Page 104 of Shattered Souls
He nods, a tear escaping and sliding down his cheek. “I just... I wish I had more time,” he says, his voice breaking.
I wrap my arms around his waist as he drops his forehead to my shoulder, and I soothe him as he falls apart in my arms. The minutes roll by, time losing all meaning until Grayson lifts his tear-stained eyes to mine. Beneath the thick layer of grief burns a fire, one aimed in my direction. “I’m done letting you hold yourself back from me.”
“Grayson…”
He shakes his head. “We both know I fucked up, and we both know I’m not the type of guy to apologize for that. Not when it brought you back into my life.” His eyes search mine, his hand moving to rest on the side of my throat. “I can’t promise I won’t piss you off. Hell, we both know I will. But I want to know that even when we’re angry at each other, we still love one another. I don’t want to waste any more time. I want to put the past behind us and move forward.”
He continues, his grip tightening as if afraid to let go. “I want to start a new life with you, with Royce and Logan, and withAurora. I don’t have all the answers to how that looks, and I can promise you it won’t always be smooth sailing, but I know I want it with you. The good times. The bad. The hard and the ugly.”
His vulnerability, his earnestness, they pierce through my defenses. I reach up, cupping his face in my hands. “I want that too, Grayson. A life with all of us.” My lips quirk in a teasing smile. “Although, for the record, I won’t say no to you chasing me through fields or abandoned churches.”
He smirks, a spark igniting in his eyes. “Good, because I had no intention of stopping.” Then his lips are on mine. Coaxing. Demanding. Somehow both passionate yet chaste.
All too soon, he pulls away, the somberness of the situation settling between us once more as we turn to face Gran. I tense as I find her watching us, her eyes cracked open and a weak smile on her face.
“Grayson, my dear.” Her voice is a whisper as her bony fingers squeeze Grayson’s.
Shuffling me on his knee, Grayson leans closer, his face inches from hers. “I’m here, Gran.”
She manages a small smile, her eyes filled with a lifetime of memories and unspoken words. “You’ve always been my strong boy,” she croaks, her grip on his hand tightening slightly as a shadow casts over her face. “Don’t let your father turn you into him. You’re better than that, my dear.”
Gran’s hand trembles as she reaches out, touching his cheek with frail fingers. “I see you, Grayson. I see how hard you fight the world, how you keep everyone at arm’s length. But you don’t have to carry that burden alone. You deserve love, my boy. Happiness. Strength isn’t just about holding everything together.”
Tears threaten in Grayson’s eyes as he clings to every word, his emotions raw and exposed.
“You’ve built walls around your heart, my dear,” she continues, her voice growing fainter. “But those walls… they keep out the love you deserve. Don’t be afraid to let them down.”
Grayson places her hand gently against his cheek, tears running freely down his face as she draws a shaky breath. “Let yourself love, Grayson.”
“Gran,” he chokes out, his voice thick with emotion. “I…”
She smiles faintly, a glimmer of pride in her cloudy eyes. Gran’s next breath is her final one before she slips away. Grayson’s face crumples with grief as he leans over, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead and whispering his goodbye.
Even after she’s gone, we sit there for a while longer. The silence is peaceful, healing. The room steeped in a solemn hush. Gran’s presence lingers in the air, a bittersweet memory mixed with the heavy weight of grief.
Minutes. Hours. Days.
However long Grayson needs, we’ll sit here.I’llsupporthim.
For now, everything else can wait.
My eyelids are heavy, and my muscles weary as I trudge into the house alongside Grayson; however, many hours later, Royce and Logan brought Aurora home and put her to bed hours ago. Thankfully, she’s been out like a light all night.
Once we’re home, Grayson heads straight for the stairs. I watch him go, sighing before I go to check on Aurora. I pop my head into her room, reassuring myself that she’s safe and sound, before ducking across the hall to Logan’s room.
“You okay?” he murmurs from where he was lounging on his bed. Getting up, he comes over and pulls me in against him.
“I’m fine.”
“Grayson?”
I shake my head.
“He will be,” Logan assures. “He’s got us, whether or not he realizes that yet.”
With a sad smile, I press onto my toes and plant a quick kiss on him. A thank you.
“I’m going to say night to Royce, then I think I’ll stay with Grayson.”
