Then Came You (The Wilde Sisters #2) (18 page)

“Grayson!” Maddie’s voice squealed from the living room. “You’re home! Can we go to the fancy restaurant and see
The Lion King
tonight?”

Grayson’s laughter caused goosebumps to erupt on Thyme’s arms and her nipples puckered even more. From the cold, not from the sound of his laughter. After shucking her pajamas for nanny-appropriate jeans and Red Sox sweatshirt, Thyme quietly walked down the hall and slipped into the kitchen.

High-pitched giggles and deep, low laughter filled the apartment while she made waffles. When she called father and daughter in to eat, there was a twinkle in Grayson’s eye she’d never seen before. San Diego had been good for the man. He left in a hurry, anxious to get away from Thyme, but the man who returned seemed younger, carefree.

“We don’t have any more strawberries and whipped cream, so syrup is going to have to do this morning. Big strips, or cut into bites?”

“Bites.”

Thyme picked up a knife and fork but Grayson took Maddie’s plate away from her. “I can do it. Sit and eat. You’ve been in here slaving away all morning.”

“It took twenty minutes. I’m fine.” She tried to take Maddie’s plate back but Grayson’s firm grip didn’t let up.

“Sit.” He gestured with his fork. How very unsophisticated of him. She liked that.

Rolling her eyes, Thyme sat and began the process of buttering and doctoring her own waffle. When Grayson finished cutting Maddie’s breakfast he got up to grind the coffee beans.

“Oh, I forgot to make a pot. I’m sorry.” Normally Thyme couldn’t function without her morning coffee, but Grayson’s surprise appearance woke her up more than a triple shot of espresso could.

“Thyme. Sit. I can make my own coffee.”

“You’re paying me to—”

“To help out with Maddie while I’m at work. As you can see, I’m not at work. And neither are you. Sit and eat your breakfast.”

Feeling defeated, but warm and fuzzy inside, Thyme sat and dove into her waffle. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe she could be Maddie’s nanny and Grayson’s lover at the same time. As long as they kept their hands off each other in front of Maddie.

After breakfast Grayson insisted on taking both Maddie and Thyme for a walk around Central Park. The snow had finally melted, leaving the park blanketed in muddy, dead grass and trees. In a few weeks the buds would open and leaves would fill the trees. The grass would turn to a lush green while flowers bloomed, making New York feel a little less…dead. In the meantime, Maddie’s laughter and Grayson’s new carefree mood was all the spark Thyme needed.

They even hopped in a carriage and went on an overpriced horse-driven ride around the city. Thyme’s cheeks hurt from smiling too much; she couldn’t imagine how Maddie’s throat felt after laughing all afternoon. The day had been perfect, even if Grayson did his best to hide a few muffled yawns. His step was much slower on the walk back to his penthouse than it had been earlier in the day while Maddie skipped in between him and Thyme, swinging their hands with every step.

“Can I play in the park some more?”

“Sure,” Grayson replied behind another yawn.

“Sweetie, let’s call it a day. Grayson is tired after flying all night and sleeping on the couch.”

“I’m fine, Thyme, but thank you for thinking of me.”

“You must be exhausted. You need to go to bed.” She could see light purple smudges under his eyes, which were suddenly hooded and cloudy.

He leaned over Maddie’s short body and whispered in her hair, “Care to join me?”

It was either melt or scowl. Thyme chose the latter, but then Grayson smirked and she melted anyway. He was not making this easy on her. She reminded herself of how quickly he ditched her and Maddie in Aruba and again when she came to New York. Sure, they were having fun now, but work would always interfere.

Until Grayson could break free from work and Sophia, Maddie would never have a chance. Hell, Maddie would fair out all right.

Thyme, however, didn’t stand a chance.

***

Grayson

Grayson had no idea what had gotten in to him. He’d never been the flirtatious type before. Even when he couldn’t keep his hands off Thyme in Aruba, and again in Maine, he at least had some semblance of control. But the way her curls framed her face and her curves filled out her t-shirts and jeans made him lose all sense of dignity. He’d turned into one of those unreformed men Sophia had trained him not to be. The type of man he’d observed in college. That he worked with on construction sites. The ones that seemed comfortable in their own skin and in love with life.

Manly. And he felt damned great. Screw high society, straight and narrow, tuxedos and shallow women. There was only one woman he wanted and she had
Dangerous Curves
written all over her.

When they got back from the park, Grayson caved in to Thyme’s insisting and took a nap in his bed that smelled like citrus and Thyme. He didn’t think he’d fall asleep, but wrapped in her scent, he quickly dozed off.

