Izzy and Ems both look over at me and they raise their eyes to the skies. Boys!
Grayson eventually lets Owen go, and he comes up behind me and pulls me against him. “Are you ready to show me where you grew up?”
“I am,” I reply. I am excited for Grayson to see my home. I’m not ashamed of where I grew up. It is a far cry from the life I am living now, but I had an upbringing filled with love and happiness and all the money in the world can’t buy you that. I wouldn't have traded my childhood for anything as it made me who I am today - strong, fierce and determined.
FOUR HOURS LATER AND after two pit stops along the way, we pull up outside my house.
My soul feels that I’m home again.
“This is it,” I tell him, gazing at my home and smiling with happiness.
Grayson cuts the engine, and he takes my hand in his. “You okay, Manchester?”
I nod, and he leans down and kisses my knuckles. “So this is where my girl grew up, hey? I wish I’d have known you then.”
I chuckle. “I was a bossy little thing.”
“No change there then,” he replies with a smirk. “Do you think we’d have been friends as kids if we had known each other?”
“I think you’d have been the boy at school that pulled my hair and called me names and then tried to kiss me behind the bins.”
Grayson grins. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” He looks up at the house. “I’m sorry you lost your mum, Manchester, but I’m not sorry that brought you to me.”
I lean across the car and pull his face to mine and press my lips against his. “I’ll never be sorry that our paths crossed. I love you.”
He smiles against my lips. “Right back at you, Sweet cheeks.”
“Quite eating her face and get out of the car!” Owen hollers, banging on the glass and making us jump apart.
“Remind me again why we agreed to him coming along?” Grayson asks me as he drops one last kiss on my lips.
I laugh as I unfasten my seatbelt. “Because he’s one of your best friends and future brother-in-law.”
Grayson growls in response. “Not in this fucking lifetime.”
I climb out the car and stop beside Ems. “You okay?” I ask her, wrapping my arm around her shoulder.
She looks at me and nods, smiling. “I’m good. Thank you for letting me come along this weekend. I’m excited to see what life was like before my brother barged in on your life.”
I laugh and wink. “I have a confession. It was pretty mundane, but it was a good life. My mum and I were really close, and we did everything together.”
Owen claps his hands together. “Can we get inside, I really need to take a leak.”
I dig the key out of my bag and turn it in the lock. A thousand memories assault me as I open the door and just breathe in the smell of home. Coming home from school and shouting hi to my mum. I’d find her in the kitchen cooking up a storm. She’d have a brew ready for me and we’d chat about the day we’d had. Everyone piles in behind me and I drop my bags down in the front room. Grayson comes in behind me and looks round the room. I watch him, wondering what he is thinking, and he turns and smiles at me. “Welcome home, Manchester.”
There’s a sudden thud from upstairs and everyone stops still.
“What was that?” I ask, suddenly on high alert.
Grayson frowns, pressing his finger to his lips. “Someone’s in the house.”
He beckons with his head for Dom and Owen to follow him and they all head for the stairs, trying to be as quiet as they can.
Izzy places her arm through mine, looking scared. There’s nothing but silence for what feels like an age, and then there're footsteps and sounds of a scrimmage.
I pull my arm from Izzy’s and dash upstairs. I want to make sure the boys are okay. I find them in my mum’s bedroom and Grayson is straddling someone, holding them by their top.
“Who the fuck are you?” Grayson demands.
“Tyler,” I gasp.
“Hey, Taylor,” he replies, looking rather sheepish, with a bloodied lip.
I place my hand on Grayson’s shoulder. “It’s okay. I know him. It’s Tyler.”
Grayson grips him tighter for a beat, before he lets go of him and climbs off him. Tyler wipes at his lip with the back of his hand.
“You have a mean right hook,” he tells Grayson with a smirk.
I crouch down beside him and tilt his face so I can look at his lip. “Come on, we need to get that cleaned up.”
“Is this him?” Grayson asks me coldly. “The one that kissed you?”
Okay, this was all kinds of fucking awkward. I nod and chew on my lip. “Grayson, this is Tyler.” I tell him, gesturing with my head to where Tyler stands beside me. “Ty, this is my boyfriend Grayson. I huh, might have told him you kissed me.”
Ty nods and rubs at the back of neck. “Yeah, I guess I kind of did.” He holds his hands out in front of him. “She put me in my place though and made no bones about it that she was with you and isn’t interested.”
Grayson nods, his frown deepening. His glare could cut glass. Ty holds out his hand to Grayson. “No hard feelings, man.”
Grayson stares down at his outstretched hand. I nudge him with my side and beg him with my eyes to not make this into something it didn’t need to be.
Grayson sighs and reluctantly he places his hand in Tyler’s. “You’re lucky I haven’t given you a black eye to go with that lip.”
Ty smiles awkwardly. “Can’t blame a guy for going after what he wants.”
I sigh. He just can’t let Grayson have the last word. I take a step forward so that I am standing in the middle of them both. “Okay,
