Gracie & Gray

Chapter 14

G R A C I E

Gray stared at me in wide-eyed confusion.

Then, slowly, a visible panic slid over his handsome features. I wondered if the pieces were suddenly falling into place for him.

Did he suspect something about Lydia and the baby? Or was he thinking about something else entirely?

Either way, my sister was going to be upset with me for sending Gray her way.

But I was prepared to face Lydia's tantrums.

After everything Gray revealed to me just now, it seemed that a secret as life altering as this one simply couldn't stay hidden. He told me himself. He was planning to stay in Arizona after his next deployment ended, which meant it wouldn't be easy at all for Lydia or me to avoid him.

Even if Gray wasn't coming back to Phoenix, all it would take was one accidental baby pic post from a mutual friend on social media to alert him of our deception.

A weariness settled over me as I tried to picture our future. It was going to be a strange, uncomfortable, complex triangle where Lydia and me—and possibly Gray—would be taking care of a tiny human together.

This was why I genuinely felt that Lydia needed to address everything head on with Gray. The two of them had yet to figure out how to parent their kid together, and their lack of communication and structure was giving me anxiety.

A part of me questioned my own sanity.

Why was I so invested in helping them clean up their stupid—

Gray cleared his throat. The brusque sound pulled me from my spiraling thoughts.

"I promise that I'll go meet up with Lydia before I head out of town."

A trite smile spread across my lips. "Sounds good."

"Is it... about the baby?"

So, he kind of already figured it out. Good. At least, the news wouldn't blindside him.

"I think that's a question for Lydia. Not me."

His jaw clenched. Unclenched. "Fair enough."

Tension steeped between us. I took another bite of my food and tried not to let the discomfort get to me. 

"What happened between you and Craig, Gracie?"

The suddenness of his question caught me off guard.

I choked a little on my pasta. "What?"

"Why did you guys break up?"

I frowned. "Why do you want to know?"

I wasn't really in the mood to discuss my ex-fiancé with my ex-boyfriend.

"I'm just... curious."

"Really?"

"Really."

I wrinkled my nose. "I guess... Craig and I wanted different things."

I tried to change the subject. "What about you? Are you seeing anyone right now?"

Gray shrugged indifferently. "I've dated on and off. Nothing ever lasted for more than a few months, though."

I frowned in disapproval. "Why not?"

"Not many girls want to be with a guy who's out of the country for ten to eleven months each year."

He eyed me knowingly. "Remember how hard it was... for us?"

I remembered exactly how hard it had been for me in college to always be the one waiting for Gray to call when he was free, not knowing if he was in danger, if he was hurt, if he was even still alive...

But I had no interest in taking a stroll down memory lane with Gray.

I kept my response as boring and neutral as possible, "Yeah, I guess long distance is tough on most couples."

He added, "Long distance is tough... unless you're with the right girl."

Gray was looking at me in a way that made my cheeks grow warm.

"Stop staring at me like that," I insisted.

"Like what?"

My defense mechanisms kicked in.

I muttered, "Like you didn't just fuck my sister."