he’d been… before.
He watched me for a moment longer before dipping his head down and plucking the lock and key out of my hand, his fingertips brushing my wrists lightly as he did it. “Is it possible for me to see Mo this evening?”
“Yeah,” I answered. “I’ll be home too, so you don’t have to be stuck with Grandpa Grumpy.”
His mouth went up just a little higher, his eyes doing this thing that said he was amused. “He’s only being protective. Can’t blame him. He doesn’t know me yet.”
Something inside of me shuttered closed, and I took a step back. “I hope you’ll stick around for Mo to get to know you at least. She’s the important one.”
Jonah lifted a hand and rubbed it over the center of his chest, seeming to hesitate for a moment before changing his mind. “Len, you said last night that you thought you knew me.”
Was he asking or was he telling me?
“But you did know me,” he said, intensely. “I’d like you to get to know me again. Not just Mo. I want you to know who I am too.”
Okay. I didn’t know what the fuck to do with that at all.
And so I said just about the dumbest shit I could have. “Okay.” Okay? And then I kept going with the dumb shit. “I should get back to work. Have a good workout.”
Those eyes watched me for a moment. Then he nodded, strain in his gaze, and took his own retreating footstep. “Thanks again. I’m grateful.”
“It’s nothing. Don’t thank me,” I said, knowing I should stop there but not. Why the fuck did he have to say that and make it awkward? “I’ll probably have more people sign up once they see you walking around in those shorts.”
He glanced down. “Something wrong with them?”
I shrugged my good shoulder. “I’m just messing with you. I didn’t know what to say with you telling me that you want me to get to know you again, and it just kind of came out.”
His eyebrows lifted, and he smiled slowly. I watched him lift both toes of his sneakers up as he rocked back on his heels to take in his clothing… and I fought off the tiny little lap of tenderness that reached me. I should have kept my mouth shut about all of that. I shouldn’t have given him the damn membership either, damn it.
Those eyes flicked up for a moment, and he flashed me an even bigger smile like he had some reason to be pleased. “Cheers.”
This was a really stupid idea, I thought to myself the second he left.
A really, really stupid idea.
Three hours later, the alarm on my phone went off right while I was wrapping up a conversation that had me closing my eyes a minute into it.
I rubbed at the spot between my eyebrows after silencing it. “Grandpa, they’re going to check your ID when you register for the tournament. You can’t sign up for a younger age bracket—and I can’t even believe they have a bracket for people your age anyway. Aren’t they scared someone will break a hip?”
He huffed. “They have insurance for things like that… and you really think they’ll check my ID?”
Only my grandfather would try to fucking cheat in a basketball tournament by lying and attempting to play with men younger than him. “Don’t they always check?”
That got me a grumble. “Yes.” Did he have to sound so bummed out? No, but he did. “I can keep Mo here that day, so don’t worry about trying to lie and play earlier. Maybe Jonah will take her.”
That got me a grunt. “I still don’t know about that Edward.”
I fucking laughed. “Stop calling him the wrong name!”
“I will when you stop laughing over it.”
I laughed even harder, and my cheek started hurting when he started chuckling too. “You’re the worst, Grandpa. I swear you’re the worst.”
“You’re confusing worst with fun. Funnest. Best.”
There were tears in my eyes by then. “I don’t think funnest is a word.”
“It should be,” the old vampire argued.
Fucking hell. “Go pee before your prostrate exam. I need to go get Mo now.”
My gramps snorted. “I hope he uses enough lube this time. Call me later.”
I was definitely fucking crying by the time I pulled myself out of the chair with his comment about lube ringing heavily in my head. There was something wrong with him. I’d swear. All that boxing. All those hits. It explained everything. It really did.
I was still cracking up