Young Love (Bloomfield #4) (5 page)

“Grey lives in this building too,” she said. “So, of course, he was obligated to help.”

Grey snorted as I fought to keep my mouth from dropping open in horror. “Says who?”

“Says me, obviously.”

“You live here too?” I managed, looking up at him.

He glanced down at me with that same smirk on his face.

Please say no
, I thought.

“Yup,” Cat answered for him. “He lives right next to you. So if you ever need someone to kick out a guy or fix your toilet, you know where to go.”

She and Chloe laughed. All I could do was stare at the ground.

Next door?

Grey lived right beside me?

Holy shit. This was so bad.

So,
so
bad.

Chapter 6

Grey

Me living beside her bothered Honor. She didn’t have to come out and say it for me to know. Her body language said enough.

For the rest of the evening she avoided looking at me. If I was smart I would have done the same, but my eyes went to her no matter how hard I tried to stop them.

There was something so captivating about Honor.

I could appreciate her beauty. Especially when she laughed with the other girls as they talked about school. And even more when she started to talk about dance.

The funny thing was, it wasn’t so much her own dancing that seemed to bring out her enthusiasm, but when she spoke about the girls she taught.

I watched her, my chin leaning on my fist as I lounged in the corner of the sofa. Her whole body seemed to become infused with energy when they asked about her job there.

Most people would probably look at her and expect her to be ambitious for herself. Just like Perrie had suggested. She’d mentioned Honor becoming a principal dancer, but her reaction hadn’t been one of someone with those kinds of goals in her future.

It took me only five minutes of watching her, really watching her, to see where her true ambitions lay. And I’d put all my money on her wanting to do something with those kids rather than go off and become some big, famous dancer herself.

Even if I hadn’t overheard her say what she was taking in school, I would have guessed it. Honor would be an amazing teacher - or rather, was, if Jeanie had anything to say about it. I was glad that it was Honor who taught my niece. She was setting a good example for those girls.

Here she was, a young - beautiful - girl who could be going out and partying all the time like most girls her age. But instead she spent most her evenings teaching, and her days studying.

Did I, admire her? As I sat there watching her, I knew that’s exactly what I was coming to feel for Honor Jacobs. Admiration. This was the kind of girl who would go far in life on her own. She didn’t need anyone to hold her hand.

By the time nine came around, she got up to excuse herself, saying she had more unpacking to do. From what I’d seen in her living room, she was a super organized person. The place looked as though she’d already lived there for months, not just a day.

I’d taken a good look around while I listened to the shower in the other room. I probably shouldn’t have just walked in, but for some reason I couldn’t help myself. No, that’s not true. I knew exactly why I’d gone in.

When Cat had asked Chloe to go over and get Honor, I’d jumped in to offer to go instead right away. As I’d stood outside her apartment knocking on the door, there was no denying the concern that had washed over me when she wouldn’t answer. If the door had been locked, it was likely I would have broken it down.

I’d walked in, worried something was wrong, and needing to make sure she was okay. A protective instinct had reared up.

Once I’d tried the knob and saw it was unlocked, and then immediately established she was fine, I’d been pissed. A girl living on her own should know better than to leave her door unlocked.

I could have gone back out, but I wanted to make a point. And seeing the surprised, scared expression on her face when she’d walked in to see me, I knew she wouldn’t be making that same mistake again.

As she stood, so did I.

“I should probably go too,” I said, gripping hands with Briggs. “I have an early appointment tomorrow morning.”

“Okay, man. I’ll see you there. I should be in around ten,” he said.

I nodded. Briggs trusted me to open the shop without him, something that meant a lot to me. He was a good guy, and I wanted to see his shop do as well as he did.

Not to mention he was an amazing artist. He was still more of the business side than the tattoo side, since he was apprenticing, but his artwork was unreal.

The two of us headed toward the door, waving goodbye. Outside, the silence of the hallway amplified that it was just the two of us now. Honor didn’t look at me as she hurried to her door. I followed, watching the slow blush work its way up the back of her neck to infuse her pale cheeks.

She opened the door. I expected her to just go in and leave without another word. But she surprised me, turning around to send a polite smile my way.

