Page 133 of Falling Into Forever
Grady nods thoughtfully, but he’s staring at Saylor. “She never gave up hope.”
“Stubborn,” I say with a crooked smile.
When his gaze cuts back to me, there’s a crack in his armor. The emotion he hides behind a wall of barbed wire is bubbling to the surface.
“How are they?” I ask, steering us back to Lena and my niece.
“I don’t know,” he says in a rush. “Lena’s so stubborn, and I—she’s kind of a mess over the Trent thing. The relationship with her parents is…strained. And what do you tell a four-year-old?”
Until this moment, I hadn’t even thought about my brother. I wait for the guilt to come, but it never does. “Where is he?”
“In custody, but the charges haven’t been filed yet. Blake found out he was so high that he should have OD’d.”
“I tried to get him clean,” I say.
“That’s what brothers do.” Grady’s tone changes and his gaze is distant for a split second before he blinks it all away. “But you can’t help those who don’t help themselves. Sometimes you have to cut people out of your life for your sake and theirs.”
“We won’t have a relationship, don’t worry about that. He almost tore me away from her.” I turn my head to study Saylor. “I’ll never forgive that.”
“And he shot you.” Grady chuckles.
“That too,” I say darkly.
“I’ve never shot anyone.” This has me returning my attention to him.
“You offering to be my fill-in brother?” I smirk, but I’m fighting another yawn.
“Why do you have to make everything so fucking weird?” he asks, scratching his head and glancing around the room.
“Well, are you?”
“No, I’m just saying I’m glad you didn’t die, is all. Jesus. The girls will be here in the morning, and then, unless you need them, I’ll take them home.”
“Home?” I ask, hitching my brow when he doesn’t answer right away.
“Yes. Home—to Connecticut. You’ll be here for a while, and this place has too many ghosts. We ah—we’re staying at her parents’ house, but Lena’s more comfortable in Hope Hollow. So hurry up and get better so you can get your ass home too.”
He holds out his hand, and I take it, then pull him in for a side hug even though it pulls at every damn stitch in my body.
“Thanks, Grady. For everything.” I don’t have to say anything else. He gets the deeper meaning. Thank you for being there for Saylor. Thank you for helping with Lena and Poppy. Thank you for being a friend when I needed it most.
CHAPTER37
SAYLOR
“What are you doing?” I’m not sure whose voice just came out of my mouth. It’s a mix of my sister when she found me on the roof the first time, and Grady when he found out Lilly’s boyfriend was buying condoms.
In short, I sound hysterical, and my body reacts accordingly.
“Jesus, Sayls. You scared the shit out of me,” Dante says like this is my fault.
“Well, what are you doing?” The decibels of my voice may have dropped a bit, but my tone is still a cross between pissed off and too close to heart attack for my liking.
“I’m only going to sit on the sofa. I’m fine. The doctor said I can move around more now.”
Dropping the bags full of groceries on the foyer floor, I dart across the room as anger rises with each step.
“Stand down, Oscar. I’m fine. I promise.”
