Deserted - Cara Dee Page 0,87
to come with you.”
“Oh.” Gray felt dumb. “Of course, sweetheart. I mean—” He glanced at Adeline, who was smirking. “Is it okay?”
She laughed softly. “As if I could stand in the way of their grand plan at this point. You boys have fun, and tell Chloe I said hi.”
Grand plan?
She excused herself before Gray could ask, and he didn’t really have the time to push. They had a lot to get done. So, Gray got the boys ready, and then Darius drove them over to Mom and Aiden’s place. This was a crucial part of the plan, because if they were going with the man-cold route, Mom had to see Gray for herself first. Otherwise, she could come up to the cabin for an unannounced visit.
“Are you gonna work, Darius?” Jayden asked.
He nodded, which wasn’t the truth. He’d show his face at the restaurant and make a few changes in the schedule, and after that, he was gonna pick up some supplies for the trip. “I’ll see you tomorrow instead, yeah?” He held out his fist for Jayden, who bumped it with his own.
After helping Justin out, Gray ducked into the car and gave Darius a quick kiss.
“Have fun.”
“See you soon,” Gray replied. “Call me if you need anything. I’ll borrow Gage’s truck to take the boys back later.”
Darius nodded with a dip of his chin. “Text me, and I’ll come get you.”
“Will do.”
Justin was understandably shy at the prospect of meeting new people in a place he’d never been, even more so because Jayden hadn’t been there before either. Justin all but plastered himself to Gray’s leg, so he threw caution to the wind and picked up the boy.
“There we go.” He booped Justin’s nose and was glad he seemed to relax. “I think you’ll like my mom. She makes the best cookies in the world.”
Justin squinted with his smile and rubbed his belly.
“You like cookies too? Then you’re in excellent company. My stepdad asks for cookies all the time, so she never leaves the house without something in the cupboards for him.”
Jayden huffed. “The whole world likes cookies, Gray.”
“All right, smartass.” Gray snorted in amusement and ushered him toward the house. His folks lived in a tiny neighborhood that wasn’t built on a cliffside, like most estates in Ponderosa. The cluster of five houses shared the space with a playground and a bike path leading to the nearby stores and post office. Gray liked it because Mom’s style shone through. She wanted nature right outside the door. She wanted green lawns, colorful flowers, and apple trees. And she got it, right here, with a pastel yellow house and dark-pink roses climbing the wooden porch. Or they did in the summer.
Gray knocked on the door, then checked his watch. Yeah, Mom should be home. Aiden was definitely home, since he worked from his office upstairs, but Mom should be too. For the most part, she left the inn before the twins got out of school, and then she’d go back when they headed to practice. Unless she had finally hired someone to take that extra shift.
The door opened, and shock flitted over Mom’s face before she gasped and smiled widely. “My goodness! Talk about the best surprise of the day.”
Gray cut his smile short and pretended to sneeze into his elbow.
“Tchoo,” Justin whispered.
Too fucking cute.
“Let’s get you boys out of the cold,” Mom urged. “You’re not getting sick, are you? It’s too early for pollen.”
“Gage is allergic, not me,” Gray reminded. He dropped a kiss on her cheek as he passed her in the doorway. “I just wanted to stop by and say hey. You haven’t met Jayden yet—or Justin.”
“No, and I’m delighted to do it right now.” Mom beamed. “Isla will be here with the babies in an hour, so luckily for you, I have two pies in the oven.”
Gray poked Justin’s tummy. “We like pie, don’t we?”
He grinned and nodded.
“Let’s go sit in the kitchen,” Mom suggested.
“Sure. Is Aiden home?” Gray hung up the boys’ jackets and faked a coughing fit.
“Yes, but he’s struggling with a deadline, so I’m leaving him be.” Mom pursed her lips. “I don’t like the sound of that cough, sweetie. I’ll make you some tea instead of coffee.”
“Okay.” Gray sniffled and smiled inwardly.
Gray and Darius worked out together as soon as they got home, utilizing the front yard to come at each other over and over with swift kicks, punches, and grabs. Sweat soaked Gray’s clothes and he was tired as fuck,