One Enchanted Summer

Chapter 34

CHAPTER

THIRTY-FOUR

Grayson

I didn’t want to ignore Quinn. I know she deserves to know what I’m thinking, but I don’t want to say anything to upset her. I don’t want to say anything that I don’t mean, because I’m not really sure what I’m thinking right now. My thoughts have been a complete mess since the ultrasound. When the doctor started asking all those questions about our future and how we were going to make it work, I think I began to have a panic attack. I hadn’t thought about the extra money we needed, the space the baby needed, I didn’t think about formula vs breast milk and I didn’t even think about a car seat. You can’t even leave the hospital without a car seat, and that’s when I realized I have no idea what I’m doing. I’ve been excited. This has been the perfect distraction from feeling bad about myself and my injury, but I was so focused on that I didn’t really see the big picture. I’m going to be a dad. Forever. I mean, even now, looking at the ultrasound that Quinn sent home with me, I’m a dad. That’s never going to change; no matter what decisions we make from here on out, I will always have a kid out in the world.

That thought is what finally pulls me out of my stupor. I only have two choices at this point- be in Quinn and the kid’s life or not. I can’t imagine not being in Quinn’s life, and now I have a child. How could I live my life knowing that my kid is out there? I can’t ignore that. I want to be there for the first steps, words, and dance lessons. I want to be there for the midnight feedings and the doctor’s appointments. I don’t want to miss anything. I feel like an idiot that it took me this long to figure it out.

I call Quinn, and I’m honestly surprised when she picks up.

“Hey,” I say. “Can you come meet me on set after work today?” I ask.

“Why?” she asks. I’m not surprised that she doesn’t agree right away.

“I want to talk to you and show you something.”

“Okay. I’ll be there.”

Step one: Get Quinn to agree to meet me. Now, with a bit of help from Gertie, I hope the rest goes according to plan.

QUINN

I’m annoyed at Grayson and not overly eager to meet him at work. Him shutting me out has me worried about our future, and I’m not feeling emotionally stable enough to be worrying about that. In the silence from him the last few days, I’ve been spiraling about what being a single mom would be like. I know I could stay here, and Gertie would help, but I have no idea what I’m doing or how I could possibly try and do it by myself. Then, I made the mistake of googling things about labor, and I completely lost it. I stayed up all night reading horror stories and determined that I wasn’t even going to survive labor and my baby would be alone. I shake my head and try not to think about it again. I really can’t dwell on it, or I’ll start to get anxious again.

I walk out onto the stage now; the last show ended over thirty minutes ago. A few people are still milling about, and after a minute, I see Mikey jog towards me.

“Hey Quinn, how are you feeling?” he asks, glancing at my belly. I’ve started showing, and it’s been nice for people to realize I’m pregnant and not just gaining weight.

“Good,” I reply as I rub my stomach. “I’m 21 weeks now.” It’s second nature at this point to answer the question before they even ask.

“Grayson is backstage,” Mikey motions for me to follow him.

I try not to let my annoyance seep out that Grayson sent Mikey to get me instead of coming to meet me himself. I have no idea what to expect from whatever Grayson wants to talk about. When I turn the corner, I see a group of people standing around an inflated stunt bag. My annoyance turns to confusion when I see Gertie, Doris, Tatum, and Dylan in the group. I scan the faces, looking for Grayson, but can’t spot him.

“What’s going on?” I ask as we reach Gertie.

“Stay here, you’ll see,” Mikey says before running off.

“Seriously, where’s Grayson?” I ask.

“It was all very mysterious,” Gertie shrugs. “He told us what time to be here and that we wouldn’t want to miss it.”

I think she knows more than she’s letting on, but she quickly focuses forward, and I can tell she won’t say anything more.

“Look!” Tatum gasps and points to the top of one of the buildings on set.

Grayson is standing on the top of the tower and waves. My stomach swoops seeing him up there. It’s no different than when he does it during a show, but being this close makes me realize how high up he is.

“What is he doing?” I murmur out loud.

Grayson holds up a megaphone now and starts speaking into it, “Hey Q,” he says. A few of his co-workers turn and find me and smile. I smile back, feeling a flush rising to my cheeks.

I wave back to Grayson and yell, “What are you doing?”

“I’ve been an idiot,” he says, and a few people in the crowd chuckle. “I was being immature and selfish- thinking only about myself. I’m so sorry. I love you, and I know saying it isn’t enough; I need to show it. I want to be better about showing it.”

