𝙽𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝙴𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑

Sixteen

Jess

I woke with a start. It was one of those feelings when you first wake up with no idea where you are. I used to feel that way sometimes at sleepover parties, and usually after the first night in a new home. That was the way I felt when I woke up in Grayson's guest room.

I realized moments after remembering where I was that it was David who'd woken me. He was starting to stir. I was glad-I wanted to be awake for him, to answer any questions he might have. I watched as his eyes opened, so slowly. It still filled me with wonder sometimes, knowing I'd had a hand in making him. He was a miracle.

"Mama? You slept here with me?"

I smiled, running my fingers through his hair. "Yes, sweet. You were so fast asleep, you didn't even know it."

"Are we still at Grayson's?"

"We sure are. Isn't this a comfortable bed?" I didn't know who'd decorated the apartment, but it couldn't have been my ex-husband. He wasn't the type for ruffled duvets and throw pillows. I wondered if one of his many girlfriends had helped him, then reminded myself grudgingly that it was none of my business either way.

"It is comfy. I guess that's why I slept so good."

"I guess it is." I kissed his forehead, then showed him the way to the bathroom. I'd already laid out his toothbrush, and smiled to myself when I heard him brushing his teeth at the sink.

When he came out, we explored the apartment together. "This is so huge," David said, craning his neck to admire the high ceilings. "It's like a church." The thought of Grayson living in a church was enough to make me bite my tongue to keep from laughing. I didn't want Grayson thinking I was laughing at him.

"This is a very old building," I explained. "A long time ago, people used to work here."

"What did they do?"

"They manufactured things. That means making, really. They made clothes here, I think. It didn't look like this back then. The walls were the same as they are now," I said, pointing to the exposed brick, "and there were pillars like there are now. But I think that's all that's the same. When the company moved away, somebody bought the building and turned it into apartments like this one. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Yeah, pretty cool. What about our apartment? Where did that come from?"

"I think they built it to be an apartment building."

"So it's not as cool as this one." David looked out the tall windows. "Hey, there's a fire escape here, too!"

"Sure there is. They have them on all sorts of buildings like this. In case there's a fire, people can escape. Get it?" He grinned, nodding. It amazed me how resilient he was. I'd been sure he wouldn't take it well, that he would want to be near me. He wasn't normally a nervous or fretful child, but then he'd never been in a situation like the one we faced together. I couldn't have been more wrong about him. If anything, I was the nervous one, mainly because I didn't know how my son and his father would get along with each other.

Not that I thought they wouldn't like each other. I didn't think anybody could know David and not like him, though I was willing to admit to being biased in his favor. I only wondered how he and Grayson would get along since he wasn't used to big, strong, fearsome men like his father and Grayson wasn't used to kids, period.

"I'm hungry," David declared, climbing down from where he'd been kneeling on the windowsill. "Do you think there's food here?"

"I honestly don't know." Odds were, no. The last I'd known of him, Grayson wasn't exactly a chef. His idea of home cooking was a baloney sandwich or bowl of cereal. I'd tried to teach him the basics but had quickly given up, seeing as how it was a lost cause. He was more than happy to let me take care of it for him...and, as long as I was being honest with myself, I was more than happy to do it back then. I loved him. I wanted to care for my man.