“Goodnight, Grey,” she said.

I stopped in front of her, leaning against the door casing.

“I’m just down that way,” I said, jerking my head in the direction of my apartment. “Cat was right. You need anything, just let me know.”

She bit at her bottom lip, nodding once. I zeroed in on her mouth, unable to look away now that I had. Man, she had perfect lips. And I knew just how fucking perfect they felt beneath mine.

As hard as I tried not to think about that kiss, it was impossible, especially with her right in front of me. I’d never had a kiss like that, and damn if I didn’t want to kiss her again. Just once. Just to see if it was as amazing as I remembered, or if my mind had embellished some of the finer points. I needed to know if that connection would happen again.

My pocket started to vibrate. Looking up, I realized Honor was standing there, her eyes as wide as a deer caught in headlights. Pulling out my phone, I glanced at the screen to see Kelly’s name there.

Shit. What am I doing? I’m supposed to be giving this relationship thing a shot with Kel, and I’m standing here lusting after a girl I had no business wanting. This whole relationship thing might be new, but that didn’t mean I didn’t take it seriously. If I was going to be monogamous then I’d commit to that.

Clearing my throat, I took a step back and gave her a quick smile. “Night, Honor.”

Turning, I walked down to my door, not looking back over my shoulder as I entered my place.

***

A flurry of pink tulle and feathers flew at my head the second I stepped inside.

“Uncle Grey, Uncle Grey! You’re here!”

I caught Jeanie at the last second with a big “whoa” as I steadied myself from the impact.

“Easy there, flying squirrel.” I set her down. “A little warning next time would be appreciated.”

As though I hadn’t said a word, which I was used to when it came to five year olds, she smiled broadly at me, twisting from side to side.

“See anything different about me, Uncle Grey?” She asked in a singsong voice.

I grabbed my chin, narrowing my eyes at her. “There is something,” I said slowly. “I just can’t put my finger on it.” I snapped. “It’s your hair, you cut it.”

She shook her head. “Nope!”

“Hmmm...your nose! It’s definitely your nose. Did you get a nose job?”

“Uncle Grey!” She said, giggling.

I knelt down so we were face to face. “Ah, I see it now,” I said, biting back a laugh as she smiled widely at me, showing me her teeth. “Someone knocked out that tooth of yours. Are you getting in fights again, ladybug?”

“No! It fell out! All by itself. And tonight the tooth fairy is going to bring me money.”

I chuckled, standing again and patting her affectionately on the head. “Tell her to leave some for me too, won’t you?”

Jeanie scrunched up her nose. “But you didn’t lose no teeth, Uncle Grey.”

I shrugged. “Guess I’m out of luck then.”

“Don’t be too hasty, I can remedy that with one good aim,” Jillian said, appearing in the doorway to the kitchen.

“Nice try, sis. Your punches are as affective as a mosquito bite.”

She rolled her eyes, walking to me. “I used to give you a good whooping.”

I smirked. “Sure, when we were Jeanie’s age.” Jillian was older than me by only two years. It hadn’t taken long for me to grow bigger than her.

She glanced around me with a questioning look. “Where’s this new girlfriend of yours? I thought we were going to meet her.”

I rubbed the back of my neck. Truthfully, I hadn’t even told Kelly about my family’s Sunday dinner. I was leery about bringing her around my parents. My family could be...a bit overwhelming. We were a loud bunch who didn’t hold back. I was afraid how she would fair against the Anderson crowd.

Plus, I knew if Mom met her, she’d either be planning my wedding, or hate Kelly on sight. Mom wasn’t the easiest to impress.

“She couldn’t make it,” I lied.

My sister narrowed her eyes at me. “You can’t hide her forever, Grey.”

“I’m not hiding her.”

“Uh huh, sure.”

Kicking off my shoes, I headed toward the kitchen, leaving her to follow behind me. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Out back,” she said. Jillian went to the counter to continue preparing the chili as I walked to the sliding doors that lead to the backyard. Everyone sat around the table on the deck, laughing as they played cards.

My Uncle Frank shouted a hello as I stepped out. Mom and Dad soon followed, as my cousin Dean stood up to shake my hand.

