Page 23 of Grumpy

Kelly understood, but it still stung a little. “I don’t want to leave, but I have to check on my mom.”

“Stay,” Grumpy encouraged. “I’ll send the club to collect her.”

It was tempting. It was so, so tempting. But she couldn’t. Not yet, anyway. “I can’t,” she confessed. “I want to. You have no idea how badly, but I need to go. Maybe another time.”

His expression didn’t change, and maybe it was wishful thinking, but she would swear she felt the disappointment radiating off him. He leaned forward and kissed her gently. Kelly traced her fingers through his long hair. Some of it had been shaved off during his stay at the hospital, and she was glad to see those patches were starting to grow back. She had a desperate need to braid his hair, but knew that would just be putting off her departure.

“Do you need anything before I go?”

Grumpy shook his head.

“I know you told your mom to go so you could figure things out for yourself, but please call me if you need something. I’m literally right down the road.” Though he nodded, Kelly suspected he wouldn’t. “Stubborn ass,” she grumbled.

That almost earned her a smile.

* * *

Grumpy was already calling Grimm before he heard Kelly’s engine turn over in his driveway.

Grimm answered on the first ring. “Yeah.”

“Still waiting?”

“Boarding in twelve minutes.” The shortness of Grimm’s voice hinted that he was ready for those twelve minutes to be over.

Too bad for him. “Bring her back here.”

Grimm grunted. “We’ll be there in three hours. Tell Keys I want a raise.”

Grumpy made an agreeing sound and hung up the phone. Keys was already his next call, and he didn’t doubt Keys was already paying the Riley brothers above average due to the secrets the men had to keep. But Grumpy might offer the man a beer after having to suffer through the day with Grumpy’s mother.

Keys’ phone rang twice before a voice that was not Keys answered. “Daddy, your phone is ringing.” Grumpy had only met Oscar, Rose’s son, a few times. But the kid was damn cute, and he idolized Keys like the man was the Second Coming.

Keys’ voice came over the line next. “Thank you, bud. But next time tell me that before you answer it.”

“Okay, Daddy.”

There was a rustling and then, “Hey, Grumpy. You good?”

“Kelly’s grandma. She lives in a care facility. Figure out which one and if it’s the best in the area. If it’s not, move her and send me the bill.”

“Sir, yes, sir,” Keys mocked.

“Just do it, smart ass,” Grumpy groused and hung up the phone. Next he called Pirate. “Don’t let Sophia put Kelly on double shifts again.”

“Finally got your head out of your ass on that one,” Pirate responded. “Good for you. Should I tell Demo to order a cut?”

“He already has one. I had him order it years ago.”

“Wow, way to play the long game.” It was never a game to Grumpy. It was always about what was best for Kelly, and until now, he hadn’t believed it to be him. “And for your information,” Pirate continued, “Kelly works the same amount of hours as Sophia and Tally.”

“And she gets paid less because she’s not a partner,” Grumpy argued.

He could practically hear the cogs turning in Pirate’s brain at that one. “Valid. I’ll pass it on, but don’t shoot the messenger when the women, including yours, don’t take it well.”

Grumpy hung up the phone, not feeling the need to reply. If he had his way, Kelly’s bills would soon be nonexistent because she’d sell her house, her mom and her would move into Grumpy’s home with him, and her working would be a luxury, not a necessity. He might not be physically up for taking care of her, but he could and would take care of her in every other way possible.

Including figuring out why his mother, who had claimed to have believed him, had lied to Kelly about what had happened with his exes.