Right Where You Left Me | Grayson Dolan

10

Brooklyn

Being on the lake was a blast, and Ivy loved every second of the weekend.

Every second that Grayson spent with me and Ivy strengthened their father-daughter bond. They were already best friends, and I loved seeing how happy they both were.

Over the weekend Kylie had asked me to be one of her bridesmaids, and I said yes. I was so honored that she asked me. I've never been in a wedding before.

Ethan and Kylie were throwing a little get together for the whole wedding party to get to know one another.

"You're here!" Kylie squealed as she opened the front door for Grayson and I.

Kylie didn't even say a word to Grayson before she took my hand and dragged me to the living room. "Girls, this is Brooklyn."

I was met with a flurry of "nice to meet you"'s and "hi Brooklyn"'s. One by one, Kylie introduced me to her sister, her two cousins, and three of her college friends.

Kylie started talking about all of the things she was excited about for the wedding, and it warmed my heart to see how happy she was just talking about it. Her face lit up even more when she talked about Ethan.

I was pleasantly surprised that my social anxiety didn't ruin my chances of making more friends. The girls were all super nice, and I had a fun night getting to know all of them.

I couldn't help but smile when I glanced across the room to see Grayson laughing with his brother and their college buddies, and a few of their cousins. They seemed to be having a good time, and I always admired how happy Grayson was when he was with his family and friends. He's definitely a people person, and that's something I need to work on about myself.

Grayson and I got home pretty late that night, but we still had a bunch of energy from hanging out at Ethan and Kylie's.

"Want a late night snack?" Grayson asked as he flipped the kitchen light on.

I pushed myself up so I could sit on the counter. "Depends on what you have in mind," I said, gently biting my bottom lip as I smiled.

"Ice cream sundaes!" Grayson yelled. Luckily, Ivy was staying the night at Lisa's, so he wasn't waking anyone up.

I laughed. "I always knew that Ivy inherited your sweet tooth."

Grayson smiled at me. "Sweet people need sweets to stay sweet," he said, trailing his hands up my thighs and around to the small of my back. I put my arms around his neck and pressed my nose against his.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?"

"You made me fall in love with you," he said. "And you kept our daughter safe from the dangerous people that used to be in your life. You didn't hide her from me when I found out."

"I would never hide Ivy from you. I would've told you, but I just didn't want any chances of my father getting to her. He had people that could find out anything. It wasn't safe to say anything. But the second he was gone I wanted to find you, and I'm lucky we ran into you in that grocery store."

Grayson pressed his lips against mine in a slow kiss. "That day was the best day of my entire life. It was the day I finally found my missing pieces. You, and Ivy. I finally felt whole again."

"I love you so much, Grayson. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for loving Ivy."

"How could I not? You two are my entire world. I know it's only been a little while, but I can't remember what my life was like before Ivy was my daughter. I feel like she's always been a part of me."

"That's how I feel about her too. Like she's always been there. I can't imagine not being a mother. In some ways, I grew up with her."

"You've been such an amazing mother to her, Brooke. I can see it in the way her eyes sparkle when she looks at you. She admires you so much, and you take such good care of her. Every single time I see her smiling at you, I fall in love even more. With our little family."

"I was astonished by how quickly you adjusted to the news that you were her father. It's like you didn't even miss a beat after that. It's amazing."

"When she was born, did you have an epiphany moment as if the whole world was shifted in one moment and everything was changing, but you didn't even care because she was all that needed to matter?"

"Yeah," I said.

"That's how I felt the first time I ever saw Ivy. I just knew she was ours, and everything changed in that moment. My immediate priority was the two of you, and it always will be from then on."

Tucking a piece of hair behind my ear, Grayson continued. "No matter what, I'm always going to be right here for both of you. I'll take care of you, and love you, and give you both the life you deserve. A happy one. One where family is the most important thing, and where home is a safe place to be."

I cupped Grayson's face in my hand before placing a tender kiss on his lips. "I love you so freaking much, Grayson. You have no idea."

"I do have an idea," he said. "Because I love you the same."

"Can we forget about the ice cream and make love for the rest of the night?" I whispered.

Grayson kissed me again before lifting me from the counter and carrying me upstairs to our room.

He laid me down on our bed, neither of us ever breaking the kiss.

One of his hands tangled into mine, and our hands stayed that way all night as we did what lovers like us do.

We woke up still naked and tangled together, and I almost wanted to stay there all day. But we needed to get our day started, so we could go get Ivy from Lisa's house.

I'm so lucky to be living life with Grayson and my little girl by my side. They are both the loves of my life.