Defining Us (Rocky Waters)

Chapter 19

19

AINSLEY

I ’ve learned that when Grayson makes his mind up or makes a decision, he commits to it. One hundred percent. Like when he told me I was moving into his house. Luckily I didn't have too much stuff to pack and move and by the end of the week, I was completely moved into his house. Our house, I suppose. We christened every room before the week was over. It's too bad jobs get in the way of sex.

Three weeks or so before Bella and Kylie's wedding, the girls and I go out to celebrate. Both girls insisted on not having a bachelorette party and opted for a night out at the bowling alley. It was apparently where they had their first date and wanted to commemorate it one last time before they get married.

I'm sitting in the kitchen, waiting for Natalie to pick me up. “Hey you,” Grayson says, startling me as he walks up behind me. “Are you positive you have to go tonight?” He pouts his lips and gives me puppy dog eyes. Before I can even shoot him down, he tries another tactic. He throws his hand over his forehead and feigns illness. “I think I'm sick.” He coughs, really playing it up. “I need you to take care of me.” He grabs my hand and places it on his forehead. “Feel me.” He coughs again and then groans .

I hear a beep from outside. I push off my stool, straighten out my skirt, and place a kiss on his cheek. “Gotta go, babe. Feel better. Love you!”

If only it were that simple. He manages to grab hold of my skirt and pulls me back to him. He pulls me into his chest and wraps his arms around me. “I'm going to miss you.” And for dramatic effect, his lips turn into a frown. And he sniffles.

I push away from him. “Grayson! I’m going to be late. I will be home in a few hours. You'll be fine.” I crash my lips to his, because that's what he really wants. I linger there way less than he likes, but Natalie beeps again. Reluctantly, he lets me go. I peck his cheek one more time. He slaps my ass before he lets me walk away. I turn and throw a glare in his direction and follow it up with a smirk before grabbing my bag and heading to the front door.

“Behave, Ainsley,” I hear him call out.

“I always do,” I call back to him. “Don't wait up!” And then I'm out the door.

Natalie waves to me before I can get to the car. When I climb in, she reaches over and pulls me in for a hug. “Hey girl, how's it going? He give you a hard time about leaving?”

“Yes! But he's so cute when he's being all pouty so I will give him a pass.” I buckle up. “So excited for bowling. I feel like it's been forever since I've bowled.”

“Yeah, me too. It's going to be super fun. And I'm so getting wasted. I already told Caleb he's coming to pick us up.”She grins, as she starts to back down the driveway.

“Grayson warned me not to let the girls both get wasted tonight. Not sure that's really going to happen.”

She laughs. “I love how he's so overprotective of them.”

“They are all he has.”

She glances my way. “Add yourself to that list, my dear.”

“Yeah, I know. Sometimes it's still hard to believe it because it all happened so fast, ya know?” One hundred twenty-five days. That's how long I’ve known Grayson. Some days it feels like I've known him forever and other days, I'm grateful we still have so much to learn about each other. Like yesterday I learned he sucks at strip Scrabble. Or he was putting on an act to suck at strip Scrabble. Yeah, it’s probably the latter.

“Never been my experience but totally see how it works for you guys.” She smiles, keeping her eyes on the road. “How long until he asks you to marry him?”

“What?” I spit out. “No way. We haven't even talked about that, like ever. No. Not anytime soon.”

“Honey, you've practically been living with the guy since your first date. You think he's going to wait much longer? Not going to happen.” She sighs. “I'm going to ask the girls what they think. I bet they agree with me.”

“No! This is their night. Do not bring my relationship with Grayson into it.” I hope she can hear the pleading in my voice.

She smirks, her eyes twinkling. “We'll see.”

Ah, fuck.

When we get to the alley, Bella and Kylie have already claimed the last two lanes. There are pitchers of soda, water, and one half-filled with beer. They each have a cup in their hands, downing their drinks. And they aren't filled with soda or water.

