Page 12 of Fighting Chance

Bella elbows him. “Language. We have little ears in the house now.”

Grayson winces, mouthing me an apology. “That’s going to take some getting used to.”

“You’re telling me,” I mutter as Bella suddenly squeals, clapping her hands. Even Emmy lifts her head.

“What about Layla?” she asks.

My back straightens. “Layla’s back?” I send a seething glare Grayson’s way. “Why didn’t you tell me she was back?”

He holds his hand up in surrender. “I didn’t know you’d want to know.”

“Okay, and the sky is goddamn blue.”

“What the hell does the sky have to do with this?”

“I thought we were naming obvious shit.” Wincing at my language—again—I whisper to Emmy, “When you do feel like talking, don’t say that word. It’s not kind.”

Bella huffs out a laugh across the island as she pushes away from Grayson and begins prepping dinner, him trailing beside her like a shadow, trying to help in any way he can.

“I would love Layla to look after her, but does she not have a job lined up? Also, how was Berlin? She never responded to my texts. Is she okay?”

Bella takes a deep breath before spinning to face me, ignoring Grayson, who’s trying not to laugh. “First of all, that’s a lot of questions.”

“I have time.”

Cocking her hip, she begins to tick things off her fingers. “Layla would be perfect for the job. She adores kids, wants to become an elementary school teacher. Second, Berlin was good for her, more than good in fact, but I’ll let her tell you that. And yes, she got all your text messages.”

My nose wrinkles. “Then why didn’t she reply?”

“Because you tried sexting her?”

My eyes practically bug out of my head as Grayson throws his back on a laugh. “I did not!”

“So, you weren’t trying to flirt with her?” Bella asks, her brow cocked.

“Flirting, yes.” I cover Emmy’s ears and whisper-hiss, “Not sexting.”

Bella shrugs and goes back to cooking at the stovetop. “She was focused on healing, and honestly, she thought you’d get sick of pining after her.”

As Grayson looks at me a bit too closely, I force myself to scoff. “I wasn’tpining.”

“Texting her every day, despite her not responding, gives off the impression that you were pining.”

Of course I was. Has she not met Layla? Stunning redhead,sassy mouth, gorgeous icy blue eyes that like to roll a million times when I’m around?

Who the fuck wouldn’t stop thinking about her? But by the silent conversation Bella and Grayson are having—once again—I choose to keep the fact that the little redhead has been driving me wild for well over a year to myself.

“We’re getting off topic. You think she’d want to work for me?”

Grayson kisses Bella on the cheek, moving to grab waters from the fridge and handing me one as he takes a seat at the bench beside me. He gives Emmy his famous megawatt smile as they no doubt lock gazes. I have to bite the inside of my cheek to not laugh as she looks back at Grayson warily.

She may not be speaking, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t watching everything.

Bending my head, I whisper, “He’s a gigantic idiot but he’s harmless.”

Grayson slaps my shoulder. “Don’t be teaching her bad things.” Turning back to Emmy, he cups his chest. “I’m not an idiot”—he sends a glare in my direction—“but your dad is, because it’s mean to call people names.”

“So mean that you just called me a name?” I say smugly.