Tatum lets out a loud “Aww” next to me.

“I know this isn’t enough to prove anything, but I wanted to do something big and special for you. So I put together a little gender reveal with our friends and family,” Grayson continues. My heart starts pounding now in excitement. I look around, and Tatum is bouncing eagerly up and down. Gertie has a smile on her face but continues to face forward, unwilling to give anything away.

“Can we get a countdown?” Grayson asks.

I spy Mikey in the corner with his phone out and suddenly realize I have tears on my cheeks from Grayson’s speech. I quickly wipe them away and look at Grayson as the group chants down from ten.

TEN

NINE

EIGHT

SEVEN

It feels like my heart is going to pound out of my chest in equal excitement and anxiety.

SIX

FIVE

FOUR

I glance at Tatum, and she’s giddily screaming the numbers along with the crowd.

THREE

TWO

ONE

Grayson front flips off of the building, and it feels like he falls in slow motion toward the blown-up bag. When he lands, a bright pink dust flies up and around him from the impact. The crowd bursts into applause and cheers, and it feels like my heart stops beating. It’s a girl. We’re having a girl!

Tatum screams, but I’m only focused on Grayson as he gets off the stunt bag, covered in pink dust. I rush towards him and jump into his arms, fully crying now.

“It’s a girl!” I exclaim.

“It’s a girl!” he repeats just as excitedly.

I pull apart from him, and his eyes search my face. “I’m so sorry,” he says earnestly.

“I know,” I say, kissing him before he says anything else.

“What about the name Autumn?” Grayson asks as he draws gentle circles on my exposed belly.

“Autumn…” I muse. “I like it.”

“But?” Grayson asks.

“I don’t think it’s her name.”

Grayson chuckles but places a soft kiss on my stomach. A small kick flutters from inside, and he freezes.

“Was that a kick?” he asks.

I nod eagerly, and he quickly presses his hands against me, waiting for more movement. A moment later, she kicks again, and Grayson’s face lights up. I don’t blame him for being scared; I’m scared too. But in these moments, I trust him fully. I can see the love he already has for our little girl, and I know that no matter how scary things will get, he’s not going anywhere.

Grayson looks up at me with a fire in his eyes. “I love you,” he says so genuinely it makes my heart hurt. His fingers tighten slightly against my thigh as his eyes darken. He leans in, his lips brushing against mine in a soft, tentative kiss. I sigh into him, my fingers grabbing behind his neck, pulling him closer. I can feel his warmth, the way his body seems to fit perfectly against mine, even as he’s careful not to put pressure on my stomach.

He moves slowly and carefully, his hands exploring my body with a tenderness that makes me ache for more. I feel his breath quicken against my neck, and I arch into him, craving more. A soft smile plays on his lips at my obvious wanting, and then his mouth is on mine again, hungry and demanding. I can feel the tension in his body building, the way he’s fighting to stay in control. A slow, delicious heat spreads through me as his gaze locks on mine. He looks like he’s been lit on fire with the intensity. He starts to move, completely surrendering to this moment and this heat between us.

As he moves faster and harder, I can feel the rest of the world turning into a colorful blur. Every time with him is somehow different and better in ways I never imagined. He makes me feel so seen and worshiped in a way I didn’t think was possible after Collin. He can’t seem to get enough as he continues moving with ferocity. I can’t take any more as I close my eyes and let myself slip away with a ragged breath. I feel him lean up a little, and then suddenly, he stops, freezes, and curses loudly. I open my eyes and see his face scrunch together in pain.

“What happened? Are you okay?” I ask quickly.

He takes a deep breath and nods but doesn’t say anything. He slowly slides off the bed, winces, and collapses on the edge.

“What’s going on?” I ask again.

“I think I pulled something,” he groans.

A moment of silence passes, and then I snort while trying to hold in my laugh. Grayson looks up at me in surprise, and I can’t stop the laugh that escapes my lips. He shakes his head and starts laughing too. He falls back on the bed, and we laugh until we can’t breathe anymore.

“How bad is it?” I ask after we regain our composure.

“It’s not great.”

“I’m so sorry. What about work?” I ask. I know how much it means to him that he’s finally back at work and not stuck sitting at home.

“Yeah,” he pauses. “Would you judge me if I pretended it happened at work so they’d still have to pay me?”

I look at him in surprise. “Can you do that?”

He shrugs. “I could try. At least then, I can still get paid. I don’t think they’ll pay me for a sex injury.”

I start laughing again as I throw a pillow at his perfect face.