His brows furrow for a split second and he stutter-steps before coming up behind me. Wrapping one of his strong arms around my waist and urging me backwards into him, he kisses my neck. “The kitchen smells good, but not as great as you.”
Kisses are dotted against my ear, down my neck, and across my shoulder. I’m on the cusp of telling him we’ll wait to mash the potatoes and taking a quick trip to the bedroom when the door opens again.
“Never fails,” Ford mutters, entering the kitchen from the garage. “I can’t go anywhere with my brothers now without some major PDA.”
“Jealous?” Graham laughs.
Ford doesn’t answer. Instead, he takes a baby carrot, dips it in a glob of ranch dressing, and pops it into his mouth. He crunches it much louder than necessary. “What’s for lunch? Dinner?” he tosses out, looking at his watch. “I don’t know what you call it this time of day.”
“Linner?” I volunteer. “I made meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, and a vanilla cake with vanilla icing.”
“It looks like what you made is a mess,” Ford teases. “I’ll just sit over here and wait for Graham to realize it.”
Graham kisses me loudly on the cheek, earning a groan from Ford.
“Really, G?” Ford gasps. “I think you’re stepping in a hunk of raw hamburger right now. That doesn’t needle your inner control freak?”
“I’ve learned to let go a little,” Graham grins. “Or maybe I’d just rather fight with her in a different room.”
Ford shakes his head, his hair now grown out a little. It’s more blond than his brothers and glows in the late afternoon sunlight. “You’ve all turned into pussies.”
Graham swats my behind. “I have no problem with that.” He moseys across the kitchen and takes a seat next to his brother. “Did you get registered for school today?” he asks me.
“I did!” I can’t keep the squeal out of my voice. “I’ll take a few classes this summer and should be set to get into the business school this fall.” Resting the spoon in my hand on a piece of paper towel, I nearly bounce up and down. “I’m so excited, you guys. I have to take another math class, though. Someone will have to help me.”
“I can tutor you in exchange for a few sexual favors,” Graham winks.
“I was hoping you’d say that.”
Graham laughs as Ford shakes his head. “The only bad thing about this is having to get a new Executive Assistant.”
“I’ll find you one,” I remind him. “She has to be smart and organized and not cute.”
“Send all the cute ones my way,” Ford snickers. “I’m getting to the point where I need help.”
“Good p
roblem to have,” I note, turning back to the stove.
Graham gets up and swats me on the behind as he passes. “I’m going to grab a shower. Be out in ten.”
Watching him take his shirt off as he leaves the room, I can’t take my eyes off him. My heart is so full, nearly bursting at the seams with how much I feel for this man.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve learned more about myself and relationships than I did in years with Eric. I now know, without a doubt, what it means to be loved. Graham loves me. He doesn’t tell me every day, but he shows me. Unequivocally.
He still has days where he wants to work late and not have dinner with me. I have moments where I feel like he should be home with me and not at the office. Instead of those situations blowing up into huge arguments, we try to talk it out. We try to remember what’s important to the other person and make that a priority. It’s a learning curve—sometimes we get it right, sometimes not. But Graham always says you know it’s the right relationship when it’s not always easy. Then he laughs. I don’t get it, but I do always get a kiss, so it works.
I grab my ice water before joining Ford at the table. “Did he beat you again?”
“Yes. You’ve manage to calm him down enough that he’s nearly as good as Lincoln on the golf course. Thanks for that.”
I shrug. “You’re welcome.”
He smiles at me with the kindness I’ve come to expect from him. Ford Gregory Landry has the biggest heart of any of the Landry’s. He’s also the fiercest, which I can appreciate . . . especially when it was him that took the phone away from me when Vanessa called in the morning after she dropped off the envelope. It was also Ford that took the visit from the police officer about said conversation. Lucky for him, the officer was a former Marine too and believed Ford’s side of the story and arrested Vanessa a week later for trespassing when she tried to get in my office again.
He and I have gotten close. In a past life, I think we were brother and sister. He’s rebuffed my attempts at setting him up, but I’m still working on it. Ford deserves to be happy and I don’t think he ever will find happiness until he has a family. He was just cut from that cloth. I see it in his eyes when he looks at Barrett and Alison, Lincoln and Dani, and even me and Graham although we have a lot of work to do.
“Can I tell you a secret?” Ford asks, smiling like a rascal.