Chance Encounter Read online

  The police arrived and took him in, but warned us that he wouldn’t get a lot of time. We pushed forward with a restraining order for the sake of Gram and the building. Ryan was on the radar now with the alleged fire at the apartment and now this.

  The party seemed to get serious after that, but we managed to bring it back to life by midnight. Everyone counted down all over the building, cheering and embracing when the clock struck midnight.

  It wasn’t until well after two that we all locked up for the night. Gray led the way to bed, scowling as he let his hair fall from the knot on the top of his head. “Do you think that asshole is going to be a problem?”

  “I think after tonight, we’ll be fine. The police were involved, though I’m shocked it got to that.” I scrubbed a hand through my hair as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

  “He wants you back, Hay. Just in a psychotic way. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” He leaned in to kiss me, pulling me closer as I slipped my arms around his neck. I felt sober as I stopped drinking once Ryan was taken away by the police, but I felt drunk on Gray’s kiss. “I love you. I am so happy to bring this year in with you, Hay.”

  “I love you.” We stripped quickly, dropping to the bed as his mouth began making a hungry trail down my neck and chest. I arched my back as he gripped me in his hand, causing me to leak with desire. He stroked me a few times before wrapping his lips around my cock, sucking hard and slow. “Gray. Feels so good,” I moaned, gripping his tousled hair. He sucked me until I filled his throat, jerking forward as I closed my eyes. “Fuck. I love you.”

  We rested for a few minutes before I returned the favor, fucking him once he’d cum in my throat. I loved the feeling of him wrapped around me, tight and willing as he rocked against me. I came hard, filling him as he dropped his face in the pillows. I knew that I’d never want another man. I could barely remember ever being with anyone else as I pulled away, leaning down to kiss his back.

  We curled together sleepily, cuddling close. “Tonight was fun, apart from that.”

  “You mean what we just did? I’m wounded,” I chuckled as he turned his head for a kiss. “That is over. You are all that matters to me from now on.”

  “That’s funny. I feel the same way.” We went to sleep, sleeping late into the following morning. Mari called to ask if we wanted to go to lunch since she stayed away from the strawberry wine the previous night. Nobody out of the four of us drank heavily, so we agreed it was a good idea.

  Gray looked hot in a black beanie as we walked to the door. The weather was overcast today, and we were all dressed for it. “How do you feel about last night?” Becca asked once we were seated at the hotel restaurant. Mari wanted to try it since she felt so bad the last time we were here.

  “I think he’s got some issues that he needs to fix. I don’t want him back, and I never will.” I sipped my coffee, gazing at Gray. “I hope he’s learned his lesson, but we’re going to fight him every step of the way.”

  “I hate him for doing that. What if nobody was there and the entire building burned down, or someone got hurt?” Mari’s eyes flashed as she slammed the coffee cup to the floor, making a few diners jump. “Sorry.”

  “He wouldn’t have gotten inside. Someone let him through thinking he was a party guest,” I told her as I covered her hand with mine. “It’s okay. We’re safe now.”

  “I hope so.” Becca sighed, reaching for her coffee as she gave her girlfriend a look.

  “We’ve got this. I am not taking any chances with Gram in particular.” Gray looked serious for a moment. “I’m going to get a hold of the landlord and ask for better cameras, just in case.”

  The waitress set down our food as we paused in conversation. We looked over our brunch platters, smiling as we dug in.

  Gram was home when we arrived back at the apartment. She hadn’t seen ours, but we decided to tell her there was an accident with one of the guests. It turned out to be very little damage, so I thought she’d take it okay. I’d never tell her truth. We’d work behind the scenes.

  Jackson and Amy left a couple of days later, promising us that they’d look into tying up some loose ends. We didn’t mention anything to Gram about the move, not wanting to get her hopes up. Either way, they were planning to have their wedding in the Washington area. We took them to the airport, hugging them goodbye before driving home. I think we all felt the void that filled the building when they left.

