hard, but this was about to get ugly.
“You don’t know,” she repeated, and she just kept on repeating it until the words and the tears got the best of her. She sagged against a tree.
“Eve,” he said reaching out to her, but she just moved away.
Her breath broke on a sob. “I’ve made some terrible mistakes in my life. First, giving you that ultimatum. And then I promised my heart and life to a man I didn’t love. I’m the Typhoid Mary of relationships, Grayson, but I know I’m meant to be a mother.”
She was. Grayson didn’t doubt that. Heck, she’d practically been a mother to his youngest brother. Grayson, however, didn’t have a good track record. And he tried one last time to convince Eve of that.
“I’m not the man you want to father your baby,” he insisted.
She opened her mouth to say something, but Grayson didn’t want her to tell him something along the lines of his being the only man she wanted for that job. He couldn’t hear that. Not now. Not with Eve falling apart like this.
“I sucked as a father,” he continued, trying to snag her gaze. Eye contact might help her see the determination. “My brother, Gage, is dead.”
“Gage died doing a job he loved,” she clarified. “You couldn’t and wouldn’t have stopped him from joining the Justice Department any more than he could have stopped you from being sheriff of Silver Creek.”
Maybe. But that didn’t change things. Besides, Gage was just one of his failures.
“Dade has got so much rage inside him. Nate’s just one bad day away from needing professional help. And Mason? Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he hunted our father down just so he could kill him in cold blood.” Grayson paused because he had to. “That’s the kind of family I raised.”
Now she made eye contact, and the jolt was like a head-on collision. Grayson had hoped she would see his emotion, and maybe she did, but he saw hers in complete vivid detail. The pain. The need.
The hopelessness of her situation.
“If I helped you,” he managed to say, “I’d just screw things up again.”
She swiped away the tears and stared at him. “If you don’t help me, I’ll never know what it’s like to be a mother. I’ll never have a part of my life that I want more than my next breath.” She walked closer. “Grayson, you would have no responsibility in this, other than having sex with me. I swear, no responsibility. ”
He had to say no. Had to. And Grayson just kept repeating that.
But he knew the reality here.
Even if Dade got the text and responded right away, it would be an hour or more before they could get this body out of the woods. Grayson would need another vehicle since his truck was in the creek. It would be nightfall or later before he could get Eve to a clinic in Austin. Since it was just three days before Christmas, it was likely the clinics had already closed for the day. Maybe for the rest of the holiday week.
Still, Grayson had to say no.
Didn’t he?
“Don’t think too much,” she whispered, walking closer.
The cold air mixed with her breath and created a misty fog around her face. It seemed unreal. Like a dream. And Grayson had had so many dreams about her that he nearly got lost in the moment.
Oh, man.
She could still make him burn.
Eve stopped, directly in front of him. So close he could take in her scent. She leaned in and put her mouth to his ear. She didn’t touch him. Didn’t have to touch him. Her scent was enough. He fought to hang on to the denial he intended to give her, but it was a battle that Grayson knew he was losing.
Worse, he wanted to lose.
“Just consider this a big favor for an old friend,” she whispered.
A friend? Eve was plenty of things, but she wasn’t a friend. Whatever she was, she was pulling him closer. And closer.
“Please,” she said. Just that one word. Her warm breath brushed against his mouth like a kiss.
He looked into her eyes and didn’t look beyond that. Yeah. He could
“You don’t know,” she repeated, and she just kept on repeating it until the words and the tears got the best of her. She sagged against a tree.
“Eve,” he said reaching out to her, but she just moved away.
Her breath broke on a sob. “I’ve made some terrible mistakes in my life. First, giving you that ultimatum. And then I promised my heart and life to a man I didn’t love. I’m the Typhoid Mary of relationships, Grayson, but I know I’m meant to be a mother.”
She was. Grayson didn’t doubt that. Heck, she’d practically been a mother to his youngest brother. Grayson, however, didn’t have a good track record. And he tried one last time to convince Eve of that.
“I’m not the man you want to father your baby,” he insisted.
She opened her mouth to say something, but Grayson didn’t want her to tell him something along the lines of his being the only man she wanted for that job. He couldn’t hear that. Not now. Not with Eve falling apart like this.
“I sucked as a father,” he continued, trying to snag her gaze. Eye contact might help her see the determination. “My brother, Gage, is dead.”
“Gage died doing a job he loved,” she clarified. “You couldn’t and wouldn’t have stopped him from joining the Justice Department any more than he could have stopped you from being sheriff of Silver Creek.”
Maybe. But that didn’t change things. Besides, Gage was just one of his failures.
“Dade has got so much rage inside him. Nate’s just one bad day away from needing professional help. And Mason? Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he hunted our father down just so he could kill him in cold blood.” Grayson paused because he had to. “That’s the kind of family I raised.”
Now she made eye contact, and the jolt was like a head-on collision. Grayson had hoped she would see his emotion, and maybe she did, but he saw hers in complete vivid detail. The pain. The need.
The hopelessness of her situation.
“If I helped you,” he managed to say, “I’d just screw things up again.”
She swiped away the tears and stared at him. “If you don’t help me, I’ll never know what it’s like to be a mother. I’ll never have a part of my life that I want more than my next breath.” She walked closer. “Grayson, you would have no responsibility in this, other than having sex with me. I swear, no responsibility. ”
He had to say no. Had to. And Grayson just kept repeating that.
But he knew the reality here.
Even if Dade got the text and responded right away, it would be an hour or more before they could get this body out of the woods. Grayson would need another vehicle since his truck was in the creek. It would be nightfall or later before he could get Eve to a clinic in Austin. Since it was just three days before Christmas, it was likely the clinics had already closed for the day. Maybe for the rest of the holiday week.
Still, Grayson had to say no.
Didn’t he?
“Don’t think too much,” she whispered, walking closer.
The cold air mixed with her breath and created a misty fog around her face. It seemed unreal. Like a dream. And Grayson had had so many dreams about her that he nearly got lost in the moment.
Oh, man.
She could still make him burn.
Eve stopped, directly in front of him. So close he could take in her scent. She leaned in and put her mouth to his ear. She didn’t touch him. Didn’t have to touch him. Her scent was enough. He fought to hang on to the denial he intended to give her, but it was a battle that Grayson knew he was losing.
Worse, he wanted to lose.
“Just consider this a big favor for an old friend,” she whispered.
A friend? Eve was plenty of things, but she wasn’t a friend. Whatever she was, she was pulling him closer. And closer.
“Please,” she said. Just that one word. Her warm breath brushed against his mouth like a kiss.
He looked into her eyes and didn’t look beyond that. Yeah. He could
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