Page 99 of Fractured Grief
I placed my hand over hers in her lap at the kitchen counter. “None of that was ever your fault. You hear me?”
Silent tears tracked down her cheeks. “On some level, I know that is true, but it’s hard to accept. I’ve been with him since I was sixteen.”
“He wasn’t abusing you this whole time, was he?” Rage boiled my blood at the thought.
“Yes and no. It didn’t get physical until we married. Then, he owned me.” Her voice was so soft and timid I had a hard time hearing her, but I did, and my heart hurt for all that this young woman had been through.
“I’m so sorry I didn’t reach out or do anything to stop Mama and Daddy and all they did to you and Alexandra! I knew they were wrong, but I was scared. Daddy changed after that. He and Mama were so angry. I was, too, but not at you or Alex. I just wish I could have gone with you. I tried to find you, tried to escape out of Alex’s bedroom window one night, but Daddy caught me and gave me the belt.” She winced then, either from remembered pain or her current injuries, I wasn’t sure.
“Oh, Grace. I’m so sorry.” I gripped her hand tightly in mine, wanting her to know I was here. She had us now; she wasn’t alone. “If Lexi had known, she would have come to get you. She missed you like crazy, we both did.”
Silence settled over us with the only noise being lighthearted giggles and chatter coming from Seb and Hazel as they added the finishing touches to the cocoa before bringing it over to the counter to pour into mugs.
“Are these Alexandra’s snickerdoodles?” Grace gasped when she was offered the plate of cookies. Tears welled in her eyes. “I never thought I’d get to enjoy these again.” She sent me a watery smile.
“Why do you call Mommy Alexandra?” Hazel asked. “Her name is Lexi or Lex or Mommy for me.”
“Hazel,” I went to admonish, but Grace placed a hand on my arm.
“I’m so sorry, Hazel. You’re right. My parents made me call your mommy that, even when I knew she didn’t like it. It became a habit. I’ll try to break it, but I might need your help.”
“What kind of help?” Hazel probed.
“I just need you to remind me, whenever we talk about Lexi, that I say the right name, okay?”
“Okay. I can do that,’ Hazel chirped, before going back to her cookies and cocoa.
Epilogue
Indy
Iwas exhausted but happy to finally be on holiday.
Christmas was just around the corner, and I was excited to share it with Seb.
Grace had settled in with us seamlessly and had even found a job at the diner down the road, and was saving to find her own place. I didn’t blame her. The couch was comfortable, but nothing beat having your own space and some privacy.
Seb had taken to spending most weekdays at my townhouse, and we had weekends at Hope’s Ridge. Hazel loved playing with all the cousins and had made so many friends. And I was addicted to all the delicious food. We were regulars at the Sunday Brunches.
How had I gotten so lucky? To find such genuine, caring, and compassionate people. The whole town welcomed me, Hazel, and now, Grace, like we were all one of theirown. It was the perfect town Lexi had dreamed of finding, and I had.
The anniversary of her death had been hard, but with Seb and Grace, we’d celebrated Lexi’s life and how awesome she was, rather than focusing on the fact that she was no longer here.
I couldn’t have done any of it without Seb by my side. As we shared story after story of my beautiful best friend, I knew we’d all be okay. She’d be with us, always, and we’d live on in her memory.
With Lyric’s help and support, I had a surprise offer for Seb tonight. We’d had Ma take Hazel for a sleepover, and Grace was at work. We had the townhouse to ourselves.
I hoped Seb would be on board with my plan. We had a light dinner and settled down to watch a movie.
“Hey, Seb,” I said, before we pressed play.
“Yes, Sunshine.” I loved it when he called me that.
“Do you think your brothers could help me with something this weekend?” I asked.
“Help with what?” he asked, distractedly.
Seb had made no secret of wanting to marry me, but had never said anything about me moving in with him. I wondered if we were on the same page.