  The new year moved forward with all of us working. I tried out for more plays, getting a lead role in the Spring one. Sing Street sounded like something fun for the season, and I was thrilled with the role. It required more hours at the theater, but Gray supported me. He kept his regular clients to stay steadily busy but didn’t take more. We were doing fine financially thanks to a small inheritance he received a few years ago, as long as we kept working.

  Mari started painting after a long break as well as working long hours managing the gallery, while Becca still worked with me at the theater. We spent a few hours a week, eating in or going to restaurants. We tried to do breakfast or brunch on the weekends if we had time as well as Sunday dinner.

  Life was busy but good. I felt like I was getting closer to Gray as well as my little family. I thought we were all settling into a routine, but that wasn’t how life worked.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Gray

  I was working one night when Becca and Hayden were working at the theater. I was sitting at my desk, editing a podcast as I cut out the sounds they didn’t need in the final download. I noticed my phone lighting up, glazing at the screen to see that it was Mari trying to get a hold of me.

  I paused the podcast, answering the phone. “You okay. Mari?”

  “I just got a call, Gray. I didn’t want to call Becca at work, but it’s big.” She sounded like she was in shock, making me sit up straight.

  “Do you need me to come upstairs?” I was already standing, and she let out a soft cry. “I’m on my way.” I slipped the phone into the pocket of my jeans, grabbing my keys on the way out. I hurried up the stairs barefoot, tapping on her door. “Mari?” I tried the door, finding it open as I pushed my way inside. She was sitting at the table, and I approached her slowly.

  “I just got a call… from an attorney.” I dropped into the chair across from her as she blinked. Tears were in her eyes, and I wanted to ask if it was about Becca but remembered that she mentioned her. “Vivian and her mother died. They were in a car accident. She told us she was going to put us down as legal guardians, but I assumed that she changed that.” Her eyes met mine. “She didn’t. Ava will be coming into our care when we’re ready.”

  I stared at her, silent. The memories of Vivian weren’t good, but no child deserved to lose her mother. Her mother and grandmother, to be exact. “Are you ready for that?”

  “I haven’t spoken to her in a few months. Of course not. I suppose I could refuse, but they said she’d end up in foster care that way. I’ve heard horrible things about foster care, and she’s still a baby.” Mari finally let the tears loose, crying into her hands. “I feel bad that we stopped talking to her, or we drifted apart now. I don’t even know. I never thought she’d make us guardians.”

  “Calm down. You don’t have to do this tomorrow, Mari. You can talk to Becca, and we can even get together tomorrow. You won’t do this alone.” I reached across the small table to take her hand. “I can call her and tell her to come home.”

  “Yes. Call her.” I called Becca’s phone, and she answered calmly. She told me that she was on a break and asked how everything was.

  “You need to come home, Becca. Everyone is okay here, but Mari needs to talk to you,” I said as she sucked in her breath. “Is Hay onstage right now?”

  “Yes…should I get him?” She asked as I closed my eyes.

  “I’ll leave a message on his phone. I can’t interrupt him while he’s performing. He’ll kill me later, but come home. He can join us later.”

  “I’ll be there soon.”
The phone went dead, and I mentally kicked my ass for a second before sending Hayden a message that he needed to come home right away. I set the phone down after turning the sound on, rising to make three cups of tea.

  “How old is she now? Ava?” would she keep that name.

  “She just turned seven months old. She won’t even remember them.” Mari’s voice was low, and I imagined the tiny infant I saw that night in the hospital grown up. She came into the world beautiful and was undoubtedly even prettier now. She took after her mother, and the thought made me shudder. I hated the feeling of her hand on me, where I only craved Hayden’s touch.

  Her daughter wasn’t responsible for her mother’s behavior, and my heart ached for Ava. I’d never tell Mari to hurry and make a decision on this, but Ava must be terrified with strangers.

  We were all strangers, as well.

  The door opened hard, and I watched as Becca stormed inside. “What the fuck is going on? Is it Ryan again?” She looked at Mari at the table, dropping to the chair beside her. “What’s wrong?”

