but she yanked it away.

“Excuse me? Miss?” A customer waved to Grace.

She straightened, smoothing the skirt of her apron and nodded at the customer. “I’ll put your order in.”

I turned back to Jon, who sat, mouth open, hamburger in hand, staring at me. “What?” I snapped.

He closed his mouth and dropped his sandwich on his plate. “The fuck?”

My jaw clenched, and I narrowed my eyes at him. “Words, fuck stick. Speak.”

“You’ve been hanging out with that waitress? You brought her donuts? And whose day did you make? Does she have a boyfriend?” Jon pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m so confused.”

“None of your business,” I spoke through gritted teeth, and Jon reared his head back.

“I’ll repeat—what the fuck? Are you fucking her?”

My brain hadn’t fully processed his words before I was leaning over the table, grabbing a handful of his shirt and pulling his face close to mine. “Watch it. Watch your damn mouth.”

Jon ripped my hand off his shirt and shoved me back. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

I looked around the diner, hoping like crazy that Grace hadn’t seen all that. She’d hate that kind of attention. “She’s my… friend.” Jon’s eyes looked like they were about to bug out of his head. I couldn’t help but chuckle at his expression. “You’re such an ass. I can have friends, you know. It is possible to be friends with a girl.” My words weren’t honest though. While Grace and I were starting a friendship, I wanted more. I knew I shouldn’t, but I did.

Then again, I didn’t think friends were supposed to make you hard as steel when they looked at and talked to you.

Jon took another bite of his burger and chewed slowly. “Okay.” He swallowed before speaking. “You have a friend. Her name is Grace. You’re
just friends
. What about that other part with the donuts and somebody else?”

I looked around again before answering. “She has a son.”

“No shit,” Jon yelled.

“Shut up,” I whispered. “Yeah, she’s a college student and a single mom. I met her kid, and he’s a cool little dude.” Jon continued to stare at me, so I went on. “I got them tickets in the family section to last Saturday’s game. Then on Sunday I wanted to see if they had fun, so I brought them donuts. At the park. And we played together. You know, on the swings and shit.”

Jon rubbed his hands over his face. “Did you just listen to your own words, Dean? Seriously?”

I sat staring at one of my best friends in the world, and I couldn’t answer him. The fact that Jon would be shocked by the way I chose to spend my Sunday was not a surprise. I shocked the shit out of myself on that one. What bothered me was that his reaction was honest. I had never had girls that were friends. I’d never been unselfish enough to want that, and my best friend knew that about me. That sucked.

What seemed like a lifetime later, a plate of barbecue chicken, mashed potatoes, and green beans was placed in front of me. My stomach growled in anticipation. Grace placed a large glass next to it indicating it was sweet tea.

I looked up and couldn’t help but smile. Her blush was back, this time creeping down her neck toward her chest.
How far down would that pink travel?
My gaze lingered on her breasts before I realized it and had to shake the thought out of my head. “Damn, Red. This is perfect. Thank you.”