It seemed like minutes later when Maddie came crawling over his body, an elbow in the gut and a tiny foot nearly hitting his groin. “Hey, easy there, peanut.”

“I’m going to preschool now and wanted to say goodbye.”

“School? Peanut, it’s Sunday.”

Maddie scrunched her nose and giggled. “No it’s not, silly. You slept all day yesterday while Thyme and I went to the movies. And then we made cookies and banana bread. I had banana bread for breakfast but I saved you some. Thyme packed some for a snack in my lunchbox.”

Grayson sat up quickly and almost darted out of bed before he remembered he was only wearing his boxers. Not a sight his daughter needed to see. “Today is Monday? And it’s—” He turned to look at the clock and muffled a curse. “Almost eight? I need to get to the office.” He kept the sheet covering his legs and engulfed Maddie in a bear hug. “Have a great day, sweetheart. I’ll do my best to be home for dinner.” He kissed her on her cheek and picked her up, off the bed.

Once she was gone, he shot out of bed and rushed through his shower, wishing he didn’t have to shave. He had two days’ growth on his face and it made him feel…real. Like someone Thyme would be interested in. Not the stuffed shirt, smooth-face pretty boy his grandmother had groomed him to be. Giving in to habit, he shaved, made sure his hair was styled in a professional manner, and suited up. He’d never minded wearing a suit to work before, but this morning the tie felt…constraining.

Soon. The plan he worked on during his flight home from San Diego would go into motion as soon as he tied up loose ends at work and had a talk with his family. Thyme may think she wanted distance, but Grayson would convince her otherwise.

Chapter Ten

Thyme

The next two weeks flew by in a flurry. Grayson worked long hours but made sure he was home for dinner most nights. When he couldn’t make it in time, he called with an unnecessary apology. The nights he was there for dinner he brought flowers, wine, or ice cream treats. Like he was being invited over instead of being served at his own table, with his own food. Still, Thyme appreciated the thoughtfulness. He offered her his bedroom but she couldn’t sleep in his bed, knowing he was on the couch, so she bought an air mattress and slept on the floor of Maddie’s room until she could find an apartment.

Grayson promised to help her find a place, but he said the market was not in her favor right now. Thyme didn’t believe he spent much of his working day hunting for apartments and for now, that was okay. Being close to Maddie…and to Grayson…was well worth sleeping on the floor.

The flirting continued but Grayson never pressured her with kisses. There were many touches, though. His hand on the small of her back, guiding her to the table. A gentle touch on the shoulder when she was arguing with Maddie about bedtime. A stroke down her hair when he came home from work. And a
thank you
hand squeeze after each meal. There were times his stare was glued to her lips and she couldn’t help but lick them, and he would clench his jaw and look away.

Grayson Montgomery had Herculean constraint. She, on the other hand, had none. It was too much; he was too tempting. Thyme couldn’t deny her feelings any longer. He’d made his interest known some time ago. All she had to do was make the first move. And tonight would be the perfect night.

He’d asked her to accompany him to some sort of fashion show for university students. A follow-up to the world famous Fashion Week in February. Grayson made it clear that he really didn’t want to attend the event and was only going as a family obligation, asking her to be his date. Tonight Thyme would meet the infamous Sophia Buchanan.

His eyes lost their shine when he spoke of his grandmother. And he still wouldn’t tell her why he hadn’t told Maddie about her parentage. Grayson claimed it was because he needed to talk to his family first to break the news. But she saw the insecurity in his eyes, in his body language, when she brought it up. Hopefully this weekend would change things.

Thyme opened the door to Maddie’s insanely large closet and walked to the back, where a black bag with a silver
B
hung. Eva had surprised her a few weeks ago by having the dress delivered to the penthouse. It was a beautiful electric blue dress held up by tiny rhinestone straps. Or at least, she hoped they were rhinestone. The material was soft and not too shiny. Silk? Satin? Thyme had no idea, but it hugged her curves just right when she tried it on last month. Not too tight, not too loose. And the sparkly, strappy shoes—hopefully rhinestones as well—were the final touch to make her feel like Cinderella going to the ball.

She spent too much time on her hair, pulling most of it up and leaving a few tendrils down around her face, and would only need a few minutes to slip into the dress. Not wanting to chance getting anything on it, Thyme pulled on sweats and a button-down shirt before heading into the kitchen to start dinner for Maddie and Eva and to make a quick snack for herself and Grayson. They wouldn’t eat dinner until nine and there was no way she could last another four hours with an empty stomach. Some cheese and crackers ought to do the trick.