Great , I think, pulling out my phone to text Grayson.

Don't shoot the messenger, but both of them have already started drinking. Will do my best to keep it at a minimum.

His answer is immediate.

Thanks. Text me before you get too wasted and I’ll come pick everyone up. They can crash here.

Love that you know I will be drinking. I'll text you. Love you.

Love you, my girl. BTW, are you as good at bowling as you are at pool?

Wouldn't you love to know. MUAH!

SMH.

I slip my phone in my back pocket and pour myself a cup of water. I'll save the drinking for later. Natalie comes up and pours herself a beer. “Cheers!” she calls, clinking my cup to hers. We drink.

The girls come over and hugs are exchanged. Kylie takes a seat in the chair. “Thanks for coming, ladies. Everyone else backed out so it's just the four of us. Hope that's okay.”

I feel like a mother hen. I want to ask her if she's eaten anything before she started drinking. Before I can ask, a tray filled with bowling alley, fried-fat appetizers, is delivered to our table. Perfect timing, I think. My inner Grayson agrees.

Bella hands us each a mozzarella stick and motions for us to “clink” them together. And so we do. “Cheers,” we whisper-yell, and shove them in our mouths. Kylie is the first to swallow and break out in a fit of laughter.

“This is why I love you, Bella. I can't fucking wait to make you my wife.” She reaches over and grabs her hand, squeezing it.

Bella swallows up her food, and tosses out, “I can't wait to rip your dress off and fuck you senseless on our wedding night.”

Natalie and I break into hysterics. “Can I just tell you how much I adore all of you girls? And by being with Grayson, I have instant girlfriends, girlfriends whom I actually love spending time with.”

I hear someone clear a throat behind me. And then a voice calling my name. And I freeze.

Ah, fuck.

I plaster a fake smile on my face before turning on my heels. “Tara!” I exclaim with feigned enthusiasm. “So good to see you.” I don't even attempt to move.

“Yes. It's been quite a while. I guess you've been....busy.” She looks around at the other girls. “Wait, I remember you from the bar that night.” She points to Bella. “And you too.” This time, she points to Kylie. “That's the night you stuck your tongue down that guy's throat.” She pauses and rolls her eyes. I hear a few gasps behind me.

“Yeah, it was.” I merely confirm what she says; my tone stays steady.

“How did that work out for you?” she asks with an undertone of sarcasm in her voice.

Before I can answer, Natalie comes up behind me and throws her arm around my waist. “Not well,” she exclaims, leaning in closer to me. “For him.” And then she takes my face in her hands and plants a kiss on my lips!

It catches me off guard, my eyes going big, but then I play along. I lean into her, and whisper in her ear, “I think I may love you. Not like I love Grayson, but close. And if our boys could see us now!” I can't help but giggle; Natalie soon joins in. “Is she still standing there watching?” I stammer through my teeth.

“Nope, she just stomped away.” Natalie doesn't let me go right away; she's still hugging me close.

“That was priceless,” Bella exclaims. “Simply priceless. I wish I had captured the look on that bitch's face when Nat kissed you. And I wish I had gotten that kiss on camera. My brother would about die.”

I pry myself out of Natalie's grasp. “You will not tell him. He will never let this go. Please,” I plead.

“She's right, Bell. He would make them reenact it every time they are together. But that was badass, Nat.” Kylie holds up her hand for a high five, which Nat obliges.

“I love you too,” Natalie turns to me and says. “And if I were into girls, since Bella's already taken, you would be my first choice.”

“Hey,” Kylie whines. “What about me?”

“So not my type.” Natalie hoots with laughter.

Kylie pouts. When she looks up, she says “oh shit,” and we all turn to see Tara walking back in our direction, Kelcie on her heels .

“Ainsley!” Kelcie feigns shock. “What are you doing here?”

Knowing Tara has filled her in on my antics, I grab Natalie's hand and explain, “Out celebrating our friends' upcoming nuptials. And you?”

