Page 74 of Lessons In Grey
He took it from me, his fingers grazing by mine, his eyes filled with so many words, I felt them wrap around my soul tightly.
I swallowed, and he must have seen understanding in my eyes because he nodded and turned for the garage.
I leaned back against the car as Ash bid her own farewell and headed for the house.
Nerves overtook me as my eyes shifted back to the garage where Grey was unlocking the side door to get in. He was a professional, I shouldn’t be worried about any of this, but I was. I was scared Jordan had done something stupid like rigged it to blow as soon as the door opened.
But he would have already thought about that, I was sure of it.
“Did Ash tell you about what happened after she had moved in?”
I blinked a few times, trying to refocus. “What?” I asked, shifting my eyes to Syn.
Syn rose a brow, her blue eyes shining with patience.
I replayed her words in my head. “Oh, um…no,” I replied, turning back to the garage. “She was quiet about it.”
“That’s because she didn’t want to scare you, make you worry.” Syn joined me against Grey’s car. “She told you enough, but not everything. She spent a long time crying in her bed. My parents, they went in there every now and then, bringing her drinks and food, making sure she was taking care of herself. My dad even carried her into the bathroom so that mom could give her a bath.
“They loved her like their own. They were trying to prove to her that just because her parents hadn’t believed in her, that didn’t mean all parents wouldn’t. It took her a long time to kind of settle into the new routine. My mom, she uh,” Syn smiled, pulling my eyes over, “she knew that Ash was getting better. I don’t know how because I couldn’t even tell, but she did.
“She spent a whole day baking a cake in preparation for when Ash came out of her room, even though my dad, little sister, andI didn’t really think she would. Lo and behold, that night, Ash came trudging out. She looked so tired, wearing these baggy clothes, her hair unbrushed. That night we ate dinner as a family, all five of us.
“Mom, she brought out the cake, black and pink, and she surprised everyone with my brothers and their wives. She had flown everyone out just for Ash. We threw her a party, and she cried and cried, but happy tears this time. I think she finally realized that night that she still had a family. A good family, one that loved her unconditionally.”
God, I was so proud of her. Everything she had gone through, what little Charlie and I knew. I was so glad she had the Bloom family surrounding her.
Imagining that day, it made me want to laugh. Ash, in her grunge rocker chic getup, surrounded by this family of tulips and sunflowers. All bright and sunshiney. It was exactly what she had needed. Sunshine.
“Blood doesn’t mean family,” I finally told her with a slight shrug.
Her smile was bright, her eyes shining. “No. Something you should keep in mind, hmm?” Her eyes shifted to the house, her smile falling ever so slightly. “I know what people are going to think. You’re 24, it’s about time you moved out, but there’s a lot they don’t see, a lot we don’t see.” Her eyes found mine again. “It’s a good step, it means something. Nobody truly understands how hard it is to get out when they aren’t in the situation. I don’t fully understand it, but hearing what Ash has had to say?” She shrugged. “I’m proud of you, however much weight that holds coming from me, I am proud of you.”
I swallowed, my throat closing as the tears burned my eyes. Shit.
“Hey,” Ash called, jogging up to us. She lifted a large black duffle bag, my guitar gripped in her other hand. “Stuff and things,” she smiled. “Enough to get you by while you set up, andthat jar of roses.”
I nodded, grateful for her. “Thank you.” My eyes shifted back to the garage as she carried the duffle bag and guitar to her vehicle. I had never actually used the key before. Not once.
I remembered the day dad had people move their belongings into the garage. I remembered crying when I found out that they hadn’t moved everything, that Jordan had gotten his hands on it, destroyed it.
I was finally getting out. Getting away from that, from him. I was escaping.
Grey reappeared through the doorway with a grocery sack in one hand and my key gripped in the other. His eyes locked onto mine, soft and flaming at the same time. “He’s by no means an expert,” he told us as he neared. “It’s pathetic. I’ve been on the dark web, I know the things posted there. He should have been able to find something better than this.”
I stared at the sack he was carrying, filled with explosives that would have ended many lives. He was carrying them around as if they were nothing more than potatoes.
“Would they have killed people?” I asked, finding his eyes again.
He nodded, nearing me as Ash and Syn gave me nods and headed for the garage. “Yes.”
I released a shuddering breath, eyes filling as he came to a stop in front of me, slid the grocery sack through the open window behind me, and straightened. He lifted his hand, brushing my hair gently out of my face before taking my chin, his eyes burning fiercely. “I kept people safe then,” I whispered.
He ran his thumb under my bottom lip as he nodded, his eyes flicking to my lips and back. “You did, baby. We’re halfway out of the dark.”
His eyes were so beautiful today. The gold spears shooting into the green were brighter, but only for a moment before his pupils grew. “Halfway out of the dark,” I whispered back. “Maybethat’ll be my first tattoo.”
His eyes lit up then. “Virgin skin?”