“Okay, I’m ready. But don’t leave me alone with them.”
“Wasn’t planning on it.” He winked and pushed the door open.
Three sets of eyes looked up at them as they walked into the kitchen. Aunt Gina’s were full of curiosity. Becca’s were wide with excitement. And Mr. Hartson? His seemed… wary.
“Morning,” Gray said, his voice easy as he sauntered in. “I’ve brought Maddie over for some breakfast. Hope that’s okay.”
Aunt Gina was the first to recover. She stood and smiled widely. “Of course that’s okay. Maddie’s always welcome here. Come in. Let me grab some coffee.”
Becca’s eyes were still sparkling. “You can sit here,” she said, patting the chair next to her. “And we can all listen as Gray tells us why he didn’t come home last night.”
“Becca,” Aunt Gina said. It wasn’t a question, more of a warning.
“Hey, I was worried about him,” she protested, a mischievous smile lighting up her face.
“I took Maddie on a date.”
Becca turned around on her chair to look at them both. “So you two are definitely dating?” she asked, turning to Maddie. “Aunt Gina told me, but I didn’t believe her. And getting Gray to open up about anything is like trying to pry open a rock.”
“Shut up,” Gray said, sitting in the seat next to Maddie’s. He slung his arm over the back of her chair. “We’re dating, okay?”
“Oh my god!” Becca said, leaning forward to hug Maddie. “That’s amazing. I never would have thought you two would after Ash…” she trailed off as though she thought better of it. “Does that mean you’ll be coming home more often?” she asked Gray.
“We’re still working things out.”
“I always wanted a sister,” Becca told Maddie. “You don’t know what hell it is to have four brothers.”
“I can imagine,” Maddie said, her voice deadpan.
“All that testosterone and fighting. And the girlfriends.” Becca rolled her eyes. “Present company excepted, of course. Being the sister of the four Heartbreak brothers is a special kind of hell. I must have done something really bad in my previous life.”
“You’ve done a few bad things in this life,” Aunt Gina pointed out. “Now let’s stop with the twenty questions and let our guest have some breakfast. Maddie, would you like some eggs and bacon?” she asked her, standing up to carry the food over.
“That sounds wonderful,” Maddie said gratefully, aware of Becca still staring at her and Gray.
“I’ll have some bacon, too,” Gray said, holding his plate up.
“You can serve yourself, young man,” Aunt Gina told him, shaking her head. “You’re not a guest and you still have one good hand. Unless that one gets injured, I don’t plan on waiting on you.” She sighed loudly. “Now Maddie, dear, would you like some orange juice?”
“Yes, please.” Maddie bit down a smile at the way Gray’s aunt and sister treated him. He didn’t seem fazed at all. The only person who hadn’t said a word was his father, who was watching all of them intently.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Have you read it?” Marco asked over the phone a few days later. Gray was sitting at the dining room table, this month’s copy of Rock Magazine open in front of him. A courier had brought it this morning – knocking on the door twenty minutes ago and depositing the thick envelope in Gray’s hand. He’d immediately brought it into the kitchen, which was mercifully empty, and opened it up, skimming through the pages until he found the one with his photograph splashed across it.
“Yeah, I’ve read it.”
“And Maddie?”
“Not yet. She’s working. I’ll pick her up and let her read it then.” He flicked through the glossy pages once more. “It’s not so bad. She knew they’d print something about her time at Ansell. If anything, she’s gotten off lighter than I hoped. Thanks for your help with that. I appreciate it.”
Something beeped. It had to be Marco’s phone. “One minute, Gray…”
“I should probably call the publicity department. They did a good job. And you spoke to the record company about Brad Rickson, right? Told them I don’t want him anywhere near me,” Gray continued.
“Yeah, I did. I told them he upset your girlfriend and you don’t want to be in the same room as him, even though you wouldn’t give me all the gory details.” Marcus sighed. “But Gray—”
“If I see him, I’m gonna hit the bastard. You know that, right?”