head over to open it, seeing Grim. “You do realize I had to pay Herold 50 bucks to give me your address, right?” Grim smirks, though I see he’s holding four bags in his hands.
“What? Why?”
He cocks a brow. “You didn’t give me your address, Java.”
“Oh, shite. I’m sorry. I knew I’d forgotten something.”
He releases a chortle and walks inside, handing me a bag. “I’ve got some goodies for the girls.”
“And what’s this?” I hold the bag he’s given me, which is quite heavy.
“Maybe you should dig in instead of askin’ me.”
I pull out the white tissue paper and see the box has been put in upside down. Grabbing hold of the box I pull it out and set it on my counter, revealing a chef’s knife set. I look back at him to see he’s holding another smaller box in his hands, and so I open it, spotting a bright teal coffee mug. It says, ‘Just call me Java’, and I know where he grabbed it too. The coffee shop next to Herold’s.
“Grim, you didn’t have to do this.”
“I know I didn’t. I did it because I wanted to.” He smiles. “Do you like it?”
I nod, going in for a hug. “Of course. It was too much.”
“Nah, not really. You’re gonna need to be fueled on coffee to deal with the club. Plus, we don’t have any good knives.”
I roll my eyes, knowing he’s trying to make this not a big deal. “Whoa, what’s in those bags?” Aggie questions, running into the kitchen.
“She’s a bit brash. I’m so sorry.” I tell Grim.
“Nah, don’t be. It’s nice to see kids excited.” He tells me before he turns to face Aggie. “I got you and your sisters some presents. You don’t mind, do ya?”
“Mind presents? Are you crazy?” Aggie giggles. Meanwhile Sorcha’s run up behind her, peering from behind her sister with curiosity.
“This one is for you, and this is for you.” Grim hands Aggie the bright green bag, and Sorcha the soft pink one. There’s a lilac colored one left, which I’m assuming is for Davina.
Aggie goes in first, pulling out a drawing pad and some sort of make it yourself jewelry maker. Sorcha on the other hand pulls out a tea set and a doll, causing her eyes to light up. “Oh my goodness! Tea, a tea party Mummy! We can have a real tea party!”
Davina comes in from the bedroom she shares with her sisters, still a bit put off by Grim, but she’s being nice. Grim hands her the bag, “This is for you, little lady.”
Davina goes straight for it, pulling out some make up. Immediately, her frown is turned upside down and I think she’s gonna give him somewhat of a chance.
“Girls, what do you say?”
“Thank you!” They all say at the same time, smiling.
It’s a good thing Grim’s back is turned to me, because my smile is far bigger than any of my girls’. The fact he even did this blows me away. My girls have been through so much and I was terrified getting into some sort of relationship would just put them through more chaos. Now I’m not thinking that way. Honestly, I feel like this could be a good thing for us all.
Chapter Twenty-One
“You’re beautiful because you know your own darkness and still, that alone doesn’t stop you from finding your own light.”
~ R. M. Drake
Grim
Natalie’s kids ran off into what I presume is their bedroom to play with their new toys. I stayed in the kitchen, close to Natalie while she goes over to the pot. Even standin’ outside I could smell this. Pretty sure my stomach started instantly growlin’ too.
She takes the lid off, sets it on the other side of the stove and the oven beeps. She grabs a dish towel and removes a cast iron skillet from the oven. It looks kinda like cornbread, but it isn’t that dark. That and the fact this isn’t yellow. It’s a tan sort of color.
“Smells good,” I comment.
Natalie turns her head back for a moment so I can catch her smile. “Glad you think so. I made some of my mother’s bannock bread to have alongside the stew. Both should be about ready if you’d like to dig in.”
“You don’t have to ask me that question again, Java. I’m starved.”
Natalie giggles and opens her cupboard, pulling a bowl out and sets it on the counter. She goes for a drawer and grabs a knife, cutting the bread up into individual servings,