  “I just got a call from a lawyer.” Becca frowned at her. “She called to tell me that Vivian and her mom died in a car accident.”

  “What does that have to do with us? We haven’t spoken to her in a few months?” Becca told her before her face went pale. “Oh, fuck. She put as the guardians, didn’t she? I knew that she talked about it, but thought she changed her mind.” Mari began to cry, and Becca let out a slow breath. “Oh, fuck. What do we do?”

  “We stay calm and talk this out.” They both looked at me. “Talk this out, every detail. You get to make a choice here.”

  “It’s a baby that she trusted us with. Isn’t that carved in stone?” Mari asked as I pinched the bridge of my nose in thought.

  “I am not exactly sure, but we could talk to someone. A lawyer,” I determined, looking at the girls. “You have to support her, after all.”

  “Oh, there’s another part. The grandma left an inheritance when she died two years ago, and the majority of it will be going to us. That helps with the financial part.” Mari looked from me to her girlfriend.

  “What about work and schedules?” I gently pressed. “You’ll need someone to watch her all of the time. She’s not even one yet. I know that Hayden and I would help out, and even Gram could be involved. She’d actually love that.” I smiled at the idea of her interacting with a little girl. She didn’t have a large enough family to have a lot of grandchildren, and I never wanted that before Hayden.

  “Amy will be moving here, too. She’d like to help.” Mari said as she stared thoughtfully at the wall. “She was a cute baby last I saw her.”

  “Really pretty,” Becca agreed, and they shared a tender smile.

  “You’ve decided, haven’t you?” I asked as my phone rang. I saw Hayden’s name, wincing as I gazed at them. “Let me get this.”

  “What’s going on? Where is Becca?” Hayden asked immediately. “Gray?”

  “Come to their place. We’re having a family meeting, but everyone is fine.” I smiled as he let out a sigh. “I knew you were performing, Hay. Come home.”

  We ended the call, and Becca rested her face in her hands. “Is he going to shit his pants?”

  “Yes,” I replied, knowing that there was a long time that Hayden never wanted kids. I didn’t know how he’d feel about Vivian’s daughter, but she was a baby that needed a home either way. “We’ll talk about it. I know that we’re not a part of this based on any law, but we’re family. We make decisions together.”

  We waited until he came to the apartment and sat beside me after we made more tea. “So, what’s going on?”

  Mari explained the situation as his eyes got wide. “The fuck. You’re the guardians?”

  “Yep,” Becca replied as she closed her eyes. “This is so much to take in. I want to think it over, but she’s in foster care until then. Is she safe?”

  “I hope so,” Mari said, staring at her girlfriend.

  “Do you want kids?” I asked as Mari smiled.

  “We’ve talked about it. We’ve been together a while now, and we’re living together. I know she’s it for me.” Becca leaned over to kiss Mari. “This might not be the image of motherhood that we planned, but she’s a little girl that deserves a good life. It seems that her dad signed her away after she was born.”

  “I agree,” Mari said as she gave us a small smile. “They told us to call back after the weekend was over. It gives us a chance to think this through. I guess we should look over the house. Is this enough space?”

  “The guest bedroom becomes a nursery,” Becca said and shook her head. “I don’t even know what that entails.”

  “Tami and Jay have babies. We could go see what they have, and ask them some questions,” Mari suggested.

  “That’s a good idea,” I said, smiling at them.

  We left the girls there an hour later, calmer and accepting of the situation. Hayden led the way into the apartment, looking at me once he was in the kitchen. “They’re taking her.”

  “They seem to want a baby. This one needs a home,” I told him, pulling him against me for a kiss. “I’ve thought about having kids with you before.”

  “Yeah?” He asked, meeting my eyes. “Me, too.”

  “We’ll make great uncles. This will be practice for us,” I kissed him again, and he wrapped his arms around my neck.

