Chapter 29: Grayson All Over Again

They all load into the car and drive to the beach.

As Kelly parks the car, she notices that the place is jam packed. The girls and Samantha rush out of the car and run to the beach.

Grabbing the bags, she finds a spot and puts down the blanket and picnic basket. After laying down the bags, she calls to the girls and Samantha to come over and eat. They finish the food and the girls run off again to dip in the water. Samantha keeps building a sandcastle for the girls and she cleans up everything. She returns to the blanket and relaxes while getting a suntan.

Pretty soon she starts to fall asleep and then Lilly wakes her. “Hey, mom. Guess who’s here?” She looks up and the sun partially blocks her view. All she can see is a man staring at her. Sitting up she realizes that it is Grayson peering back at her.

“What are you doing here?” Kelly smiles at him.

“I decided to come any way. I was out swimming for a while and Lilly found me. I guess you guys decided to come after all.” He looks at her and smiles warmly.

“Yeah, we’re having a family day. I’ve been so busy lately that I needed a day with the girls.” She admits.

He looks down at his feet, “Well, I probably should get going then. I don’t want to interrupt family time.”

“Oh, can’t you stay? You could help me build a sandcastle. Please?” Lilly pleads with him.

Grayson glances at Kelly as she thinks of what she should say. “Why don’t you stay? It’ll be fun.” She looks at him and smiles again.

“Sure, if it’s no problem.” He picks up Lilly like a surfboard and carries her to a good spot to build.

She watches them play and then Jaime comes running over. She pushes him down in the sand and throws it all over him. He rolls around pretending to drown in a sea of sand as Jaime and Lilly laugh at him. Samantha walks over to the blanket where Kelly is and sits down.

“I think the girls really like him. I know you do, and I do. Maybe you should stop screwing around and pick him before you lose him. The girls would accept him easily as their father.” Samantha tries talking sense into her.

“I know, but I really care for Julian too. I am so conflicted and torn between them. One that would be a perfect husband and father, but there just is not the spark like there is with Julian. I have not decided about him yet. He excites me to no end and I’m sure he would make a great father too. Julian just has not had a chance to prove it. I just don’t know who I’m ready to spend the rest of my life with.” She shrugs.

“Well, I am looking at a picture-perfect scene here. Look at them, Jaime and Lilly are having so much fun with him. It was nice of you to let him stay. I know you had your reservations.” Samantha smiles as she watches them together.

Grayson runs towards them and pulls Kelly up and over his shoulder. Jaime and Lilly chase him to save their mother as he plunges into the water with her. She doesn’t have a swimsuit on, just a sundress and underwear. As she slides into the water, her sundress rises.

She sinks into the water, so he grabs her by the waist. His hands move to her chest as he quickly realizes that she is not wearing a bra. He pulls her to him and kisses her deeply.

The kids swim out to them and splash him. “Mom, we’ll save you. Hurry, swim away.

She yells, “Oh, no. Help me.” She pretends to fight. They all laugh as they swim back to shore. Samantha watches them appear from the water as she secretly wishes that it was her.

She walks up on the shore with her soaked sun dress as it clings to her. Several guys that were hanging out come over and start talking at her. “Hey there, can we get you out of that wet dress? I’m Joel and he’s Michael.” The taller guy says as he eyes her up and down.

“No, thank you.” She tries to push past them. Grayson sees the two guys and rushes them.

“Leave her alone, she’s with me.” He pushes past them and leads her over to the blanket.

“Are you o.k.?” Looking worried he asks.

“My knight in shining armor saved me. How can I ever repay you?” She leans in and gives him a soft kiss on the cheek.

“I could think of a way, but alas we are in public.” He jokes with her as he stares intently into her eyes.

The girls run up and grab a towel and they all start to pack up. “Where’s your stuff at?” She asks him, looking around.

“Oh, my stuff is in my car. I was just out swimming. I didn’t even bring my shoes down here.” He points to his car.

“Well, if you want to come by later, you know where we live.”

“O.k.” He stops and gives her a kiss goodbye on the cheek, then they go to the car and drive back home.

She unpacks the car while everyone else goes inside and gets cleaned up. “Girls, remember this week is the last week of school. Do you have any homework that you have to turn in before school gets out?” She yells as the girls are busy doing things in their rooms.

They both chant simultaneously, “No mom, we’re all good.”

Grayson’s car pulls in his driveway, and she sees him get out. She watches out her kitchen window as he walks up to his door and enters. She did not notice earlier the nice tan he got today from the beach. Now, it looks spectacular on him. Kelly finds herself wondering if he will come over later as she gazes over there.

She changes out of the wet sun dress and into a new one, then she sits down on the couch with Samantha. They watch a movie while the girls do things in their separate rooms. Kelly pops some popcorn and then gets comfy, cuddling with a pillow. The movie is scary, so they take turns screaming several times, then in a very scary moment the doorbell rings. They both jump. Kelly gets up and answers the door.