“Just came to bowl with Tara and the guys. We must catch up soon. Dinner next week?”

Knowing full well I’ll cancel, I say, “Of course. Text me.”

“Perfect. Well, have fun and see you around.” That comes from Tara, who is clearly jealous of the fact she thinks I have a girlfriend now. She's always such the bitch. It’s even clearer to me now that I have friends like Bella, Kylie, and Natalie. Not sure why I even hung on to the idea of “friendship” with Kelcie, especially since she’s so tight with Tara, whom I never could stand.

“Bye.” I give them my best wave and don't wait for them to walk away before I turn back around. It’s not a goodbye for now; it’s more of a final goodbye to the toxicity of having a “friend” like Tara, which I certainly don’t need in my life.

I pour what's left of the beer into a cup and chug it. “We are going to need more of this,” I call out to no one in particular, but it garners a laugh from my friends.

“Come on kids. Let's bowl.” Kylie motions to the bowling balls and pins.

I dig my phone out of my pocket and shoot a text to Grayson.

Let the drinking commence! I love you. And Natalie too. Think Caleb will share?

I know his response would be immediate.

I DON'T SHARE

But it could be fun

Never going to happen. Now get back to bowling

Yeah, okay

Get their keys now please

On it. Love you lots

I don’t bother asking either Kylie or Bella for the keys. I simply go into Kylie's bag and grab them out and put them in my bag. Bella would never get in a car to drive after she drinks, and I'm sure Kylie wouldn't either.

“Okay, here's how we play,” Bella informs us. “Every time your ball goes in the gutter, you drink. Simple enough.”

Kylie comes over to me as Bella enters the names into the computer for scorekeeping. “Grayson's good to pick us up?” she asks pleadingly.

“I just have to text him later.”

“He's such a great man. You and Bella are blessed.” She hugs me.

“He would do anything for Bella and whomever she loves. Just trying to keep everyone safe.”

She pulls out of the hug, and I think she's done. Looking a little wistful, she starts,“I don't have a family. Bella and Grayson are it. I fell in love with Bella the moment I laid eyes on her. There's something special about those Abbotts.” She pauses, catches her breath and continues. “He's not going to let you go, you know.”

“Told you!” I hear Natalie say from behind us. When I turn to face her, she's got a huge shit-eating grin on her face.

“Told her what?” Bella asks.

“That Grayson's going to ask Ainsley to marry him sooner rather than later,” she replies, still wearing her grin.

Bella looks over to me, a hard look on her face. I think she's going to be upset; I mean, we are here to celebrate her. “Oh, he totally is, and you'd better say yes!” Her grin matches Natalie's.

All I can do is laugh.

“Come on, let's bowl.” Bella grabs a ball and throws it down the lane. At the last minute, it knocks down one pin. You would have thought she bowled a strike, the way she celebrates.

As I watch her take her next turn, I contemplate what they've said. Grayson and I have never talked about marriage or long term, not that I don’t see this heading that way. It is. I’d be a fool to give up the connection I have with Grayson, and I know he feels the same way. That we have talked about. I would be so lucky to be Grayson’s wife. He truly is the perfect package.

When it's my turn, I shut off my thoughts and just bowl. Fortunately for me, I am a good bowler, and Grayson's question about the comparison to pool isn't far off the mark. So I don't get to drink much, but the others do.

Of the three, Natalie is the least wasted, but there’s no way she can drive. I see her attempting to text Caleb so I take her phone and help her out.

Kylie and Bella are lying down, stretched across a few chairs, arms over their eyes. I had texted Grayson earlier to let him know when he should come, so I was surprised he wasn't here yet.

I check my phone and realized I missed a text from him earlier.

You could so kick my ass in bowling too, woman. PS: your ass looks sexy in that skirt.

“So sexy,” I hear him murmur in my ear as he comes up behind me. He nips at my neck, and a small moan escapes my lips in reaction as I turn around.

