Page 20 of Full Strength

I shrugged. “He’s all about appearances. That’s one of the reasons why he left when I got pregnant. He didn’t want people to judge him.”

“So, he left his pregnant fiancé, to not get judged?” Emma sounded confused.

I nodded. “That’s what he told me. I think his family buried the pregnancy so it didn’t get out in their circle. My parents live about a half hour away from them so their friends don’t mix.”

Emma sat back. “Wow. So, if people found out about you and Eli some of them might put two and two together.”

I nodded. “If they were smart enough to add things up.”

“You really think he would come back now?” Madi asked, sounding concerned.

“I honestly don’t know. Anything’s possible with him. Things are good the way they are. I’ve got a good job and am managing on my own. I’m scared of doing anything that would change that.” I shook my head. “I’d rather Eli grow up without a dad than have someone who doesn’t really care about him in his life.”

Emma nodded. “You want to give Eli stability and protection. We understand that, but…” She trailed off and shared a look with Madeline who gave her a slight nod. “I just don’t think you should give up on Grant so easily.”

Madi nodded. “Take things slow. Spend time together where you know you can be alone.”

I sighed. “That’s what we’ve been doing.”

Emma smirked. “That’s what you’ve been doing as friends. Neither of you addressed the elephant in the room, right?”

I shook my head.

“Exactly. You guys need to allow yourselves to explore the possibility of what’s there. Don’t cut him off without giving him a chance.”

They made it sound so easy, and maybe it was, but it was still scary.

“She’s right. Start out small and if in a few weeks you’re still not feeling it then you can take a step back and focus on being friends.”

That was the risk I feared almost as much as my ex coming back into the picture. What if I really did this and something went wrong? What if I lost him completely? I’d already grown used to having him around. I liked having him to talk to. Plus, Eli adored him. Who was I to ruin that?

I let out a sigh and leaned back. There was a lot at stake. But what if it was worth it? What if it was the beginning of me and Grant? I’d allowed myself to fantasize about what it would be like if a man like him was interested in me. Okay, maybe not a man like him so much as him specifically. I’d lost myself in imagining what a future could look like for us. I was attracted to him. I could laugh with him, and share my thoughts and fears. I’d never had that before. Plus, he cared about Eli. He already knew me well enough to know that I could be softened with a chocolate cake. He also knew when to give me space.

Ugh.

Grant had the potential to turn my world upside down, if I let him.

I looked between Madi and Emma. “I might be losing my mind.”

Emma smirked. “Or we’re bad influences.”

Madi swatted her shoulder. “We are not. We’re just helping you see the different options. But if choosing to give Grant a chance means losing your mind, then yes, you are or at least you should.”

Her sincerity combined with deep blue eyes seemed to reach my soul. She was my friend and I knew she wanted the best for me and Grant, so I decided to trust her.

“Okay.”

They turned to each other and shrieked before jumping up and tackling me in a group hug.

“This is so exciting!” Emma squealed.

Madi sat back and smiled. “It’s going to be tough, but we’re here for you. The whole team is. We want both of you to be happy, so we’ll do what we can to help you guys stay out of the spotlight.”

Emma nodded. “We’ll come up with a bigger story to distract any reporters if they get close.”

I had no doubt that they would have fun coming up with schemes with the rest of the Pride in order to help me and Grant give a relationship a shot. They all seemed to live for this stuff.

Now, I needed to talk to Grant. He might have already changed his mind. Turning him down had been hard, and I wasn’t sure he wanted to hear from me. I had to try. Now that my mind was made up, I knew I wouldn’t be able to move on until I knew what was between us.