Page 144 of Eight Years Gone

“Fuck,” Jagger whispered as he quickly took a right into the tire and lube joint’s empty parking lot. “Grace.”

She kept her face covered as she sucked in several shuddering breaths.

Getting out, he walked to Grace’s side, opening her door. Reaching in to undo her safety belt, he pulled her out of her seat. “Let me hug you, Gracie.”

She wrapped herself around him, burying her face against his chest.

Exhaling a big sigh, he slid his hands up and down her back. “I’m sorry that sucked.”

“I never thought this would be easy, but I had no idea it would be like that. I think it’s safe to say that he knows—that he hates me.”

He rested his cheek against her hair, hurting for her. “He’s angry. He has a right to be. But not at you. Nothing about this situation is your fault.”

She eased back enough to look at him. “I have another brother. He’s alive. But I’ll never know him. How cruel is that?”

He wiped at her tears with his thumbs, wishing there was a way to make anything about this situation even remotely better. “That’s his choice. That’s his loss, Grace.”

She sniffled as another tear fell. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. He made himself perfectly clear. But how do I forget about him?”

“You don’t. But you move on. We keep moving forward. You work at the shop, and we go on our trip to Montana on Thursday. We have a damn good time. Maybe he’ll come around at some point.”

She nodded. “I hope he will.”

He kissed her. “What can we do to cheer you up? There are still plenty of hours left on our Sunday. How do you want to spend them?”

She shook her head as she shrugged. “I don’t know. I have no idea.”

“We could grab your camera. We could go somewhere, and you can take some pictures.”

She wrinkled her nose as she shook her head. “I’m not really in the mood for pictures.”

He hated seeing her so damn sad. Grace yearned for family. She’d always yearned for family. Aunt Maggie was her only living relative, but she had plenty of amazing friends. “Didn’t you say Christy and Mike were taking Brennan and some of his friends to the indoor water park this afternoon?”

She frowned. “Yes.”

“So, let’s grab our bathing suits and go crash the party.”

“You want to go hang out with a bunch of six-year-olds?”

He grinned. “I want to have fun with you. We’ll go on some slides, float on the lazy river—give Mike and Christy a hand. I remember that place having a hell of a chocolate milkshake.”

She closed her eyes as she laughed. “We haven’t been to the aqua park since high school.”

“Which is why we should go.”

“I guess that does sound kind of fun.”

“You’re damn right it does. I heard they added one of those surf pad things this last summer. All of the kids at the dojang assure me it’s ‘way cool.’ And that’s a direct quote.”

She grinned now. “This wasn’t how I saw our day playing out. At all. But I like it.”

He nuzzled his forehead against hers. “Stick with me, baby. I’m full of surprises.”

She chuckled. “I’ll text Christy on the way home and see if she wants us to bring anything.”

He held her gaze, relieved that she didn’t look quite so miserable anymore. “I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that I’m really looking forward to this.”

She laughed as she rolled her eyes. “Then let’s get going.”