"My neighbors probably think I've been kidnapped," she said with a laugh. "I haven't been in my own bed in so long. My plants are probably all dead."
"Well, you're all mine starting tomorrow."
"Looking forward to it," she said just before she kissed me again. We were interrupted by the timer on the oven. I groaned as she pulled away, but it was for the better, as both kids came running down the hallway at the thought of food.
"How about we eat on the deck tonight? It's not too hot."
"Sounds great," Evie said, coming out of the hallway. "I'll take all the fresh air I can get after that plane ride."
"Kids, set the table outside." I gave Grace a wink and then went to help the kids.
An hour later and the food was all gone, the wine was still flowing, and the sun was beginning to dip lower in the sky. Grace and Evie were chatting each other's ears off, and I was enjoying watching two women I cared very deeply about become friends.
I hadn't necessarily been worried that Grace and Evie wouldn't get along-it was hard to dislike either of them-but I knew there were reasons Grace could have kept her distance.
I loved that she didn't.
She took every opportunity to engage Evie and find out more about her, and Evie did the same in return. It made everything seem that much easier, that much more perfect.
The kids had brushed their teeth, put on their pajamas, and said lengthy good nights to all of us. Ruby took her time with Evie, but took even more time with Grace, thanking her for their day together. I walked both the kids back to their rooms and tucked them in, and when I came back out on the deck, I found Evie and Grace both laughing so hard they had tears streaming down their cheeks.
"Something tells me Evie is telling you embarrassing stories about me."
"I was just explaining that one time, at the lake my sophomore year, how you passed out drunk on the boat deck and your frat brothers spelled ‘Kick Me' out on your back with sunscreen, and how you couldn't figure out for the rest of the weekend why everyone kept kicking you." Both the women burst into another fit of giggles at my expense, and I had to laugh along, because it was pretty funny. Now. Ten plus years later. It hadn't been so funny at the time.
Their laughter died down and both of them took sips of their wine, and then Grace spoke up.
"Since you're both here, I think there's something we should all talk about."
Evie gave me a worried glance, but then turned to Grace.
"What's on your mind?" I asked, but I wasn't sure I wanted the answer.
"Ruby asked me to tell you in private," Grace said, looking at me. "But, since she'll be with you a few days, I think it's important you know, too," she said, turning to Evie. Grace took in a deep breath and then continued. "Today, while Ruby and I were out having a girls' day, she got her first period."
Evie's mouth dropped open and her hand swiftly came up to cover it, her eyes darting to me.
"She what?" I asked, unclear on what she was saying. Disbelief was the main reason I needed her to explain again.
"She started her period," Grace replied gently, placing her hand on my knee.
"She's too young to start her period. She doesn't even have, you know," I motioned to my chest and then whispered, "boobs."
Evie was trying to hide a smile, but I could see it.
"She might not have impressive breasts, yet, but she's developing. And one doesn't really have much to do with the other as far as which comes first. It's not like a chicken and egg scenario. Plus, she's definitely old enough. I was eleven when I started mine."
"I was only twelve," Evie added.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I said, waving my hands in front of my face, resisting the urge to cover my ears. "I don't need graphic details."
"Trust us, Devon, those were hardly graphic details." Evie snorted and took another drink of her wine.
"I thought I had another four or five years."
"You thought she wouldn't get her period until she was sixteen?" Grace asked, clearly having underestimated how clueless I was about everything period-related.
"I don't know. Maybe I was just hoping I had more time. I am not prepared for this at all."
"Yeah, that's true. You need a trash can in your guest bathroom." This came from Evie.
"What? Why would you say that?"
"Because she's going to need to throw things in the garbage and she's not going to want to walk through the house with it balled up in her hand."
"Oh," I said quietly. "I hadn't thought of that."
"I took her out today and bought her everything she'll need for the next few months, but she's still pretty freaked out about the whole thing. She's afraid to swim, she's afraid to ride the rides at Disneyland, and she's really afraid that she'll leak on your sheets, Evie."
