Grant, Grace, Lane: Date Night

“Seven.”

“Where’re we goin’?” 

“It’s a secret.”​

“Fine,” Gracie said, still smiling. “But I need to know what to wear.”

“Shorts and a T-shirt,” he answered easily. 

“Awesome. I’ll see you at seven.”

​
7:45 pm

Grace was squished in the middle between two hot cowboys, neither of them giving her any space whatsoever and she had a feeling that was on purpose. Since Grant was driving, she couldn’t push him. And Lane… well, Lane was just too damn big which would prove to be futile if she tried to move him. And because she knew they were getting a kick out of making her squirm, she didn’t bother to ask them to move over. They wouldn’t do it anyway, so she kept her mouth shut and a smile on her face. After all, she was going on a date with Lane and Grant. Something they’d just recently started doing.

“We’re goin’ to the fair?” she asked, suddenly surprised when the bright lights from the county fair appeared in the distance.

“Yes, ma’am,” Lane answered with a smirk. 

Well. Wasn’t that interesting?

Grace happened to love the fair. She figured Grant and Lane knew that because they’d known her for so long, but really, this was a surprise. They had gone on a few dates, mostly dinner, a movie, and dancing one night, but this… this was more than she expected.

As they neared the fairgrounds, her excitement level rose. Lane and Grant must’ve noticed because they each linked their fingers with hers as she sat between them. Grant quickly found a parking spot and they wasted no time getting out, although Grace did have to make a decision because they both tried to keep hold of her hands. Laughing, it turned out that Grant won, pulling her out the driver’s side. When her feet hit the ground, he wrapped his arms around her and smiled down at her. 

“I didn’t think I was gonna get to make it this year,” she told him as Lane came around the truck to join them. “We’ve been so busy.”

That was an understatement, but every year, Grace had managed to make it to the fair. Usually she went with one or two of her sisters. This year, she hadn’t even stopped to think about going because of all the work going on at the ranch.

“But there’s always time for a little fun,” Lane said, reclaiming her hand and pulling her toward him. She stumbled, laughing at his excitement and they made their way to the front gate, Grant right beside her.

“So what’s first?” she asked after they went through the whole ticket process. 

“This is your night,” Grant explained. “Whatever you wanna do.”

“Well, that’s easy,” Grace told him. “The rides, of course.”

Grace might’ve been twenty-nine years old, but right then she felt like a teenager. The giddy feeling she got when she went to the county fair was almost as potent as the giddy feeling she got when she was with Lane and Grant. They made her feel things she never imagined she could feel. Every day was a new adventure with them and she looked forward to every minute. 

Starting here and now.

“Who’s gonna ride the Ferris wheel with me?” she asked, looking pointedly at Grant and then Lane.

“I’m game,” Lane said quickly.

Grant, on the other hand, didn’t say anything. In fact, he looked almost… green. 

“Are you scared of heights, cowboy?” she teased.

Grant’s eyes widened, but again he didn’t answer, which was an affirmative yes if she’d ever not heard one.

“Okay, then I’ll save the games for you,” she told him, stepping close and wrapping her arms around his waist. “By the way, I think it’s cute that you’re scared of heights.”

“I ain’t scared of heights,” Grant mumbled.

Grace smirked up at him. “Okay, you’re not scared.”

Grant wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly against him. “Be good, darlin’, or I might just punish you later.”

“Hmmm… very tempting.” Grace laughed and pulled away. “Come on, cowboy,” she told Lane. “Let’s get on that ride!”

Almost forty-five minutes later, Grace and Lane had pretty much ridden every ride at the fair – aside from the ones that Lane was clearly too big to get on. Grant had been a good sport, following them and hollering at them when he could see them. All in all, Grace hadn’t had that much fun in… well, in forever.

“You gonna win me a prize, cowboy?”

Grace snapped her head over to Lane to see he was teasing Grant, which earned him a huge grin from Grant. 

“Damn straight I am. You want the big pink bear?” Grant asked Lane, laughing.

“Yup,” Lane nodded, pretending to be serious. “I want two of ‘em.”

Of course he did.

And for the next few minutes, while Grace picked at her fluffy pink cotton candy, the chatter and laughter of people scattered around her, the heavenly aroma of funnel cakes and turkey legs scenting the air, with the cool evening breeze blowing her hair, Grace enjoyed every minute of Lane ribbing Grant every time the man missed at whatever game he was playing. Which, in Grant’s defense, wasn’t much. The man was pretty damn accurate.

“My turn,” Lane said, reaching for one of the baseballs that were resting on the counter in front of Grant. 

“Have at it,” Grant said, taking a step back and pulling Grace against his side. 

Grace really hoped she didn’t have cotton candy in her mouth because when Lane launched the first baseball at the bottles, she knew her jaw had practically unhinged.

“Is he serious right now?” someone from behind them asked.

“I played baseball in high school.”

That he did, Grace thought to herself. And he was freaking good.

Lane picked up another ball, launched it, hit his mark, repeating the process three more times until the kid manning the booth was frowning at him.

“Which ones do you want?” the kid asked, his thick eyebrows downturned. “You get four of ‘em.”

Lane smiled as he glanced back at her and Grant. 

“Give me the biggest ones you got. And make sure only one of ‘em is pink.” Lane turned back to face the kid. “See, that’s my girl over there. She’s not a fan of pink. And that’s my guy over there, and between you and me, he loves pink.”

“Lane,” Grant growled as he released Grace’s shoulders. 

Grace couldn’t help herself, she laughed. Not so much from what Lane had said, but the way the kid looked at the three of them like they were from another planet. And when Grant stomped his way over to Lane and Lane pulled him closer, the kid’s eyes grew bigger.

Yeah, buddy, I know. They’re pretty freakin’ hot together.

Grace’s cheeks started hurting from smiling so much, but she couldn’t make her lips listen to reason. She was just having too much fun.

And truthfully, she hoped it never ended.