She’d finished her snack and was wiping the counter when the doorbell rang. Thyme skipped to the front door, excited to see Eva and super-anxious to put on her dress.

“You’re just in time—” Only it wasn’t Eva at the door but a beautiful redhead, towering over Thyme in her heels, shimmering in a tight gold dress that did nothing to hide the model-thin body underneath. “I, uh…”

“Has Grayson left yet?” the gold-plated beanpole asked as she stepped past Thyme and into the apartment. Ray, the doorman, discreetly set a black overnight bag inside the door before turning to leave.

Thyme turned and closed the door as Grayson stepped into the living room, dressed to the nines in a tailor-made tuxedo, his bow tie hanging loosely around his neck. Damn, he took her breath away. “Gina?” He looked guiltily at Thyme and then back at the Gina chick. “What are you doing here?” He managed to sound polite instead of upset.

“Sophia said your car would pick me up, but it doesn’t make any sense for you to drive downtown just to come back uptown for the show. So I had my driver drop me off here. You weren’t answering your cell, so I left early to make sure I caught you before you left.” Gina kissed him on the lips and began working on his tie. The familiarity between the two made the cheese Thyme just had feel like one of the giant cheeseheads Green Bay Packers fans wore was weighing in her stomach.

“Yes. I…”

Thyme crossed her arms over her chest and raised a glaring eyebrow at him. He held her gaze another long moment as a fissure cracked through the center of her heart. Guilt washed over his flushed face as he looked away, shoving his hands in his pockets before lowering his head.

“Grayson. I didn’t finish your picture yet.” Maddie came running down the hall, a drawing in hand.

“And who is this?” Gina asked.

Grayson plastered a fake smile on his face and kneeled before his daughter, using her as a shield to protect him from the daggers Thyme cast his way. “Madeline, this is Miss MacIntire.”

“You look pretty. Are you going to the fashion show too?”

“Yes, I am.”

“I wish I could go but it’s too late so I’m staying home.”

Gina gave Thyme a quick glance over her shoulder. “Oh, and it looks like you’ll have fun with your babysitter.”

Before Grayson could reply—not that it looked like he was eager to jump right in—the doorbell rang again. Thyme quickly opened the door and didn’t say anything to Eva as she scooped her in a hug.

“You’re not dressed and—oh. Hello, Gina.”

Thyme closed the door, none too gently, and leaned against it, waiting for an explanation, her heart beating so fast she was sure her chest would explode any minute.

“Eva, so wonderful to see you again. I feel like it’s been ages since we’ve all been out together.” Gina sauntered—yes, the woman worked the room—over to Eva and kissed both cheeks. “You’re not dressed. Are you feeling well? I’m assuming Madeline is one of your kids?” Gina whispered to Eva, none too softly. “How generous of you to give the poor girl a place to stay for the night. Is that why you’re not dressed? You’re sacrificing your evening for a little girl. You’ve always been so generous. I’m surprised Grayson put up his space. It’s not like him to house the homeless.”

Thyme did all she could to keep her tightly clenched fists at her sides instead of punching Gina in the face. She’d never been a violent person before and lord help her, but she wanted to go apeshit on the skeletal goddess right here. Right now.

“Eva!” Maddie jumped into her arms.

“Maddie is very close to me. And Grayson as well.” Eva tilted her head toward Grayson.

“If you’ll excuse me, Gina, I need to speak with…Thyme for a moment.” Grayson gave Thyme a look that clearly said he wanted her to follow him down the hall. She scowled, making sure he was sweating profusely in his Hugo Boss or Gucci or whatever type of suit he was wearing before following him.

“Time? Darling, fashionably late is fine for a party or a gala, but we really should be on our way soon.”

Controlling her redneck tendencies to take her down a notch, Thyme ignored the snotty bimbo and, huffing loudly, pushed off the door and headed down the hall with him. Once out of sight, Grayson pulled her into his room.

“I am so, so sorry. I had no idea she—”

“You had no idea? It sounds like Gina had an idea. Looks to me like she brought an overnight bag as well. You two do this often?”

“Yes. I mean…no. Not lately.”

She could barely hear him through the roaring, angry fumes forming in her head. “Which is it? Never mind. It doesn’t matter. I’m just the babysitter and I’m sleeping in Maddie’s room anyway. We promise to be sound asleep when you two lovebirds get home tonight. Try not to make too much noise. The walls are pretty thin.” Thyme reached for the doorknob but Grayson pulled her back.

