Grace (BWWM)

Chapter Eleven

I bottle up what I'm feeling as his warm, brown eyes stare down at me with a look that's plain as day. I have to look away as I feel my heart stir. He's not even trying to hide anything at this point. Lord help me.

It's been maybe three minutes since we both agreed to the fact that we're just friends, and I'm once again reminded of how this won't be easy.

We're still standing and chatting, exchanging work stories, but I'm having trouble focusing on the subject matter at hand with him looking at me like this.

"The twins, Rose, and Austin are in the backyard," I say, switching the topic abruptly.

"Yeah, I talked to them before I came inside to see you."

"Maybe you should go talk to them again," I suggest. I need to clear my head and steady myself. Being alone in this house with him isn't helping.

"Are you telling me to scram, Grace?" he asks bluntly, sounding amused.

"Politely," I respond.

"That's fine. Nova asked me to help with some self-defense stuff anyways. And Austin wanted some more boxing lessons. I'll head out there and see how things are going," he says. I nod and he leaves, heading out the front door instead of the sliding glass beyond the kitchen that leads directly to the backyard. I stare after him and frown.

I can't even believe that I'm now wanting Joe as more than just a friend. But if I were to be honest, the way I had started looking at him had been changing over the past year or so. As we got closer and as he changed, I started to find him attractive, and probably not just in a platonic way. But I don't think I recognized the feelings until we had our discussion almost four weeks ago.

"And now here we are," I say under my breath. I had ruled out this thing I was feeling last time, telling myself that it was because I hadn't been with a man for long. I thought maybe all I wanted was something physical. But in these last few weeks I realized that was not the case.

Joe is strong, fit, and handsome. I would be blind if I didn't notice these things. He has a great sense of humor and is easygoing. He's also patient and kind. And I've learned that he's dependable; he's a man of his word. He believes your word is your bond, so if he makes a promise, he truly tries to follow through.

He's been a constant in my life, and I appreciate that. I didn't realize how much I've gotten used to him until he was spending less time here. I found myself upset and wanting him near, even though he's just a friend. I wanted him as more than just that and that had me feeling conflicted. When I see him with the kids now, I see him in a different light, as he plays the role of a guardian so well.

I shake the thoughts loose and head upstairs to find something to do. But I come up short so I head back downstairs to continue baking.I had already started on a few things before Joe came. So heading back to the kitchen, I thought I'd bake just one more thing, but I ended up doing more than I planned. Now done, I look at my handiwork. I hear the front door open and Ty comes in, sweaty in his short-sleeved shirt.

"Oh, good timing. You guys are all done playing?"

"Um, yes . . . are you okay, Ma ?" He asks. Ma he calls me now. I suppose as the kids get older, the way they refer to you changes as well. My little boy has grown, adding on inches to his height and muscle. He's about five foot nine at fifteen and still growing. He's even starting to grow some facial hair and his voice has deepened. Austin walks in after him, pausing when he catches sight of the snacks I've made.

"Yes, of course," I answer.

"Is something going on, Aunty?" He asks, eyeing the brownies, cookies, and Nigerian snacks. I cock an eyebrow at his question, feeling annoyed.