“I’m sorry Brody.” Huntley shifted from one foot to another, and looked away as if she could no longer stomach the sight of me. For the second time, I couldn’t blame her. “But you really fucked up. My only hope is that you and Demi will somehow find your back to each other and have what Grayson and I have. I want that for you two more than anything.” Huntley’s eyes conveyed everything I had feared and the realization that I had truly fucked up hit me square in the gut. With those parting words, Huntley stretched on her toes and placed a kiss on my cheek. At least she didn’t hate me, that much I was sure of, and as I watched her walk back on their house, I had the nagging feeling deep down in my bones that the damage I’d left behind a year ago was far greater than what I’d previously thought. It only left me with more questions, the most obvious being Can I make it right?

I closed the door behind me and let out a breath. The week leading up to mine and Grayson’s wedding had barely started and I already felt like I was dodging bullets. I hated being nasty to Brody but I was still angry with him. I didn’t care if I had no right to be after a year had passed. He destroyed my best friend and left us to put her back together. I shook my head, laughing at my own ridiculousness. I didn’t need to get involved with Demi and Brody’s drama a week before I married the love of my life. It was bad juju.

I walked upstairs and stopped to check on Hunter. My little man was sprawled across his bed, hair in every direction. He’d kicked the blankets off the same way Grayson did when he got hot. He was so much like his daddy it was scary. My life hadn’t turned out as I expected and even though we had Hunter really young, he was the best thing to ever happen to us. I couldn’t regret him, not even for a second.

I was leaning against the door when two strong arms slid around my waist. Grayson’s scent engulfed me, and I relaxed into his hard chest. “You ready for bed?” he asked quietly. I yawned, causing him to chuckle. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Sorry.” I yawned again. “I’m wiped.”

“I’ll run you a bath.” Grayson kissed my head, and I watched him walk down the hallway to our bedroom. He looked over his shoulder, a smirk on his face. He knew I was watching him. When he disappeared I quietly snuck into Hunter’s room and switched off his Scooby-Doo nightlight. I kissed his forehead and inhaled his sweet scent. I loved him so much my heart burst. When I walked into our bedroom, Grayson was standing at the basin in his cotton drawstring pajama bottoms with no shirt. I don’t know why he bothered though. He preferred sleeping naked. I padded over, slipping my boots off along the way and hugged him from behind. I kissed him between his shoulder blades and pressed our bodies together, loving the feel of his warm skin against my cheek. After spending the day with Demi, I was tired. Grayson twisted to face me and I held on tighter.

“Everything okay?” he asked. He tilted my chin up with his forefinger, and looked at me thoughtfully.

“I think so,” I replied. “It was a long day.”

He nodded thoughtfully and pushed away from the counter. He rubbed our noses together, giving me an Eskimo kiss. “Lift.”

I lifted my arms, smiling. He loved undressing me this way, and it always made me feel cherished. When my shirt was gone, my jeans followed, as did my bra and panties. Grayson’s eyes darkened, turning luminous Jade in color. I wanted him and he knew it because he wanted me too, but he could see I was tired and being the considerate man that he was, he scooped me up in his arms and lowered me into the hot, steamy water.

“Oh God that’s good,” I moaned, feeling the tension in my muscles disperse amongst the vanilla and honey bubbles around me.

Grayson cleared his throat and I looked up. “What?”

He shook his head, amused. “You know better than to make those noises, baby. They drive me crazy.”

“Sorry,” I replied, blushing. “It does feel really good.”

Grayson straightened and I unabashedly stared at his perfection. He’d become a little bigger since graduation, his muscles more defined. His work at the Sports Rehabilitation Centre at Whitley University kept him fit and I liked it. I liked it a lot.

“You can’t look at me like that.” Grayson’s voice was rough with a husky undertone that only appeared when he was aroused.

“Like what?” I asked innocently, knowing very well the kind of look I was giving him.

“Like you want me.”

My mouth tipped up as I continued to look at Grayson from beneath my lashes. “I always want you, Gray.” It was true. My physical need for him was never satisfied, no matter how many times or how many ways he took me.

He bent down again, making us eye level. He touched my face, and despite the hot water, I shivered. “You’re tired,” he said quietly, rubbing the circles under my eyes that were no longer hidden by make-up. “But I’m always up for a late night cuddle.”

I laughed lightly, falling in love with him all over again.

“Sounds perfect,” I sighed. As much as I wanted to get sweaty with my soon-to-be husband, I was tired. I’d been napping a lot lately.

Grayson kissed me and stood. “Enjoy your bath, baby. I’ll see you in bed.”

I nodded and watched him walk out before sinking into the hot water. The feeling blooming in my chest, in every molecule of my body, was one I’d become accustomed to and yet I still reveled in it every time it washed over me like it was the first time I was feeling it. Contentment. True untainted contentment.

Huntley sighed and curled deeper into my side. Her head was on my chest and my arm was wrapped around her waist. We were only a few days away from our wedding and it often felt like it had taken us forever to get here. After Hunter was born, Huntley took some time off school while I started working on getting the Sports Rehabilitation Center at Whitley. When the time was right, Huntley finished her degree and started counseling at the elementary school here in Breckinridge a few days a week. I was so proud of her. She was determined to achieve her goals and still be the best mother to our son. I smiled then, thinking about our two year old just down the hall. I couldn’t wait to fill this house with more kids. Little girls who looked just like Huntley.

“What’s got you smilin’ like that?”

I looked down and found Huntley’s green eyes peering up at me. My heart skipped a beat, the same way it always did when I looked at her.

“I’m happy,” I replied. “And I can’t wait to make you my wife.”

Huntley’s eyes glistened and in them I saw the world. She was my world. Our family was my world.

“Don’t cry,” I murmured, wiping her cheeks.

“Don’t mind me,” she whispered. “It’s been happening a lot. I seem to leak when I’m happy these days.”

I chuckled. “You’re happy?”

“Deliriously.”

“Well I must be doing something right then.”

Huntley smiled and I kissed her lips. “I wanted to ask you something,” I said. I’d been thinking about this for a while, but the timing just hadn’t felt right with all the wedding planning and such.

“Of course, baby. Anything.”

I swallowed, feeling nervous. God, this woman tied me in knots. “I think we should try for another baby.”