When she opens the door, she sees Grayson standing there. “Come on in, we’re watching a scary movie. You can keep us safe.” She grabs his hand and pulls him into the living room. Samantha hits play and they continue watching it. By the end, all three of them are watching intently.

“Wow, that was a good movie! It kept me on the edge of my seat.” He says jokingly.

Samantha stops the movie and Kelly suggests, “I guess it’s time for dinner. I’m going to go make something.” She gets up and he follows her to the kitchen.

“Tell me what to do.” He raises his hands.

“I’m going to make goulash. Will you chop up some onions for me?” She smiles at him sweetly.

“Of course, my love.” He leans in and kisses her just barely touching her lips, then he gets out the onions from the fridge and chops them up.

She boils the macaroni noodles and then with his help, prepares the sauce. As everything is cooking, he turns to her and whispers in her ear, “You look beautiful, good enough to eat.” He kisses her ear, and a shiver runs down her spine as they finish making dinner.

The girls set the table and Samantha gets the drinks, Kelly and Grayson bring in dinner. They all set down at the table and eat as a family. While passing around the drinks he accidently knocks his fork on the floor. He reaches under the table but does not find it.

So, he kneels and looks underneath. It is right in front of Kelly. He reaches down and as he grabs the fork his other hand slides up between her legs, then he appears from under the table. She gives him a wicked look.

“Found it!” He smirks, taking it into the kitchen and exchanging it for a clean one, then they all eat. When everyone is full, Kelly and Grayson clean up and take everything into the kitchen. They do the dishes and then while Kelly puts the dishes away, he watches her. He grabs her and kisses her passionately, but she puts up a fight.

"We shouldn't keep doing this. I have to make up my mind between you two and this isn't helping me get a clear head." She sighs.

Samantha walks in to get a drink and says, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“No, you’re fine. We were just finishing up putting away the dishes.” Kelly stares at Samantha. “Let’s go sit down and relax for a while.” They all move to the living room.

“Hey, I’m sorry that I didn’t ask you to go to the beach with us. We all had a lot of fun with you. Next weekend we are going to the zoo, do you want to come with? I think the kids would really enjoy it.” She suggests.

“What about you? Do you want me to come with? I really enjoy being with the kids, but I love being with you.” He puts his hand on her hip, then he slides his other arm around her waist and kisses her on the back of her neck.

She glances at him, “Yes, I do. I really enjoy your company. “Samantha, what do you think?” She looks at her.

“I think it would be nice.” Samantha responds. She turns on the T.V. and flips through the channels as Kelly and Grayson look at each other.

“Have you been doing anymore designs for buildings? I have seen some of them and they are so artistic.” She asks as she tries not to touch him.

“Actually, yes, I have. I just drew up some new blueprints in the last couple of days. I must sell them to the customer tomorrow.”

“What time’s your appointment?”

“It’s at noon. I have a lunch date with the customer at The Fire.” He leans in and tries to kiss her again, but he misses as she dodges.

“Isn’t that the exclusive little bistro down on Main Street?” She looks at Grayson. “Yes, it is. The customer is very wealthy and has a standing table there whenever he wants it.” He moves his hand to her thigh.

Samantha finally finds something she wants to watch. She puts her feet up on the coffee table and lays back on the couch.

Kelly and Grayson sit at the other end. They all watch the show for a while, then Samantha stands up and gets a drink out of the kitchen. Grayson turns to Kelly and asks her, “Do you want me to stay the night?”

She weighs her options. She has not told Julian she loves him and that she is his. Yet, Grayson has staked his claim. So, she looks him in the eyes and says, “Yes, I do.” He smiles and then leans in close as he kisses her.

A few minutes later Samantha comes back out with a drink. “Did I miss anything?” She looks up, “No, they haven’t come to a conclusion yet.”

“Good. I like this show.” Samantha sits down and relaxes again. They watch the rest of the show and then she puts on a movie. As the movie starts, she puts her legs on him. He rubs her leg softly as he watches the movie and tries to quiet his growing hard on.

It starts to get dark in the room, so now the movie feels even creepier. She jumps as the killer pops out of nowhere. Grayson puts his arms around her tight, making her feel safe. She soon falls asleep leaning on him.

Samantha looks over at them and notices that Kelly is snoring. “Why don’t you take her to bed? She has been worn out all day.”

He gently lifts her up, “I will. You have a goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Samantha looks at him with a knowing smile.

He carries her to the bedroom and then lays her on the bed. Taking her clothes off gently he watches her sleep. He doesn’t want to wake her up, so he moves her up slowly and puts the covers over her. As he takes his own off, he quietly slips into bed next to her. They both sleep for a couple hours.