Southern Gentleman (Charleston Heat 3)

I’m grinning. “The Montgomery men tend to have that effect.”

“They certainly do,” she says under her breath. “Anyway. It’s not serious. Just a summer fling.”

“How very Danny and Sandy of you,” Gracie says.

“Welp,” I say, patting Eva’s knee. “You know I won’t say a word. But I really do love Ford like a brother. Doesn’t mean I won’t kick his ass if he breaks your heart.”

“He’s already done that once,” she says. “Won’t be happening again, trust me.”

I meet eyes with Gracie. She grins. So do I.

“Whatever you do, just be sure to use two forms of birth control,” I say. “Don’t do like I did and rely on only one. That’s how accidents happen.”

“Hey,” Eva replies, nodding at baby in her arms. “I’d say things turned out all right for you guys.”

I look up to see Grey standing in the doorway. Looking as handsome as ever in his stretchy pants—tight, just how I like ’em—and scruff, a burp cloth draped over one shoulder.

He’s smiling. At me.

Making my heart and my stomach and everything else do backflips.

I may have taco meat nipples.

I may be wearing mesh underwear.

But that doesn’t stop me from feeling a rush of emotion.

Desire. Joy. That very fine man is mine.

So is that very little man in Eva’s arms.

Later that night, Grey and I take the baby outside and sit on the rocking chairs on our new front porch.

Well, Grey sits. And I do this kinda-sorta half sit that, when I get it just right, doesn’t make me want to cry.

The three of us rock in silence for several minutes. Parker on Grey’s shoulder.

Seeing them together like this makes me smile. So hard.

“You know, I forgot to ask you how that book ended,” Grey says. “The one you read in your class—Romp with the Rake? I forget what it was called. But I remember really liking it.”

I furrow my brow, smile deepening. “What made you think of that?”

“I don’t know. Seeing Olivia today, maybe. Those girls love you, by the way.”

“They’re pretty awesome.”

“I know. But yeah. Last I heard, Callum the Scot was walking out on Charlotte because he didn’t want to taint her with his terrible truth.”

“Sound familiar?”

He grins. “Yes.”

“Welp. Callum finally sees the light, he begs for Charlotte’s forgiveness, and then they get back to—well, getting busy in the comfort of his castle.”

“Sounds like a solid ending.”

“Castle sex usually is. But! They never end up conceiving an heir. Which crushes them both, because Callum really wanted to start a new family. He missed his terribly—Charlotte was dead on about that—and so they end up taking in orphans. Five of them, to be exact.”

“Five! Holy shit. One kid is enough to push me over the edge,” he says, nodding at Parker.

“No kidding. But Charlotte has this beautiful line at the end of the book—she says something like taking in five orphans was not the future she and Callum had planned. But it was beautiful and full nonetheless. So beautiful she couldn’t help but feel it was a happily ever after that was very much meant to be.”

Grey reaches over. Offers me his hand.

“Just like the three of us?”

I take it. The warm, solid, dry feel of it is familiar now.

“Yeah,” I say. “Yeah, I do think we were meant to be. Because even though this is fucking hard, I’m still all right to do it, you know? I’m all right because I get to do it with you.”

He gives my hand a squeeze. “Out of all the beautiful words you’ve spoken to me, I think those might be the prettiest.”

“Thanks,” I say. “I’m telling you, romance is where it’s at. I learned all that and more from it.”

“You’ve certainly taught me the power of love stories,” he replies. “Callum and Charlotte’s. Ours.”

“I know I’m biased, but I kind of think ours is the best.”

He looks at me. “Because it’s perfect?”

“Because it’s not. I told you—I’m all about the cracks in perfection. Give me the real.” I look back at him. “Give me you.”

He tilts his head. “You already have me.”

“And you have me.”

“And now we have a kid. When did that happen?”

I laugh. “I don’t know. But I’m glad it did.”

I mean that.

I do.