My heart swelled warmly at Gracie's invitation. She no longer appeared to be as pissed at me as before. I took this as a good sign. A real good sign.

Making an effort to sound as casual and nonchalant as possible, I offered with a friendly smile, "You guys wanna go out to lunch? Or dinner?"

After only a split-second of hesitation, Gracie nodded and agreed, "Sure, lunch sounds good. Maybe I'll even buy you a drink. You deserve a toast for your new job!"

I couldn't help but smile wider. "You still remember my poison?"

She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "How could I forget, you weirdo? You have the same taste as an eighty-year-old grandma. Bloody Mary. Virgin, of course."

I huffed, "Hey, don't knock it until you've tried it! They're fucking delicious!"

Gracie scrunched up her pretty face. "I'm sorry, Gray, but... ew. Tomatoes and celery belong in salad. Not beverages. I'll stick to my wine, thanks."

I laughed at her surly reaction. Gracie laughed, too, with Stevie snuggled up in her lap, cooing and chewing on a strand of her hair. I realized, happily, this was the first time in a long time where the two of us felt comfortable enough to banter back and forth so playfully.

I felt like we were kids again.

The easy, breezy moment didn't last, though.

Within minutes, Gracie and I were dashing frantically around the house, grabbing extra diapers and baby wipes, to get ready for our outing.

The three of us planned to go to a casual, family-friendly diner in Gilbert. Gracie dressed Stevie in an adorable lavender-colored dress with a matching bow as though we were taking our little princess to a five-star restaurant. She dressed herself in a light blue sundress and even dabbed on some makeup. I thought she looked fucking gorgeous. I decided to keep wearing my white dress shirt from the interview and paired them with gray jeans so I wouldn't look like a scrub next to my girls.

As luck would have it, Stevie pooped right as we were about to head out the door. The impromptu diaper change delayed us by a few more minutes.

When we finally got out of the house, I offered to drive since I wouldn't be drinking.

At the diner, Gracie and I both ordered some burgers and fries. True to her word, Gracie bought me a virgin Bloody Mary and gave me a cheesy, heartfelt toast that made me smile like an idiot. Gracie then ordered a beer for herself and seemed to forget that she had always been a total lightweight.

"Should you be drinking that whole beer by yourself?" I asked worriedly.

I recalled carrying a drunk Gracie home on my back, more than once, from high school parties after she had one too many sips of, say, a wine cooler. It didn't take much to knock her out.

Gracie waved me off with a snort of annoyance. "I'll be fine! Come on, we're celebrating your new job today! Let me live a little, Gray!"

I eyed her pinkening cheeks with a bit of alarm. "If you say so..."

For the rest of lunch, I told Gracie more about my interview. The salary. The hours. My start date. We worked out a new co-parenting schedule for Stevie. One week with me. Then, one week with her. Repeat.

Gracie told me, somewhat tipsily, that she wanted to start writing again. I listened intently to her every word. Her eyes were so bright and full of life. Like the color of honey under the sun. She was beautiful. So fucking beautiful.

In between our conversation, Stevie only fussed a little. Mostly, she drank from her sippy cup. Gracie and I took turns feeding her the pureed baby food we had prepared ahead of time so the other person could finish their meal.

By the end of lunch, Stevie had fallen asleep since it was well past her usual nap time, and Gracie's cheeks were glowing tomato red from the alcohol. She stumbled her way back to my car. I had to carry a snoozing Stevie in one arm while keeping my other arm around Gracie's waist, to steady her teetering stride and prevent her from face-planting in the parking lot.

Once we arrived back home, I deposited Gracie onto the living room couch and then went to drop off Stevie in her crib to let my baby girl finish her nap. Afterwards, I went to the kitchen to fetch Gracie a glass of water. She needed to sober up and stay hydrated.

I walked back to the living room and handed her the water. "Here. Drink up."

Still flushed in the face, she hiccuped. "Ooh, thanks!"

With eager, grabby hands, Gracie accepted the water from me and chugged the whole glass within ten seconds flat, smacking her lips with a satisfied 'pop' at the end.

Damn, my girl was gone!

My brow furrowed with concern as I sat down beside her on the couch.

I urged, "Maybe you should take a nap, too?"

Defiantly, Gracie shook her head with a glassy gleam in her eyes. "I don't wanna sleep! I wanna play!"

Suddenly, without warning, Gracie shuffled closer to me across the couch. In her drunken stupor, she toppled towards my chest and placed a hand on my thigh to stop herself from falling onto me. Her hair smelled like sweet, fresh apples from her shampoo. My cock instantly stirred and reacted to her closeness.

"Gracie," I growled in a tight, strained voice, "what are you doing?"

Gracie stared dazedly into my eyes, gasping, as though she was seeing me for the first time.

She giggled like a naughty schoolgirl. "Damn, Gray. You're really hot, like, you've always been good-looking, but now... you're just... wow!"

My ears burned with embarrassment and delight. "Um, thanks?"

"Kiss me like you used to, Gray," she slurred sweetly. "Please?"

My eyes locked onto her soft, pink lips, feeling half-panicked, half-turned as my Lower Brain battled my Upper Brain for supremacy.

Goddamnit!

What was I supposed to do now?