“Nice to see you, man,” he said, slapping my back.

“You too,” I said, taking a seat beside him. I nodded at my brother-in-law in greeting, and settled back.

“Where’s Kelly?” Mom asked.

“She couldn’t make it.”

Dad snorted. “They never do.”

I ignored him, and the firm press of my mother’s mouth. I didn’t bring girlfriends around often - ever - and I knew it bothered them. I didn’t want to introduce anyone to them unless I knew for sure it was real. Why did it matter so much? I wasn’t sure. My family meant a lot to me, and I wanted the girl I brought home to mean just as much.

Kelly and I were just starting this trial relationship, even though it had been a few weeks already. My mind wasn’t settled on us really being together long term.

Everyone soon forgot all about it, and returned to their game. Jeanie came skipping out of the house to settle on my lap, talking at rapid speed about her new dance classes.

I nodded along, listening, even as my mind started to picture her teacher. I couldn’t help it. I knew what Honor looked like dancing across the stage, and it was nothing short of breathtaking. I hadn’t seen her since that night at Cat’s apartment, which had been a week ago, but I had heard her come and go a couple of times.

She and Chloe left together for classes most of the time, their voices floating through my door. I’d kept myself hidden away, reminding myself constantly that I was with Kelly.

Speaking of which, my phone vibrated then, showing her name in the text that lit up my screen.

Kelly
: going to the Devil’s Cup tonight. Wanna come?

The Devil’s Cup was a well-known college bar near campus. A scene that wasn’t really mine anymore.

Me
: what time?

Was it sad that I felt like an old man, and really just wanted to go home and sleep after this? Probably. My phone buzzed.

Kelly
: 10:00 :)

Me
: I’ll meet you there

Kelly
: yay! See you there xoxo

I’d make an appearance, even if it was just for an hour or so. With a big sigh, I put the phone away and went back to concentrating on my family.

Jillian sat down across from me, a look on her face that instantly told me she wanted something. The girl had no poker face.

“What?” I said.

She laughed. “Why do you already sound annoyed?”

“Because I know you want something, so spit it out.”

“Grey, be nice to your sister,” Mom shot out.

I didn’t bother looking at her as I shook my head. Fifty-six and she still felt the need to mediate between us.

“Yeah, Grey,” Jillian said with a grin.

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Careful, Jilly,” I warned.

She laughed again. The damn women in my life had me wrapped around their fingers, and they knew it just as much as I did. Especially the little one currently wrapping her arms around my neck from behind as she climbed up the back of my chair.

“I was just wondering if you were free next weekend?” Jillian said.

“As far as I know,” I answered slowly. “Why?”

“Well, Jack and I wanted to go for a date night, and were wondering if you could watch Jeanie for us.”

The arms around my neck tightened, as a soft cheek pressed against mine.

“Please say yes, Uncle Grey. Pleeeease,” Jeanie said into my ear. “I don’t want Papa to watch me, he makes me watch hockey.”

“How do you know that I won’t make you watch hockey?” I asked, turning to look into her big, brown eyes.

“Because you’re funner.”

“That’s not a word, Jeanie,” Jillian said.

“I guess I can watch this little bug,” I said with a sigh.

“Yay!” Jeanie squealed, choking me in her embrace. “I can’t wait, Uncle Grey! We’re going to have so, so, so much fun.”

“I won’t be around to have fun if you keep choking me,” I said with a chuckle. She eased up, smiling sheepishly. Giving me a big kiss on the cheek, she let go completely and ran off in her blur of pink.

I shook my head at my sister. “You need to stop feeding that child sugar.”

Chapter 7

Honor

“I’m beat,” Brooklyn said, flopping down beside me. I stretched my left leg in front of me.

“Ditto,” I said. “The last thing I want to do now is work on my solo.” There was, unfortunately, no other choice though. School was taking up a lot of my time, and the only days I got to the studio were when I had classes to teach, which had been reduced to only Fridays and Saturdays now. That left me no choice but to stay behind to do some work myself before I locked up for the night. It was nine o’clock, and all I really wanted to do was go home and curl up on my couch while I watched the new season of House of Cards.