“No, wait. It’s not what it looks like.”

“Really? What does it look like?” She shrugged off his hand.

“It looks like I made a date with two beautiful women for the same night.”

“And?”

“I only want to be with you, but I—”

“Bullshit.”

Grayson’s head snapped back in surprise. “Look, I didn’t call Gina. I haven’t seen her since…before Aruba. Sophia must have invited her and—”

“Oh. My. God. Your freaking grandmother? Seriously?”

“Yes. She does this a lot.”

“Makes dates for you?”

At least he had the courtesy to look embarrassed. “Yes.”

“And you don’t have the balls to tell her to mind her own business? That you can get your own dates?”

“It’s not that easy.”

“Yes. It is.” Thyme held her hand to her face, mimicking a phone. “Hey gram. I’m a sexy thirty-two-year-old bachelor. I can find my own dates. Thanks but no thanks.”

“I told you before that she—”

“So you knew she’d do something like this and didn’t give her a head’s up that you’re a big boy now and found yourself a date?”

Grayson sat on the bed and sighed. “The MacIntires are family friends. I’ve known Gina since we were toddlers. Our families always thought we’d get married. The Buchanan fashion and the MacIntire jewels. A perfect blend. Only I went into the architecture field and Gina…well, Gina enjoys being a socialite. She has no interest in settling down. But I can’t send her off alone tonight.”

“So you two go to parties together and have regular sex? And this makes me feel better?” Thyme pulled out the three dozen bobby pins holding her updo and flicked them at Grayson. He couldn’t leave Gina high and dry; Thyme, however, could be stood up. She saw too clearly where she ranked and she couldn’t blame Grayson. She wasn’t fit to socialize at some yuppity, snotty ball. Still, the dagger in her chest hurt more than it should.

“You are a spineless man, Grayson Montgomery. You have a beautiful little girl that you’re ashamed of. A grandmother who you’re afraid to say no to, a father who wants you to follow in his footsteps, a mother who has a heart of gold and only wants to see you happy and show off her granddaughter to the world, and a nanny who…who is…who is…argh!” She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to tame her curls and give her hands something to do besides punch the idiot. “And here you are wasting your life trying to please the wrong people. Go. Go make your grandmother and Gina happy.”

“Wait, Thyme.”

“No. Don’t.” She slipped past him and down the hall, into the kitchen where she retrieved her purse. Clenching her jaw and fighting her tears, she didn’t make eye contact with anyone in the living room as she made her way to the coat closet and slipped into her coat and boots. “Thank you, Eva, for watching Maddie tonight. I’ll be back in a bit. Miss MacIntire.” Thyme nodded formally at the beauty queen. “Enjoy your evening.”

She quickly exited and didn’t wait for the elevator, running down the seven flights of stairs and out into the fresh air before she made more of a fool of herself. Her heart ached and her belly cramped from holding back her tears. Hidden by the camouflage of night, Thyme let the tears fall. She wasn’t a dainty crier, but a loud, obnoxious bawler. She didn’t cry often. Her life had been too simple to get worked up over much of anything. No real boyfriends. No real job. No real life. That’s how she wanted it. Thyme had a fun and carefree life and never let anything get her down.

Wiping her nose on the sleeve of her jacket, she slowed down and breathed in the cool, April air. In all her life she’d never cried over a man. Or a boy. Not even after Jason Wagner took her virginity in the back of his daddy’s pickup and then sent her on her way before he even finished zipping up. She had known what she was getting in to. Jason had a reputation for going after virgins, and at seventeen, Thyme didn’t want to be a virgin anymore but didn’t want to sleep with any of her guy friends. She had too much fun hanging out with them.

So instead she sought out the biggest guy-ho in school and offered herself to him. Once the deed was done Thyme knew that sex would never be anything more than a fun activity she enjoyed and never got emotional about. Until Grayson came along and played with her heart and her sex life. And she didn’t even get to wear her Cinderella dress.

Damn him. Damn Grayson Montgomery and his sexy eyes and his flawless manners. He was such a fool. Inside lay a generous, loving man just itching to escape, but the stupid Buchanan Bill of Rights had been stamped into him decades ago and the man was too decent to hurt anyone’s feelings.

Except hers. He had no problem casting little redneck Thyme Wilde aside when push came to shove. Oh, no, he shoved her as fast as he could. There could never be a future for Thyme and Grayson until he stood up to his family and took full responsibility for his daughter. The hold Sophia Buchanan had over her grandson was ridiculous and archaic.