“I’d like to take you to lunch or dinner,” he told me, kissing my neck. “I think we’ll want coffee as well.”
“After.” I turned to face him, licking my lips.
A couple of hours later, we were heading to my kitchen for coffee. Becca called to see what we were doing, and after a little discussion, we agreed to meet them. Mari had to head home in a couple of days to prepare for her move, and both girls felt sad about that.
We showered and dressed in jeans and shirts for a casual dinner in the afternoon. I felt hungry after sipping coffee all day, rushing us out of the house. We drove to the restaurant on the water that served generous sandwiches and burgers and had a great atmosphere.
Gray parked in the small lot, turning to me for another kiss. We exited the car, turning to head inside when Gray’s eyes widened. He grabbed my arm, pulling me forward as I asked him what he was doing. We both hit the ground hard as a car sped by inches away from us, driving through the fence and down the hill just past it.
“Shit,” I gasped as I rolled to my back. “What the hell was that?”
“I hope they lost control,” he murmured as voices came from the building. Staff and guests surrounded us, asking us if we were okay and what happened.
“Hayden? Gray?” Are you okay?” Becca asked, pushing through the crowd to lean over us. “What the fuck was that?”
“I don’t know. I just looked over and saw the car coming at us.” Gray rubbed his face before looking at me beside him. “Are you okay?”
Other than scratched up a bit, I’m fine.” I sat up slowly as Becca watched me with wide eyes.
We managed to get up and sit down on a bench inside the restaurant. They gave us water and assured us that the first responders were on the way for both the driver and us. Becca and Mari took seats beside us, asking if we still wanted to eat.
“I’m hungry,” I replied, and we all laughed.
The ambulances arrived, one helping the driver while the other pair came in to speak to us. They cleaned up our cuts and checked us out, but we were fine other than that. We talked to the police and explained what happened, shocked to find out that it was a young woman in early labor that was driving the car.
We got the information on the driver, deciding to eat once the excitement was over. The girls took us to their booth, where we sipped more water and looked over the menu. Mari told us that she already applied to a few galleries and hoped to hear from one soon. She was well-established at the one she worked at in California after being promoted twice in a year, plus she had a great college record.
Mari was perfect for Becca in many ways. I didn’t tell either of them how relieved I felt that she was moving here, not wanting to sound selfish. I also liked that Gray seemed to like it here and planned to stay.
We enjoyed lunch together as we listened to their plans, parting ways so the girls could go to some local galleries and have some personal contact with the staff. “I like them together.” Gray smiled as he watched them walk away.
“Me, too.” I reached for his hand, glancing over to see the hole in the fence where the car broke through. I tugged, and we walked over, seeing a small grassy hill that ended at a creek. From what we could tell, the car landed in the shallow water. “Should we go to the hospital?” I wasn’t as angry, knowing that the driver was in distress.
“Yes. I want to know how she and the baby are, given that it was too early for delivery.” We chose not to get in the way, and we had already been questioned. We headed to our car, where I pulled up the information and directions to the hospital. Gray followed them, parking a distance away from the brick building and leading me by the hand to an information desk.
I watched as a woman told us they were there, pushing to know if we were family. In his usual charming manner, Gray explained that we were there when she crashed, concerned for her. He wanted to bring her something as well as check on how they were both doing. She softened as he gave her his winning smile, agreeing that we could visit for a short while. Once we had her room number, we made our way to labor and delivery to see her.
Gray tapped on the door once we’d explained the situation to the nurses. A weak voice told us to come in, and I followed him inside to see a small blonde girl in the bed, still pregnant but hooked up to machines. “Hi,” she said, searching our faces.
“Hello. We were at the restaurant when you crashed. We wanted to give you this and check on how you were doing,” Gray said as he set flowers and balloons on a table beside her. She watched with wide eyes before looking at us again.
Something crossed her face, and she looked horrified. “They said I nearly hit two guys. Was that you?” I exchanged a look with Gray for a moment as she covered her face with her hands. “I am so sorry. I am only seven months along, and I was dying for a cone from Penny’s. I didn’t think anything like that would happen.”
“Of course, you didn’t. Are you okay?” I asked as she gave me a weary smile.
“Ava is making an effort to get here early, but the doctors and nurses are doing everything they can to keep her cooking. I’m so scared she’ll get here too early. This pregnancy has been hard as it is.”
Chapter Seven
Gray
We found out that the mother’s name was Vivian, and she was twenty-one and single. The father left shortly after finding out that she was pregnant. She lived with her mom in a tiny apartment after getting dumped, unsure of her future.
I saw her strength as we got to know her. We stayed with her permission as she ate lunch, and nurses darted in and out of the room. She didn’t have a lot of friends after moving here a year ago, just the father.
Vivian worked at a small coffee cafe, or at least she did until today. She was staying in the hospital for observation until Ava arrived, fully expecting to lose her job.
We chatted with her until she was too tired to stay awake, leaving with an invitation to visit her anytime.
“I liked her a lot. Was it just me?” I asked as we returned to the car.
“No. That girl is a firecracker. Can you believe she thought that we thought she intentionally chased us?” Hayden asked, and I shrugged with one shoulder.
“It happens, so no. I suppose I initially thought the same thing.” He looked at me, and I realized that he was right. It did happen.
“Do you want to visit her again?” Hayden asked.
“I think I do.” I smiled.
We returned to his apartment, where I told him that my cousin was leaving tomorrow. They were planning dinner, and I shyly asked Hayden to join us. My family knew about him, but I took it seriously when introducing someone I was seeing to my family.
“Dinner?” Are you sure?” Hayden asked as I nodded.
“He treats us to one of the best steakhouses in the city, and you’ll be included in that as well. Jackson owns a construction company. He does well, and I suspect that he writes all meals off in taxes.” I grinned as he nodded.
“That sounds fun.” He stepped toward me, wrapping his arms around my waist before giving me a soft kiss. “I love you. I could’ve lost you today.”
“We got out of the way. It’s all good.” I kissed him again, leaning over to deepen it.
We managed to shower so that he could change into black slacks and a gray button-up shirt. We went to my apartment so that I could change into something similar. We stood in the hallway for a long moment as I squeezed his hand. “I’m nervous,” Hayden confessed as I kissed him gently.