Chapter 48

Iwoke with a kink in my neck and my spine felt like someone had pinched it. Groaning, I sat up on the couch, trying to shake off the discomfort. My body was protesting loudly, demanding a real bed. I wasn't a small man. And the couch wasn't all that big.

Running a hand through my disheveled hair, I made my way to the kitchen, hoping a hot cup of coffee could help kickstart my day. Sloane was there already, rummaging through the fridge. She looked up as I walked in, and her eyes widened slightly.

"You look awful," she commented.

"Thanks," I replied sarcastically.

I wasn't going to complain about the couch. It was the price I had to pay to spend time with my daughter.

Isadora came into the kitchen, took one look at me, and immediately grimaced. "You look like you're in pain."

"We should put a bed in the guest room that isn't a guest room," Sloane said. "If he's going to be spending the night, he should have a bed."

Isadora and I exchanged a look.

"Let's go out to breakfast," I said, changing the subject. "Your mom doesn't need to cook."

"That sounds like a great plan." Isadora smiled. "Go get dressed, Sloane. Graham, you can use my bathroom to get ready."

Sloane eagerly dashed out of the room, leaving Isadora and me once again alone in the kitchen.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice barely a whisper as she met my gaze. There was an almost imperceptible tension between us, but it was one filled with longing rather than discomfort.

She brushed past me, her shoulder gently grazing mine in a way that sent a jolt of electricity down my spine.

"It's fine," I assured her. "I think I just slept wrong."

"We both know you're too big to be sleeping on that couch," she said.

"I don't mind. I'm going to get ready, and we'll go."

I made my way to Isadora's bathroom to freshen up. As the water cascaded down from the shower, washing the sleep and discomfort away, I couldn't help but think about her. I wanted to be in her room, in her bed. But we had to wait, for Sloane's sake.

I quickly finished my shower and dressed, hoping that a good day out would distract me from the persistent longing. Toweling off my hair, I walked back into the kitchen just as Sloane walked in ready to go.

We went to a casual diner that was probably a far cry from the usual restaurants Sloane and Isadora were used to. The scent of freshly brewed coffee and sizzling bacon filled the air, mingling with the cheerful chatter of the diners around us.

Sloane looked amused as she picked up the menu. "This is cool. I've never been here."

"It's a restaurant with real food cooked in real butter," I told her.

"Sounds healthy," Isadora quipped.

"But it's good." I winked.

The waitress came over, smacking gum with her order pad in hand. "What can I get you folks?"

Isadora glanced up from her menu. "I think I'll go for the pancakes," she declared. "With extra syrup."

"I'll have the French toast," Sloane said.

"I'll have the lumberjack breakfast," I said.

Sloane and Isadora both laughed. When our plates arrived, piled high with steaming pancakes and golden French toast, we dug in with gusto. Laughing and chatting, we enjoyed our meal. I was relieved to see Sloane seemed to have forgiven me for the Todd fiasco.

Just as we were finishing up our breakfast, my phone rang. I glanced at the caller ID and saw that it was my mother. With a quick apology to Isadora and Sloane, I excused myself from the table and stepped outside to take the call.

"Hey, Mom," I answered.

"Hello," my mother replied. "I was hoping I could see you today. Are you busy?"

"Actually, I'm with Isadora and Sloane," I told her. "I'll ask if they'd like to visit."

"Oh, I don't want to interrupt," she said.

"Mom, you're not interrupting. I'm sure Sloane would like to spend some time with you. I'll text you in a few minutes."

"I'll be waiting."

With that, I hung up and went back inside.

"Is everything okay?" Isadora asked.

"That was my mom," I said. "She wants to know if we'd like to visit her."

Sloane shrugged. "I'm game."

Isadora nodded. "Of course."

"Great," I said. "Thank you, guys. I try and visit, but I don't do it enough."

I quickly sent Mom a message and let her know we would be there.

When we got to Mom's place, she had just finished making cookies. I wasn't surprised.

"These are so good." Sloane groaned as she chewed one of the warm, gooey cookies.

"Do you want to go out, Mom?" I asked. "Or we can hang out here. Whatever you want to do."

We decided to stay in. Mom wanted to play one of her favorite games—Spades. After explaining the game to Sloane and Isadora, we split into teams. It was Isadora and me against Mom and Sloane.

"I feel like this might be a little unfair," I joked. "I don't want you guys crying when we kick your butts."

