“Go straight through the house to the French doors leading to the yard,” she said.
Sensing my nerves, Graham protectively placed his hand on my back as we walked inside together.
The foyer had practically vomited lavender hydrangeas. Genevieve was in the large, white kitchen arranging even more of them when we passed through.
“Graham, you made it!” She smiled.
Brushing off her hands, she walked around the granite island to greet us. She looked like she was about to hug him but stopped herself, probably sensing his apprehension. Not to mention his grip hadn’t left my torso.
Her eyes stayed fixed on Graham. “Chloe is outside playing with some of her friends. The adults are scattered about as well. You remember Bret Allandale. He’s here with his wife, Laura. So are Jim and Leslie Steinhouse.”
Since she had chosen to ignore me, I cleared my throat and said, “You have a beautiful home.”
“Thank you. Graham picked this property out, actually.”
Confused, I looked to him for clarification, but he didn’t offer it. Instead, he just tightened his grip on me.
She continued, “This was our summer place…before things changed.”
Graham finally spoke. “The house was in both our names at one point…until I gladly sold my share to Liam.” He looked toward the doors leading to the patio. “We should go find Chloe.” Graham led me outside without making further conversation with Genevieve.
A closed in-ground pool sat in the middle of the large backyard. To the left was a bright green tennis court. To the right was a large grassy area where at least a dozen little girls in flowy dresses were running around. A large, inflatable bounce house in the shape of a princess castle was set up along with a pink cotton candy station. There was also a makeshift outdoor beauty salon where the girls could get their hair done up like princesses. Genevieve had definitely gone all out.
Graham was looking toward the kids, trying to spot Chloe.
“So…this was your house, Graham?”
“Yes…only for a short time. I put it in both our names after we’d gotten engaged. Then, when I found out about what was going on, I didn’t want anything to do with it. Genevieve’s imprint is all over everything. It was easier for me to just sell it to Liam and be done with it.”
“But you picked this house. It must have been hard to give it up.”
“Yes. I loved how close it is to the water. The architecture also has a lot of charm.”
“It certainly does. You have good taste.”
He leaned in and nuzzled my ear. “I would say so.”
I had to admit, knowing that this had been his and Genevieve’s love nest at one time made me even more uncomfortable about being here.
I looked around at how conservatively everyone was dressed. In his white fitted Polo shirt, Graham blended in just fine. As always, I stuck out with my strapless royal blue dress and matching blue hair tips. I’d been itching to change the color but vowed to keep it blue so that Graham didn’t think I was going off the rails.
When Chloe spotted Graham, she made a beeline toward him. “Graham Cracker!”
He knelt down with his arms open as she ran toward him then pretended to fall back when she threw herself into his arms. “Happy birthday, sweetheart.”
When she pulled away, she looked up at me. “Hi, Soraya.”
“Hi, Chloe.” I bent down. “Can I have a hug, too?” We embraced, and she kissed me lightly on the cheek. Her mouth was sticky from the cotton candy.
She wrapped her little arms around Graham’s neck again. “Will you come chase us?”
“Of course. You’re the birthday girl. Whatever you want. Why don’t you go back to your friends for a minute? I’ll be right over, alright?”
Chloe nodded enthusiastically and ran over to rejoin the other girls.
He stood up. “Are you okay if I leave you alone with the wolves for a bit?”
“Of course. We’re here for Chloe. I can deal with the rest of ‘em.”
He whispered in my ear, causing a shiver to run down my neck. “I’ll make it up to you later in a big way. I promise.”
Graham ran over to Chloe, and I watched amused as he took direction from her. Completely at her disposal, he ran in circles chasing the girls around. He towered over them. He was playing the role of some kind of monster. I chuckled as he dropped to the ground and let them clobber him. It was like he’d been attacked by an explosion of pink chiffon.
I couldn’t help thinking that maybe the possibility of being pregnant with this man’s child wasn’t the worst thing in the world. The more I watched him out there, the more I realized I wanted to share a life with him. But it would never be uncomplicated; Genevieve would always be a part of it.