His first thought that morning had been of her, of the secrets they’d shared, the stories they’d told and the spark that had burned so brightly between them. That spark had him more intrigued than he’d ever been by a woman. Sure, he’d heard about the spark and had even seen it happen to some of his cousins and friends, but it had never happened to him, until Emma.

And Simone… For it was not possible to consider one without the other. He already knew Emma well enough to understand that there would be no such thing as a relationship that included only her. For a guy who’d never had the urge for a family because he’d already helped to raise his younger siblings, it surprised him to realize he was glad the adorable, smart, funny, sweet, respectful Simone was part of the package.

Pulling up to the big red barn his aunt and uncle called home, Grayson cut the engine in his Audi SUV but left the headlights on so he could get to the door without falling on the ice. His uncle’s Range Rover was gone, so they must’ve been out for their usual Friday night dinner. He was secretly glad that he wouldn’t encounter his beloved aunt and uncle when he picked up Emma.

Grayson was nervous enough without adding a family inquisition to the agenda for the evening—and it would be an inquisition with his uncle Linc involved. Serving as a surrogate dad to the fatherless Colemans, Linc was always interested in whatever they were up to. Normally, Grayson welcomed his uncle’s interest. Tonight, he was grateful for a little privacy. The light over the back door helped to guide him as he made his way, carefully, to the door.

He let himself in and greeted George and Ringo, who gave him a thorough sniffing before allowing him to proceed into the mudroom, as if to say, He’s one of us. This had been his second home growing up, and he felt every bit at home here as he did at his own mother’s house.

“Hello?”

“Hi there,” Emma called from upstairs. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

“Take your time.” As Grayson leaned against the counter in his aunt’s tidy kitchen, he thought about his last first date, his good mood souring at the memories of his ex-girlfriend, Heather. He’d been so blown away by her beauty and captivated by her charm as well as the best sex of his life that he hadn’t realized she was actually a stone-cold bitch until he’d already been completely sucked into her web. Extricating himself had been nasty, and he hadn’t been with anyone in the year since he ended it with her.