"Poor girl," Evie said with so much love in her voice.
"She said she wanted you to know, Devon, but she didn't want to tell you herself. I don't think she really wants to talk to you about it. I think she's embarrassed. Like we all were when we got our first period. Talking to our dads about it was the last thing we wanted, right, Evie?"
"Definitely."
"Olivia never got the chance to talk to her about this stuff. She was so young." The words slipped out of my mouth before I had a chance to think about them, but when my eyes found Grace, she wasn't upset. She just looked sad. Olivia was going to miss out on a lot of things, and that alone was upsetting, but the worst part was that Ruby and Jax were going to miss out on having those experiences with their mother. It was pure luck that Ruby had been with Grace that afternoon, and there was no doubt in my mind that Grace had made Ruby feel comfortable and safe in what was probably a stressful situation for her. What could have been a disaster, seemed to be a memorable day for my daughter and the woman I loved. When I walked in the house that evening, Ruby was obviously happy and not emotionally scarred, which was probably what would have happened had she been with me. Instead she had ice cream and a girly movie, and fluffy blankets on the couch. Grace had given her that. "Thank you for taking care of her today. It means more than I can even explain."
"Of course," she said softly. She looked as though she wanted to say more, but she didn't. She just gave me a smile.
"I'm glad you told me too, even though it's none of my business," Evie said.
"The way I figure it, Ruby needs as many women on her side as she can get. There's room enough for both of us."
If I hadn't already loved her, I would have fallen for her in that moment.
"I couldn't agree more," Evie said with a bright smile.
I wanted nothing more than to kiss Grace stupid, but since we had a guest, I decided instead to go make sure the kids were fast asleep, and maybe sneak a kiss to Ruby's forehead.
Chapter Twenty
Grace
Devon left Evie and me on the deck and I tried not to worry that it would become awkward. I'd known she was coming to stay for a night before taking the kids back to California, but I hadn't been sure how I would feel seeing her. The last time we'd been together, I'd had no idea about her previous relationship with Devon. The good news was I sensed absolutely no weirdness between us. In fact, I still really liked Evie. She was funny, smart, and it was obvious she really cared about the kids. There was no way to dislike her.
"Shelby mentioned she told you about my past with Devon."
Well, that was one way to start a conversation.
"She did. She did not, however, mention she'd spoken to you about it."
"I asked her not to. I didn't want you to be on the offensive when I saw you." Evie smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile back. "I love Shelby, she's great. I know you two are close, which, by the way, makes this the smallest universe ever." She laughed. "But there's no way Shelby can give you an accurate insight into the relationship I have with Devon."
"No, you're right. Shelby was concerned about me, knowing my history, but had nothing but great things to say about you. Devon filled in all the holes though, I think. I hope you aren't upset with Shelby. She didn't mean any harm."
"Oh, Grace," Evie said, waving her hand. "There isn't a vindictive bone in Shelby's little body. I knew she was just trying to look out for her friend. It says a lot that she would speak to both of us, ya know? She really just wants all of us to be happy, which leads me to my next point." She paused for a moment, but then took a deep breath and continued.
"Have you ever wanted something so bad, it was all you could see? You were so focused and so intent on that one thing that you were blind to everything else? And then one day, something different popped into your vision, and suddenly, that very thing you wanted so badly wasn't what you thought it was? Well, that was Devon. I loved him, in a way. But then Nate came along and changed all that. I'm not saying that what I felt for Devon wasn't real, it just wasn't what I thought it was. It was something, but it wasn't my everything. Nate is my everything."
All I could think about was Jeff. I'd like to think if I were still married and another man came along, I wouldn't bat an eyelash, but comparing Jeff and Devon was unfair to both of them. Jeff paled in that comparison, and I could only thank my lucky stars that Devon had come along, even if I had to endure a painful divorce to get to him. I hoped in the end it would all be worth it.