Page 44 of Unveiled Wounds

Life moved around me as I waited. Some brothers approached the bar, ordering drinks. The pool game resumed where they had left off. There was a dart game starting. Sabre was yelling out, asking if he should order pizza for dinner. It wasn’t true, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that no one was worried about Grizz but me.

I wasn’t sure how much time had gone by when Pretty plopped his ass on the barstool Grace had vacated. He sat JR against his leg, pinning the baby’s little body between his stomach and his arm. JR was squirrelly and constantly liked to reach for his toes.

“Did Grace send you over here?” I asked, not bothering to turn in his direction.

“Nope, JR and I thought you’d like some company while you wait. We’re not doing anything exciting.” He bounced his leg, and the baby giggled. His little arms waved in the air.

“He’s happy, isn’t he?” I nodded at JR.

“Why wouldn’t he be? He cries, we feed him. He shits, he gets his diaper changed. Little Man missed out on the whole boob feeding thing, but he’ll have plenty of options when he’s older. If it was that easy, I’d live like that, too.”

“Wreck will never change your diaper.”

“I didn’t think you and Grizz rolled that way.” Pretty let his head roll back onto his shoulders, laughing. The baby laughed, feeding off his energy, trying to mimic his uncle.

I opened my mouth to snap a retort, but nothing came out. I closed my lips, taking a deep breath before I tried again, but still no words formed. My discomfort made Pretty laugh harder.

“Wreck’s busy doing his own thing, so I’m doing my thing.” He wiggled his eyebrows at me.

“Is that what you really want?” I asked. It was nice hearing someone else’s drama for a change.

“You’re trying to get me to open up. Who are you? What have you done with Meredith?” He slapped his empty hand against his chest and made a shocked face. I’d met Pretty a few times before everything went to shit, and while he was stunning, the shadows dancing in his eyes told another story. I didn’t know what was happening with Wreck, but it kept Pretty up at night.

“I can say something bitchy, if it will make you feel better.”

“Nah, this is kind of nice.” He threw his head back and laughed again. “You’ve had enough heartache for one year, and JR and I saw you sitting here by yourself, looking lonely. We didn’t like it.” JR hit my arm as if he agreed.

“He looks like Matt, doesn’t he?” I whispered. The baby was a brunette, and his hair was growing in curls, but it went beyond that. He had brown eyes, like Grace’s, but their shape resembled Matt’s.

“No, he looks like Grace.” Pretty leaned over like he was telling me a big secret. “If you watch him while he’s shitting his diaper, he looks just like Sabre when he’s frustrated.” We laughed together, and the baby kicked his legs.

The baby’s little fists reached out towards me. I thought nothing of it as I reached my hands out, preparing to hold JR against me, but when I was close enough to grab him, I stopped. His little fingers were on top of mine, touching me. Fear gripped me, and I quickly pulled back out of his reach. “How do you hold him?” I asked.

“With my arms wrapped around him, so he doesn’t fall. If he hits the floor, Sabre’s going to use my head as a basketball.”

I frowned, not sure to how to ask what I really wanted answered.

“I don’t give a fuck what stains my hands as long as my family is safe.” He knocked his free elbow into mine. “You’re a part of my family. I would hope you don’t look at me any differently than I look at you because my hands aren’t clean.”

I leaned forward and placed my elbows on my thighs. Turning my head back, I took a mental picture of this moment. JR had no clue what was going on. He was having a good time in his uncle’s arms, trying to eat his toes. Maybe it was that simple. JR wouldn’t melt if I touched him, and the blood on my hands wouldn’t transfer to his skin. I was reaching out to take him from Pretty when the front door opened.

My head snapped to the right as I watched Grizz walk into the main room. I couldn’t breathe. My heart pounded, the sound echoing in my ears. I took a deep breath, but no matter how many times I inhaled, my chest was still tight.

“Go get ’im, Tiger,” Pretty whispered.

I jumped from the barstool and took off running until I was close enough to Grizz to fling myself into his arms. He caught me, my momentum forcing him to take several steps back. When had he ever let me fall?Never.I had always wanted a fairytale, but I had distorted its appearance, blinded by the imperfection.

I’d lost myself for a while, but my knight in shining leather had still never let me fall. Every insult I had thrown at him, he’d never returned the volley, even when he had every reason to. He’d never left me in my darkest days. Now, as I was seeing the light, I couldn’t let him believe it was all for nothing.

“I love you,” I said, grabbing his face between my hands, pecking at his lips. “I love you,” I said again, needing him to know they weren’t empty words.

He was a statue, and I wasn’t sure if his heart had stopped. There was a split in his lip, and he looked like he had taken a punch to his nose. Dried droplets of blood still clung to his nostrils. How could someone have done this to him? I couldn’t see straight as love became rage.

“Who did this to you?” I said through gritted teeth, looking for any other injuries.

Pretty had said Grizz needed stitches, so I ran my hands down his chest, until I came across the edge of a bandage. I should have realized he was shirtless, but my mind wasn’t functioning in rational thoughts. I was getting small snippets, with mostly panic mixed in. Grabbing the sides of his club cut, I held them away from his body, staring at the bandage.

“Who did this to you?” As soon as he told me who it was, I was hitting the streets and not coming back until everyone who had made him hurt was gone. I was delusional enough to think I could get this accomplished.

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