"Don't get too confident, Graham," Mom teased, her fingers deftly shuffling the deck of cards. "We'll see who comes out on top."

Sloane giggled beside her. "I can't wait to beat you guys," she exclaimed.

With that, the game began. The cards clicked against the surface of the dining table. Mom and Sloane proved to be formidable opponents, working in sync like they had been playing together for years.

Isadora and I, on the other hand, had a harder time coordinating our gameplay. She would often play a card that didn't quite match my strategy, leaving us at a disadvantage.

At one point, Sloane let out a triumphant laugh as she won another round. "I think we're

clearly the superior team," she gloated, grinning over at me and Isadora.

"Oh, we're not done yet," Isadora retorted. "Graham, we need a new strategy."

I nodded, leaning in to murmur in her ear. What I whispered had nothing to do with the game at all. I reminded her of the way she screamed my name and described how good she tasted.

Mom watched us with an amused smile on her face, then shuffled and dealt the cards for the next round. Mom knew. Obviously, she knew about my feelings for Isadora. I wasn't sure if Sloane was catching on quite yet, though.

After getting our asses handed to us, Isadora begged for mercy.

"Let me check the pot roast," Mom said. "I think it should be close to being done."

"Can I help with anything?" Isadora asked.

"I think I have it, but Graham can show you where the dishes are, and you two can set the table."

The comforting scent of pot roast filled the air, reminding me of my youth. I led her to the cabinet where my mom stored plates and bowls, then directed her to the drawer with the cutlery. As she busied herself with setting the table, I had to force myself not to stare at her.

We sat down to eat once again. I couldn't help but feel like the luckiest man in the world. I had my favorite people in this room. I loved them all. These were the three women I would die to protect. I wanted to cherish every moment with them.

"Thank you, Mom," I said warmly, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand affectionately. "This looks amazing."

My mother smiled back at me, her eyes shining with pride. "I'm just glad to see all of you together. You have a beautiful family, Graham."

A lump formed in my throat at her words. "Thank you, Mom. I'm grateful for every moment I get to spend with them. And they're your family too."

Isadora smiled as she took a bite of the pot roast. I did hope that one day we could officially be a family.

After dinner, we had to call it a night, even though I saw how happy my mom was after getting to spend almost the whole day with us.

"Were you close to your dad?" Sloane asked on the ride home.

"We had a good relationship." I nodded. "He was a tough man, but it was because he loved me. He was the kind of guy everyone relied on."

"I wish I had known him," Sloane replied.

"He would have liked you, Sloane. He would have been the grandpa wearing a T-shirt with your picture on it at the swim meet, telling everyone that would listen you were his granddaughter."

She laughed. "That would have been funny."

When we arrived at their building, I went upstairs with them to collect my overnight bag.

"Thanks for hanging out with us," Sloane said and gave me a hug. "I really like my grandma. She's fun."

"She really likes you, too," I replied. "It was a good day. I'll see you later, kiddo."

Sloane disappeared into her room. I turned toward Isadora to find her smiling. "I hate saying goodbye to her," I admitted as I reached out to brush a stray lock of hair from her face.

Isadora's eyes softened, her gaze filled with understanding. "I know," she replied softly, her hand coming to rest on mine.

She leaned in to press a gentle kiss to my lips. Longing washed over me, a desperate ache for more than just stolen moments and fleeting kisses. I wanted to be done with the secrecy.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I said. "Thanks for today. It was fun."

"I'm glad we all got to be together." She smiled. "Sloane likes getting to know the other side of her family. Your mom is great. I'm so relieved she's not holding any grudges against me. I wouldn't blame her if she did."

"Mom isn't like that." I shrugged. "She's just glad to have a granddaughter in her life."

I gave her another quick kiss and left. I got into the waiting car and leaned back, looking up at their building as we drove away.

I was tired of living apart, of only seeing them together for an hour or two during the week. I wanted more—I wanted to wake up beside Isadora every morning. I wanted to be a part of their everyday lives. It was time to take the next step, to make our family complete. It was time Sloane knew the truth about my relationship with her mother.

She was mature for her age. She could handle it. And at this point, I couldn't imagine ever being apart from Isadora again, so it wasn't likely we would break up.

We belonged together. It took us over a decade of being apart to see it but it was true. No sense in denying it any longer. I needed to talk it over with Isadora.

We couldn't move forward together until we put all these lies behind us.