“Hey, Gray.” I find his lips and plant a kiss on them. He climbs over the bench where I'm sitting and sits down next to me.

“Why don't you look like them?” He points to the other girls.

“Because I don't suck at bowling,” I complain. He looks confused. “We were only allowed to drink when the ball went in the gutter. Mine didn't go in the gutter so much.” I shrug.

His arm wraps around me, and he pulls me into his side, letting his hand linger on my breast. “And I was so looking forward to drunk sex with you tonight,” he guffaws, shaking his head.

“I can remedy my situation.”

“Nah, darling. Sober sex works.”

Our moment is interrupted by Nat's shouts of “Baby!” She sits up a little straighter in her seat, but as soon as he's close, she slumps against him. “Take me home and take me to bed,” she slurs. I can't help but snort when she tries to wink at him.

Caleb scoops her up, and her eyes close as she lays her head against his shoulder.

“Have fun with that, bro,” Grayson tells Caleb. He grunts his response, gives a little wave, and walks away.

Before he gets too far, Natalie pops her head up. “Ainsley, don't forget what we talked about!” she yells back to me. “We forgot to take bets!”

I feel myself blush and will her to stop talking. Grayson's eyes bore into the side of my face, but I won't meet his gaze. He misses nothing, that one.

“What's she talking about?” he asks, begging for an answer.

“Nothing,” I stammer out and quickly change the subject. “How are we getting these two home?” I point to Kylie and Bella.

As if she heard me, Kylie pops up from the chairs. “I’m okay. Just get me a cup of coffee from Dunkin’ to sober me up.” She looks over at Bella. “Yeah, she sucks at bowling.” She giggles. “Ouch, not a good idea.” She rubs her temples as the smile fades.

Grayson looks at me. “Are you okay to drive?” He doesn't need to give me the intense stare he's giving me, but I know he's just keeping everyone safe.

I nod. “Yeah I only had one beer at the most, and it was over an hour ago.”

Handing me his keys, he directs, “Okay, you take Kylie to Dunkin’ in my car, and I’ll take Bella in the girls’ car and meet you at our house.” He walks over to Bella and picks her up effortlessly. The way his arms flex and make his muscles pop doesn't escape me. He looks right at me as I lick my lips, adds, “Later, darling,” and my face starts to get hot.

Even in her drunken state, Kylie takes in our exchange. She tries to whisper, but she’s louder than she means to be. “Oh yeah. Totally saying yes.”

Grayson whips his head around. “Keep moving,” I instruct. “ Nothing to see here.” As he passes by, I smack his ass. “Love you, babe.” His expression still looks confused, but he blows a kiss in my direction, shaking his head.

This is the moment that Bella chooses to pop her head off his shoulder and yells out, “Two weeks. At the most!” And just as quickly, she replaces it on his shoulder as he carries her off, looking more confused than ever.

“You guys are killing me tonight, you know that, right?” I ask Kylie as we make our way over to the desk, carrying everyone's shoes to be returned.

When we get to the desk, I turn in all the shoes and get my money out to pay. When I turn in the lane paperwork, the cashier tells me, “You’re all set.”

“Huh? Kylie, did you already pay?” I look back to her, who looks as confused as I feel.

“No, and I'm pretty sure Bella didn't either.”

I turn back to the cashier. “Lanes thirty-five and thirty-six. You’re sure we paid?” I ask him still confused.

“Yep. The guy who carried your friend out took care of the bill. You want the receipt?”

“No, we’re all good. Thanks!”I smile in his direction and then turn back to Kylie. “Grayson paid.”

“Ah, I should have known,” she responds, like that sums it up.

Walking to his car, I look at her. “Can I ask you a question?”

“I love Bella and don't cheat, but I'm flattered you're asking..” She gets most of that out with a straight face but then cracks up at the end. “I'm kidding. What do you want to know?” She tones down the laughing but keeps the smile on her face.

