Breanna Michelle Santana

     KNOCK-KNOCK! In walked Dylan.

"Hey." I said softly, tying the thin strings around my neck.

"Hey. You ready?" He assisted me.

I relaxed my bare shoulders and peered through the window.

"It's a lot of people." Not that that mattered. It's just that none of those people were Grayson and I didn't know if that was a good thing or bad.

"They're all here for you. You like it here? Is this where you wanna stay?"

"Is this you trying to get me to go back to Miami?"

"Maybe." He chuckled. We sat on the window ledge.

I sighed. "I don't know, Dyl."

"Me either."

"Kaign put you up to this? He still trying to get back together?"

Dylan's eyes lowered. "He didn't tell you, did he? He said he was going to last night."

"No. Tell me what?"

"Let's not worry about it now. Come on, there's a whole party waiting for you."

You know how you recognize a face and you know you know them but can't think of their name or relation to you to save your life? Well that happened to me a lot in the beginning of the party.

Kaign was socializing with my friends and family but I had no idea what he was telling them. It had to be all good things though because a few people told me he made a good impression.

My dad was by the grill with his work buddies, drinking and carrying on. He looked like he was having a good time which made me happy. Everyone was eating, drinking, and dancing while the kids ran around.

I whipped my camera out and snapped some pictures, of course.
Perfect, I thought. Dylan did a great job with the landscape!

"It's illegal to take pictures of people without their consent, you know?" A familiar husky voice said to me from behind.

"Grayson." I knew who it was. I put my camera down and looked at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I can leave if you want," he suggested, turning to go.

"No," I said,"stay. My dad's over there, you should go."

"You came alone?" I folded my arms across my chest, remembering what my dad told me about Gray having another woman in his life.

"Um, yeah? Who'd you expect?" He looked utterly confused and laughed a little.

I ignored him.

Changing the subject, Grayson said,"These are for you."

"Sunflowers?" My green eyes grew big and full of wonder.

"Yeah, I think you like them, right?"

"Grayson, I love them!"

"Good. I picked them earlier. And by pick I mean I stole them from a sunflower field. They wanted me to pay but I was like 'fuck that, there's no fences' so." We both laughed.

He was spontaneous, thoughtful, and adventurous, I loved that about him.

"I'm gonna walk away now before this conversation goes left," he said,"you look beautiful, by the way."

Ugh, melt. God. There was no denying how attractive he was, it was almost unreal. He knew he was the whole package, too. I couldn't help but wanna sit on his face every time I saw him.

However, it looked like Kaign was redeeming himself...

======

"Well, hello. Who's this precious child?" I stopped on my way inside when I saw my cousin holding a bouncing baby boy.

The baby smiled right at me, showing all tongue and gums. I spoke in a baby voice and tickled his belly.

My cousin gave him to me to hold so I bounced all the way over to the fence and sat in the lawn swing.

...

"I like the way you look holding a baby." Grayson said, blocking the golden hour sunlight that shone down directly in my face. I smiled and tucked the wavy hair behind my ear.

"Can I?" He asked, wanting to sit beside me so I let him.

We swung lightly, Grayson's arm going behind my head.

"What's his name?" Asked Grayson, smiling at my little cousin.

"Max." I answered, rocking the precious infant.

"Hey, Max," Grayson let Max hold his pinky,"woah, what a grip!" We chuckled and kept looking fondly at the baby.

"So cute." I pursed my glossy lips. Honestly, I wasn't talking about Max - I meant that Grayson looked so cute with a baby.

"Why do I wanna kiss you right now?" Grayson asked in a low voice. We locked in each other's gaze and slowly leaned in until Max ruined the moment.

WAH! WAH! He cried, probably hungry.

Grayson cleared his throat and took his arm away.

I started rocking Max and patting his butt softly.

Babies were taunting me, like weddings. Pregnant women and couples in healthy, fun relationships. Happiness and love, it seemed, we're the two furthest things away from me. Those were two things I never felt I had (apart from my father) and never knew I needed, or even desired, up until recently.

