had too, and his beard was thicker than Wells’s stubble which made Grant look more mysterious than he already seemed.
“Yes, I’m an art student and in my junior year at Central College,” I told him. “What do you do?”
I wanted to know more about him just to prove that he wasn’t as strict and serious as he seemed to be.
“I’m a firefighter,” he said, keeping his answer short and direct.
“That’s amazing,” I told him with a smile.
Wells must’ve noticed me trying to keep this conversation going as he placed his hand on my thigh and squeezed gently.
“Yeah, it is. But it’s fucking stressful. Wish I could go a damn day without feeling this way. Still don’t know shit about what it’s like to have a calm and fulfilling life.”
His grumpiness was somewhat intriguing.
I didn’t blame him for the way that he was, because we all had our own problems to deal with, but as hard as I was trying to enjoy his presence, his darkness was making it difficult for me.
I had only just met him, so there was still time for me to warm up to him.
“Grant’s a single dad too. His ex, Benny’s mother, has him every other weekend,” Wells explained.
“And let me tell you, to this day, I have no fucking clue how he does it, working and being a father twenty-four seven.”
I smiled.
I knew how hard Wells worked, and the way he cared for Ira was incredible.
“He’s great,” I said, looking at Wells with a smile.
“Grant’s just making his life sound worse than it actually is. Don’t believe every word he says,” he told me with a wink.
Grant let out a harsh laugh and shook his head, leaning back against the chair and getting more comfortable.
“You two are a thing, huh? Never thought I’d see him date again. How did you meet?”
“I moved in with my best friend who happens to live an apartment above Wells,” I explained, and Grant raised a brow.
“That girl still living in there? Thought she’d be out of there quicker with all that money her parents have.”
Understandable, and also interesting that he knew who Evie was.
“Do you know her?” I asked.
“I know her parents. Been invited to one of their country club galas a while ago after we managed to stop a fire from destroying one of their new apartment complexes. It was still a construction site, but some teenagers thought it’d be funny to start a fire one night.”
“I see. Well, their galas are nice, aren’t they?”
“Sure, lots of free booze and hot chicks in tight dresses, but still not a scene I would wanna hang around for more than one night,” he told me.
A waitress came up to our table and smiled with a notepad in her hand, asking what we’d like to drink.
Since it was a kid-friendly place, they didn’t serve any alcohol, so they both ordered a Coke and two glasses of water for the kids, and I asked for a homemade iced tea, as everything else was too sugary.
We continued to talk, but it soon turned into Wells and Grant talking about work and all kinds of things I didn’t know much about.
I found out that they met in college and met again years later in this town, even though neither of them lived here before.
It was a coincidence, and although they didn’t hang out much, Ira and Benny brought them closer together again.
“Did Chastity send you the invite to her next get together?” Grant asked.
Wells’s hand was still on my thigh, and I had placed mine over his, brushing over it to show him affection.
The way I did it best.
“Yeah, I got her message. Not sure Ira and I will attend yet. He’s getting a new pump soon, and I want him to adjust to it before he goes wild.”
“Let me know if you decide to go,” Grant said, taking a sip of his Coke and moving his eyes to mine. “Have you always been into older guys?” he asked.
He was straight forward, which wasn’t a problem at all, but I did feel my cheeks heat up a little thanks to his very alpha-like attitude.
“Uh, I never really had a type, so I guess age was never something that mattered,” I told him.
He nodded, grinning at Wells and shaking his head. “Lucky bastard.”
“Yeah, I definitely am,” Wells said, grinning at me.
I laughed softly and squeezed his hand, thinking I was just as lucky.
“Daddy!” Benny was running toward us with a big grin on his face,