  The girls went to see their friends and eight-month-old twins the following morning. They wanted a good idea of what they were getting into, and I joked to Hayden that twins would look so insane that they’re getting off easy.”

  “Can you do that with a baby?” Hayden wondered as I chuckled.

  “They do sleep, go for sleepovers, and spend time with family. Think it comes before your sleep.” We both laughed, sharing a long kiss.

  We had lunch with the girls after they got home, talking everything over. Tami gave them a good idea of what they would need, and they came back with a list.

  I ran into Mari, heading to Gram’s that evening once the theater opened. “Whatcha doing?”

  “I need Gram’s advice. She had three kids.” I wished they were better for their mom and their own families.

  “She did.” I smiled. “Want company?”

  “Yeah,” she said as I headed over to tap on Gram’s front door.

  Gram gave us fresh cookies, and we sat at the table for her wisdom. She seemed surprised by the situation, given what she knew about Vivian and her relationship with all of us. She agreed that it was a baby that needed a home and that the mom trusted us. She knew how much responsibility this would be, and even smiled when she talked about the first Christmas with a baby in the house.

  After that, Mari jogged upstairs to call Amy.

  “This is crazy, Gram.” She smiled at me.

  “Those girls can do this. They’re good people, and they have a lot of support. The baby is older, so hopefully, she’ll sleep through the night.” I realized that they lived close to me, scrubbing a hand through my hair.

  “Oh, God. Will we all lose sleep?” I reached for another cookie, chewing the edges off as she watched me.

  “You’ve been doing that since you were a little tot. Jackson used to want to race, taking these huge bites. You would just do your own thing.” She shook her head. “What about you and Hayden? Do you want babies?”

  “We’ve discussed it. I want to get married first. I want to ask him this year sometimes.” She smiled at me. “I think we’ll have enough going on with this.”

  “I think it’s a good thing for them. I can’t wait to see her.” Her eyes gleamed, and I laughed at her, reaching for my milk.

  “I knew you wanted grandchildren.” She shrugged with a bright smile.

  “Who doesn’t?”

  “Here’s your chance, Gram,” I told her, reaching for another cookie.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Hayden

  Mari called the attorney on Monday, telling her they were ready for Ava. The
y decided to keep that name since she’d been called it for the last few months of her life.

  She asked them to come to her office the following morning to meet Ava. Mari would have access to the inheritance within a few days so that she could prepare for Ava. They already cleaned out the room, renting a storage unit for their furniture for the time being.

  They decided to get the big stuff with savings, going out Monday night for a crib and a futon for the nursery. The crib included some drawers and a changing table, so that was a great start. We helped pick everything and set it up late into the night after Hayden got off work.

  They met Ava on Tuesday morning, sending us pictures of the dark blonde, blue-eyed baby girl. She was all smiles, not knowing that her family died. It was clear that she loved Mari and Becca, and the attorney told her that a social worker would be bringing Ava over Thursday morning. They signed some paperwork to make everything official, crying in the car as they went to get a few clothes. She was coming with some belongings, but big for her age. The girls dropped by a few thrift stores to pick up larger clothes that suited the gloomy Seattle weather, for the time being, bringing them home to wash in the basement.

  We made the crib up with the clean sheets, hanging a mobile with animals on it that played a soothing song. In addition to clothes, the girls bought some things for her room. We set up a screen that played music against the side of the crib to help her through the night.

  Everyone was nervous for the next several hours. The girls kept looking at pictures of Ava as they wondered aloud what might work with her versus what might not work. Gram watched them pace after dinner Wednesday night, leaving plates behind half-filled with food.

  “Girls, you’ll figure it out,” she told them, smiling. “All babies are different, and you learn through trial and error. She already likes you. She’ll just need to adjust to the apartment and everything new while you adjust to her.”

  “You’re so calm, Gram,” Becca said as Gram smiled.

  “I had three kids when I was young. I had a lot of bumps in the road. You’ll make it,” she assured them before the girls went running over to hug her. It made me weepy, and Gray wrapped an arm around my waist.