"I never wanted kids until... I did. The whole pushing-a-baby-out-thing seems scary, unbearable. Not to mention the toll it takes on your body." I said in all seriousness but still snuck in a laugh at the end. "Kaign never wanted one so I didn't either, but now... I think that's all I want; someone to take care of that'll love me unconditionally, put me first." Then I paused.

"Brea-" Grayson started to talk but I cut him off.

Max cried again and I got up, saying "excuse me".

I returned to Grayson without Max as I had put him back into his mother's nurturing arms.

"What were you saying?" I asked and stopped myself when Kaign approached us. I stood and then Grayson slowly did the same, unbothered and unintimidated.

"No way. Grayson fucking Jansen, is that you? Dylan, get a load of this guy." Kaign scoffed.

"Sup, man?" Dylan greeted Grayson. Gray gave them both a head nod and nothing more.

Grayson looked down at me with a clenched jaw. "Kevin, I had no idea you were in town."

"Cute. It's Kaign, but you knew that. I'm staying actually, with Brea. She didn't tell you?"

"No, she didn't mention it." Grayson grumbled, making me feel small. I stood in the middle of the tall, strong men and witnessed the exchange.

"Well then what the Hell are you doing here?" Kaign asked, laughing with a beer in his hand.

"Her father invited me, actually. Did he invite you and your butt-buddy to stay with him?" Grayson defended himself.

"Leave me out of it," Dylan spat, taking me by the waist in a non-sexual way.

"So, Jansen, you still, uh, kicking balls now or what?" Asked Kaign, sounding like a stuck-up prick, his eyes glued to his phone screen.

Grayson, who demanded respect at all times from any and everyone, waited until Kaign put his phone away to speak again. "No, I design and build houses, how 'bout you?"

"How nice, I'm in Real estate myself. Ha, would ya look at that? You build them, Dylan here designs them, Brea takes the photos, and I make all the money selling them," Kaign laughs,"lets talk business soon, yeah? Excuse me, I gotta take this." He walks away on the phone when it rings and Dylan daps Grayson up before following Kaign.

"I never liked that guy. Who does he think he is?" Grayson raged.

"You sound like my father." I laughed.

"Your father has good taste."

"Yeah, he really does."

"Can't say the same for you." Grayson's face went straight and I knew I was in trouble.

He started to walk away but I grabbed his arm and pulled him around to the other side of the fence so no one would see us.

"I should've told you he was here, I'm sorry. So much was going on, I'm confused, Gray-"

"Don't give me that bullshit, Brea, you knew he was coming."

"Okay, I did. Listen, we broke up, that's the real reason I came home-" Grayson wasn't listening, he sucked his teeth and looked away but I grabbed his face. Continuing, I said,"I don't want him, it's complicated."

"Isn't it always with you?" Grayson ripped his eyes at me and kept them there while he dug in the cooler and grabbed himself a beer then slammed it shut.

I was ready to let him go but the words spilled out of my mouth. "You don't get to be mad!"

Grayson grunted and rolled his eyes. "Give it up already. You tried that line before, it didn't work then, it's not gonna work now."

"Brea? Brea?" I heard Kaign's voice call my name and panicked.

He opened the gate and instantly looked pissed. "What's going on here?" Asked Kaign. "Why are you still talking to this guy?"

"We were talking about how you're my replacement. You know, the second choice. An option, but that's nothing new, now is it, Benson?" Grayson provoked Kaign.

"'Replacement'?!" Kaign huffed and took a step towards Grayson. Grayson quickly dropped the long can of beer and didn't back down.

Dylan tugged at Kaign's arms but got pushed away in the process. Dylan came around to me and held me back so I wouldn't get in the men's way but I broke free.

"Can you two grow up, damn, we're not in college anymore and I'm not interested in either of you!"

Kaign laughed maniacally in Grayson's face. "How does it feel, Jansen? How does it feel to be turned down by her again?"

Grayson got in Kaign's face and they were ready go at it. With all my might, I pushed Grayson in his chest, earning me a stunned look.

"I swear to God," I said through gritted teeth,"if you two even dream about fighting each other you better wake up and apologize! Are we clear?"

They said nothing so I repeated myself. "I said-"

"YES." They both unhappily barked.

"You. Let's go." I said and took Kaign by the hand, leading him away from the party.