Page 61 of Cowboy of Convenience
"That's what your grandfather suffered from."
Gram-Gram’s knowledge bomb hit her right as Grady appeared at the end of the hall. He was immediately at her side, palm on her back, eyes fixed on her face. "Ev?"
She blinked, trying to clear away as much of her own emotion as possible before facing Grady. But it was a losing battle. There was too much there to be contained.
"Hey." She grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him down until his lips met hers, warm and firm as they righted everything that was upside down in a kiss that she would never be able to forget.
It was nothing like the kisses they'd shared before. There was no heat. No passion. None of the intense sexual chemistry they'd both been skirting. This kiss was tender. Touched by a level of intimacy that didn't come from lust. It came from something else. Something deeper.
It came from understanding. It came from connection. It came from a place of raw realness.
Maybe even a place of love.
Evelyn pulled away, managing a shaky breath and an even shakier smile. "Let's go see your mom."
CHAPTER TWENTY
GRADY
THE BRAKE LIGHTS of Evelyn’s SUV lit up as she parked in front of her house’s tiny garage. Grady pulled in right behind her, lining his truck beside Gram-Gram's rented sedan before hustling up the gravel driveway to grab Evelyn's door.
Her eyes widened in surprise before she offered him the sweetest smile and a soft, "Thank you."
"If I don't have to thank you for spending an entire day at the hospital with me, then you sure as hell don't have to thank me for opening a car door for you, Sweetheart." He rested one palm on the small of her back as she got out, keeping Evelyn close as they made their way to the front porch. "You think Gram-Gram has had dinner yet?"
"I would hope so. It's almost nine o'clock." Evelyn’s steps were slow as she climbed the steps and crossed the porch. "I'm sure Bernard took her to get something after he picked her up from the hospital earlier."
"After seeing him give her that spray tan, I think she should be the one taking Bernard out to dinner." Grady waited, holding the storm door as Evelyn unlocked the deadbolt. "She owes him."
Evelyn laughed softly. "Is that your way of letting me know you won't be giving me any spray tans?"
Grady leaned into her ear, nuzzling against her hair, the soft scent already relaxing a little of the stress he’d collected at the hospital. "I’ll give you as many spray tans as you want, Ev, but our situation is a hell of a lot different from Gram-Gram and Bernard’s. You don't pay me—"
Evelyn pushed the door open to reveal a scene that made discovering Gram-Gram wearing a paper bikini in the spray tan tent seem appealing.
Evelyn gasped as she tried to take a step back. Her foot caught on the threshold and sent her toppling back against Grady's chest as he took a step back of his own. He still somehow managed to catch her in spite of his current state of shock.
He’d give anything to see Gram-Gram wearing that paper bikini now, because witnessing her naked and bent over the back of Evelyn's living room chair was going to be burned into his memory until the day he died.
Along with Bernard’s rutting form.
Evelyn grabbed the door, slamming it shut like it would undo what they’d just witnessed. Her eyes were wide as they jumped to his, holding a second before she spun away and raced down the steps.
Grady chased behind her. "Ev, slow down."
She shook her head almost violently. "Nope. Not gonna slow down." She grabbed the handle of his truck door, yanking it open and launching herself into the passenger’s seat. "I need a little distance from whatever that was."
He understood. The last thing he wanted to do was attempt to interact with Gram-Gram as if he didn't just see her having the hell fucked out of her by her butler. Grady dug his keys from his pocket, climbed in, and started the engine. "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere I can bleach my eyeballs." Evelyn raked one hand through her messy hair. "I think I'll probably need to do it a few times."
"I wish I could say it would help, but I'm pretty sure we’re going to be left with that visual for a long time." He backed out of the driveway and headed down the street. "We could go to my place. Spend the night there."
"I think I might want to spend the rest of my life there. I don't know if I can ever look her in the eye again." Evelyn pressed both hands to her face, the tips of her fingers digging into her eye sockets. "I think I'm gonna have to throw that chair away."
"How about we just ship it to Gram-Gram when she goes back to New York since she seems to like it so much?" Grady reached across the console, pulling Evelyn’s hands from her face. "Hopefully they were using protection, otherwise you'll have a new auntie to take care of."
Evelyn sputtered, the sound quickly changing to a laugh. "What in the hell evenwasthat?” She pressed one palm to her forehead. “Bernard?"