“You and Bella are meant for each other. Not that I didn't know that already or that you need to know it.” I pause for a minute, contemplating how best to ask the question. “How loaded is Grayson exactly?”

She considers my question for a moment, the lines above her eyes coming out as she draws her brows together. “Truthfully, I have no idea. He keeps it pretty hush-hush, and since he handles most of Bella's finances, she doesn't really know either. We live comfortably with our two salaries, but occasionally an extra couple thousand dollars ends up in our account. And he totally paid for the entire wedding. Well, he just gave Bella his credit card. He hasn't once said she’s spent too much. He pretty much doesn’t deny her anything money-wise if she asks nor does she take advantage of him. He paid for her engagement ring too, but she doesn't know that. And he won't let me pay him back.”

“Wow, he's so generous.”

“He's more than generous for the people he loves.”

“And yet, he drives this beat-up Explorer. What's up with that?”

She looks at me, a wistful look in her eyes. “His dad bought it for him, and he can't part with it. Bella teases that he's going to drive it to the ground and then keep it in the backyard forever. Truth is, she's probably not far off the mark.”

We get into the car and as I start it up, I ask, “What were their parents like?”

“They were the best people you could ever meet. Jack was very much like Gray, a man of little words but with a heart of gold. And Diana, well she was just lovely. She was the mom everyone talked to and wished she were your mom. She and Bella butted heads over a lot of Bella's choices, but I like to think that Bella's grown up into a woman she would be proud of.”

“Were they okay with Bella being gay?” Not only is Kylie so easy to talk to, she’s a great listener too. And I’ve found that she has great perspectives on Gray, different from what Natalie offers and even different than Bella since he’s not her sister.

“Right from the beginning, even though Gray outed her.She didn’t speak to him for a week, according to him. I didn’t know them then.”

“I wish I knew Gray as a teenager.”

“You should have seen Bella as a teenager.She was wild!”

“ Was wild?” I ask curiously.

“She's tamed since I've met her. But I fell in love with her wildness so she can't lose all of it.” She smiles to herself. “You're really perfect for Gray, just in case you ever have any doubts. I've known both of them a long time, and he's never, ever been this happy.”

“Me either,” I whisper. “Me either.”

When we get home, Gray has already tucked Bella into bed in the guest bedroom, and he's sitting at the table.Kylie hugs him andsays, “Thank you for bowling and for keeping her safe. We are both lucky to have you.”

“Anything for you girls, you know that,” he responds, pushing the hair out of her face. “Good luck with her tonight. Just shout if you need anything.”

We both watch as she climbs the stairs to the guest bedroom. I take a seat in the chair next to him.

“Coffee?” he asks me.

“Yeah, I’ll get it in a minute. I need some food, too. Is it too late to cook?” I look over at the clock. It’s only eleven.

“What do you want to make?” He scoots his chair closer to me. He turns his hat around on his head, puts his hands on my thighs, and starts massaging them with his fingers.

As much as I can, I ignore the way his fingers dig into my skin and how he is turning me on. “Pizza,” I moan out.

He brings his lips to mine, but instead of kissing me, he leans into my ear and rasps, “I'll order you a pizza to be delivered and as we wait, I'm taking you upstairs for appetizers.” He doesn't wait for my answer but scoops me out of the chair and sprints upstairs to our bedroom.

“Grayson! The girls will hear us,” I call out as he slams the door and tosses me down on the bed. His eyes are full of hunger. Hunger for me.

“I'll make sure you stay quiet,” he tells me, running his hand up my skirt. He stops when he gets to the top of my thighs. His eyes go wild. “Um Ainsley, where’s your underwear?”

“Oops, must have forgotten to put them on before I left.” I smirk at him. Forgetting about my hunger, I pull my skirt up around my waist, giving him the full access he craves.

“Girl, I could not love you any more,” he exclaims, getting to work.

At least he keeps his promise to help keep me quiet.