Page 97 of Accepting Fate
“What the fuck is going on, Grayson? Are you breaking up with me or something?” My throat constricts as I force the words I desperately don’t want to hear out.
It’s as if he snaps back into reality. “What? No. Never. Why would you ask that?”
I climb off his lap, now more confused and a little pissed off.
I venture over to the railing and take a deep breath, inhaling the night air.
When I collect myself, I turn around, and lean my back against the railing. “I don’t know, Grayson. I see you this morning and you're acting off, but I chalk it up to you being tired. I barely hear from you all day and then I get here, and your place is completely dark. Then I find you out here and you don’t say shit besides I’m sorry. What else am I supposed to think?”
Grayson sits forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and tugs at his hair. “I know. But today.” He pauses as he tries to find the right words. “Today is the anniversary of my friend’s death. My family knows not to mess with me, and I sit here all day. You know you’re the center of my world. But you’re right. I should have answered my phone. I would have been pissed if you did something like this. I’m sorry, Angel.”
Shit. Now I feel like the world’s worst person. He is grieving the loss of someone and I’m over here acting like a whiny girlfriend.
I go to him and when I get close, he grips my hips pulling me back into his lap. He nuzzles his face into my neck and takes a deep breath.
Running my hand along his arms banded around my middle, I let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, Bear. I didn’t know and I jumped to conclusions. You don’t have to be sorry for taking time to yourself. What is it you told me? Emotions don’t make you weak, they make you human. You’re human and just because you are there for everyone else doesn’t mean you don’t have to let someone be there for you.”
One of the things Shelly and I spoke about really stuck out to me. She told me that Grayson is always the one who will go out of his way to be there for the ones that need it the most. He has been there through every step of me letting go and now it’s my turn to be there for him.
Grayson has taught me what it looks like to be truly selfless. Even if this all ends tomorrow, I hope if the dust ever settles, that I can carry the lessons I’ve learned from being with Grayson with me.
Kissing my neck, he stands up with me in his arms.
Grayson walks us back inside, through his room, down the stairs and sets me down on the couch. Seconds later, Oliver appears out of nowhere and plops down onto my lap.
“Do you work tomorrow?” Grayson asks while walking into the kitchen.
“Nope.”
Opening the fridge, I think he’s going to grab beers, but he grabs two waters and comes back to sit next to me. Handing me mine, he uncaps his and takes a long drink.
“You’re staying here tonight,” he says in a tone letting me know not to argue, not that I would. I’m not leaving him alone. And I’ve grown to not be able to sleep without him next to me.
“Have you eaten anything today?” I ask, quickly adding, “Beer doesn’t count.”
“Yes.”
I’m lost on what to do. I don’t want to ask about his friend and make this day worse, so I go for the obvious. Distraction. “Okay. So, do you want to watch a movie?”
I’m confused why he needed the sudden change in scenery. He doesn’t say anything, so I reach for the remote on the coffee table, but he stops me by touching my arm.
He relaxes into the couch and meets my gaze. “I met Eliza the summer before my senior year of high school.”
Oh okay. This is what we are doing. My brain catches up. I shift my body to face him and nod at him to continue.
Grayson takes a sip of his drink and threads his fingers with mine along the top of the couch. “My mom didn’t grow up in Cliff Haven. She lived in Texas for most of her childhood.” His jaw tightens. “Her dad was an abusive asshole. He would beat the shit out of her and my grandma to the point they had to wear long sleeves in the middle of summer to hide the bruises.”
I fight the tears that threaten to fall at the idea of Shelly and her mom having to go through something I’m way too familiar with.
Softly, he continues. “My grandma had enough when my mom got hit so hard, she passed out. She told my uncle, and he came over with my great-grandpa and beat the fuck out the asshole. My mom, grandma, and uncle packed up what they could and left. Somehow, they stumbled on Cliff Haven. My grandma got a job at the grocery store and my uncle got a job at the auto shop that my dad’s father owned. Mom met Dad on the first day of school and they have been together ever since. He supported her fully when she wanted to be a lawyer to help the people that weren’t able to run away from their abusers like she did. And that’s exactly what she did. She busted her ass and became one of the top lawyers in the surrounding states for domestic violence cases.”
“She’s even more amazing than I originally thought,” I mutter and Grayson nods.
“She worked through having all of us and when we were old enough, sometimes she would bring a kid or a teenager to stay with us. Sometimes it was for a day or two and some were with us for months. Then, one day, she brought home a girl who was only a few years older than me.”
“Eliza?” I ask him, my heart clenching at where this story is probably going.
He nods and takes a deep breath. “She was very shy at first. It was only me and Noah at home and you know how Noah is around people, so it didn’t take her long to warm up. We spent every day together that summer. She became one of us and it felt like she was a sister. But when the summer ended, I hated that I had to go back to school. I even tried to convince Mom to homeschool me so Eliza wouldn’t be alone, but she said no. A week after school started back up, I had a feeling something was wrong. My last class of the day was study hall, so I left early. I rushed home and I will never forget what I saw when I pulled into the driveway.”