Page 136 of Moonlit Colorado

“We don’t even know what really happened,” I pointed out, but Callum kept going.

“Then there’s the part of me that worshipped the ground our oldest brother walked on. It’s good to know he’s alive, at least. But talking to him, letting him be in our lives again… I just don’t know.”

“Will you hate me if I get in touch with him? Will Ashford hate me?”

Callum glanced up, brows knitting. “Geez, Grace. No. We could never hate you. Ashford will calm down. And I’m fine with whatever you decide. Just be careful. Don’t be surprised if Grayden disappoints you.”

I already knew that was a possibility. But by trusting Dane, I’d proven that the risk of putting myself out there was worth it.

Grayden had been a good man once. Maybe he still was. I owed it to us all to find out.

* * *

“I told Ashford and Callum about finding Grayden.”

Dane brushed the hair back from my face. “And?”

We were lying in bed in our hotel room. Dane’s father had taken a room on a different floor, and he had a flight out first thing tomorrow morning. We’d already said our goodbyes. Dane had shared with me everything that he and his father had discussed. His dad’s apology, and the possible beginnings of a better relationship between them. I hoped so.

But we hadn’t talked about my conversation with my own family yet. Not because I hadn’t wanted to share. I had just been focused on Dane, which to me was a luxury. After so many years of being the baby sibling, who everybody always looked out for, I longed for someone of my own to take care of. I’d tried to take care of Ashford and Maisie. Heck, I’d tried to take care of the whole town in some ways. But Dane was trulymine.

I still felt uncertain about the issue of my oldest brother. But I had zero doubts about Dane’s support. I owed him so much.

“Ashford reacted the way I expected.”

“I can talk to him tomorrow.”

“No, it’s fine. I told him not to be mad at you, and I don’t think he is.” I thought of my brother’s reaction, and it dawned on me. “Ashford’s afraid of getting hurt again. Callum is probably the same. He was less adamant about it, but he’s not ready to talk to Grayden yet either.” Ashford and Callum were both fearless in many ways. But when it came to our family’s history, they had both been through a lot and still struggled to talk about it. Funny to think that, for some things, I was the strong one.

Dane cuddled me against him, stroking up and down my back over my T-shirt. “What about you? Have you decided whether to contact him?”

I had known I wanted this for a while. So why wait any longer?

I sat up, glancing at the clock. “It’s almost midnight. Almost eleven in Seattle. Do you think it’s too late to call?”

“If I were Grayden, I would want to hear from you anytime, any day.”

I grabbed my phone and the paper with Grayden’s number. My hand shook as I dialed. “Do you want me to stay?” Dane asked.

“Please. I need you here.”

He snuggled in close to me. As I listened to the line ring, my heart jackrabbited against my ribs.

“Hello?”

I gasped. That was my brother’s voice. My response was trapped in my throat.

“Hello? Uh, it looked like a Colorado number calling?”

Now, I heard the anxious hope in Grayden’s voice. The same thing I felt. “It’s me. Grace.”

There was a pause. “Gracie? Oh my God.”

We didn’t talk for long. Just enough to establish that we were both healthy and doing okay. Same with Ashford and Callum. Grayden peppered me with questions, wanting to know everything—how I’d found him, what I did for work, if he had nieces or nephews—but we both agreed we should set up a time to talk later, when it wasn’t almost the middle of the night.

Dane sat close to me the whole time, silent but giving me strength through his presence.

Finally, we said goodbye and ended the call. I stared at the phone in my hand for a long while.

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