Page 30 of Hearts of Fairlake

"Interrupt me?"

"Or should I say, interrupt youandFelix?"

"Jesus," he muttered. "Did you call to antagonize me about my boyfriend?"

"I do recall you getting married about eight months ago."

"Seven," he corrected instantly, and I smiled at the happiness in his voice. "And now I'm getting a dirty look because I forgot to call him my husband. He is my husband, and I'm very happy about that."

There was a pause as I smirked. “Did that get you out of the dog house?"

"Pretty sure I'm going to suffer for that lapse at some point," he said with a snort. "But I'm okay with that."

"I bet you are," I said, feeling homesick, not just for Grant, but for Luke and Felix. Grant and Felix had a...complicated relationship growing up. The two of them had always seemed to gravitate around one another constantly, for good or bad. Felix had always had difficulty coping with their shared past, while Grant locked himself down and did everything he could to keep control. The two different reactions to their lives had driven them apart even as they still slammed into one another.

Now, though, the two had developed a far healthier attitude toward each other and themselves. Grant had to learn to let go of control, while Felix had to learn to take care of himself and stop letting everything around him fall apart. It could be said that Luke and I had helped, but ultimately, their choices and effortsmade the difference. So, it was nice that my brother-in-law also happened to be married to my best friend.

"Just called to tell you I'm leaving the studio as we speak," I told him as I pressed the ground floor button and watched the doors slide closed. "Which...well, you know what that means."

"Yeah, I've driven your lazy ass along that path enough times," he said with a chuckle.

"Oh, be honest, you miss it some days."

"Being at your beck and call? Making sure you're on time and setting up your schedule?"

"Ah, don't forget fielding calls from my mother."

"Okay, at first, I was going to say I missed it at times, but that last one? You can keep that one."

I chuckled. “Fair enough. Uh...how's he been?"

"You've been gone for almost a month this time. How do you think he is?"

"Well, without seeing him myself, it's hard to tell. You know how difficult he can be."

"Not as much as you should know," he said with a sigh. "And he's been...well, he's been Grant. Just...more Grant than usual."

"Were it anyone else, that would be inappropriately vague," I said with a roll of my eyes. "But since this is Grant we're talking about, I think I know what that means."

"Mhmm, but Felix says he's not actually going 'dark side' again. I'm not even sure what dark side Grant is supposed to look like."

I thought of how he was at the beginning of our relationship and grunted. “I've got a few ideas."

"He misses you, even I can tell that much."

"Well, here's hoping my flight doesn't get delayed," I said, feeling an ache in my chest. Even when someone like Luke, who knew Grant well as a person and, in the last couple of years, as a boss, could see Grant was upset, it was noticeable. I wanted nothing more than to curl up beside him on thecouch, breathing in the smell of dough and flour that clung to him like a perfume.

"And what do you think are the chances of that?"

"Ah, the skies haven't been bad lately. It shouldn't be a problem."

It was,in fact, a problem.

With a groan, I slumped in the passenger seat and stared out the window as wefinallypassed through the quiet streets of Fairlake. It was nearly four in the morning, and I was exhausted and feeling like absolute shit. Not only had Grant been forced to go through another night without me, but I'd had to drag Luke out of bed to drive down to Denver to grab me from the airport.

"Having a good time over there?" Luke asked as he turned onto the street that would eventually take us to Grant's house, tucked away at the far reaches of Fairlake's municipal boundary.

Ourhouse.

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