Page 70 of All I Have Left

“I doubt Grayson will allow anything to happen.” Frankie sounds utterly confident this won’t be a problem. And deep down, I know it’s true. But he also doesn’t need to be involved.

“I don’t want Grayson doing anything to Shane. It’s only making this all worse. I saw the way Shane’s looking at him,” I tell them, my heart pounding in my chest at the real possibility that Shane could hurt Grayson. “I don’t know what he’s going to do. He always threatened to hurt the people I love if I ever left him.”

“Shane isn’t going anywhere near The Point,” Kelly adds, taking another curl and laying it on my other shoulder. “Quinten won’t let Shane in the bar. He knows what happened.”

Awesome. Everyone knows now. It’s a reminder, if the bruises aren’t enough of a display, that we live in a small town. Everyone knows that I let a man beat the crap out of me. Staring at myself in the mirror, I take in the swelling around my eye, and though the makeup is working, I know what’s underneath it. I’m ashamed I kept going back. Fear picks at my skin and before I know it, I’m sweating and Kelly takes notice.

“Okay, if this is going to cause her to freak out, we should stay home,” Kelly says, staring at Frankie. “Her safety should be our concern.”

They both look to me, waiting for me to make the call. “I want normal, damn it,” I cry, tears flowing now. “I don’t want to stay home because of him. For the last six months, I’ve been hiding because of him and I don’t want to.”

Kelly kneels in front of me. “Promise me something?”

I nod.

“When you want to leave, you tell us. Immediately.”

Again, I nod. “I will.”

Frankie disappears and I have a feeling she’s going to talk to Grayson.

Around nine, we’re ready to head out. I’m wearing a simple white sundress and cowboy boots. No cleavage is showing, and the dress is down to above my knees. This I can deal with.

Josh whistles when he sees us walk into the living room. I roll my eyes.

Grayson is seated on the couch next to Ethan, a game controller in his hand. At first, he doesn’t look up but when Josh sniffs my hair and asks me what shampoo I use, Grayson laughs and looks over at me.

Blinking slowly, his eyes drag from the boots to my face. I take a step toward him. “Ready?”

Standing, he takes my hand in his. He’s showered and the faintest bit of his cologne invades my senses. Sighing, I lean into him. “You look pretty.”

He rolls his eyes and draws me into his side. “You’ve been hanging out with my sisters too much.”

“I think you’re right on that one. They pretend I’m their doll.”

“Better you than me. The makeup they used never matched my complexion,” he teases, nodding toward the door where the others headed out already. “After you.”

He waits for me to walk in front of him. Probably so he can watch me walk in front of him. Curious, I look over my shoulder. To my surprise, he’s not looking. He’s hugging his mom. My heart bursts. I love that he’s a mama’s boy still. Distracted by everyone else, I hadn’t noticed Julia was even in the room.

She touches his cheek. “Stay out of trouble,” she tells him.

He nods. “I will.”

I hope this time he’s telling her the truth. I desperately want one night that doesn’t end in him fighting someone.

Outside, he opens the door to his truck. “Hop in.”

Heat licks my cheeks. “Don’t look at my ass,” I note, reaching for the bar to haul myself into his lifted Chevy.

“I won’t,” he says, his lips by my ear, his chest pressed to my back. His breath noticeably catches when his hands grasp my hips lightly. And then he effortlessly lifts me up. I love the way my body feels gliding against his. Once he’s set me on the seat, I twist to face him. He steps forward, between my legs.

I touch the sides of his scruffy face and angle his chin up. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Being a gentleman.” I smile, staring into his beautiful golden brown eyes. “I forgot what that was like.”

Wrapping his hands around my waist, he sighs. “You wouldn’t be saying that if you knew what I was thinking.”

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