“Liv will love you, by the way,” Grady said, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. “She’s heard me talk about you for years.”
“Really?”
“Oh yeah,” he chuckled. “She knows our whole story. Witnessed every moment I pined for the one I’d lost. She’s your biggest supporter, other than me, obviously, and has been foaming at the mouth to meet you.”
I didn’t know why I was crying, but I felt the tears well up all the same. I’d spent so long feeling jealous of a woman I’d never met, and yet she was cheering Grady and me on the entire time. Was it silly to be thankful he had someone to fill his life with love, whether platonic or romantic, while we were both figuring our shit out? Maybe, but I was all the same. Besides, if they hadn’t gotten together, they never would have had Charlie, who was becoming just as important to me as her father was.
“Hey, hey,” Grady said, wiping away my tears. “No crying. I’m sorry. Was this too much?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Why’re you apologizing when I was the one who just outed us to your daughter?”
“I don’t know that we were ever much of a secret,” he chuckled. “I mean, I’ve been pretty obvious with how much I wanted you. It won’t come as some big secret.”
He had a point. There was no way anyone in my family would be surprised, except possibly my dad. That was just because I hadn’t talked to him much in the past two weeks. I couldn’t help but wonder what he would make of all this, especially when he hadn’t remembered Grady to begin with. Would he think it was too soon? Was I rushing into things?
He hadn’t said anything to Josie and Lennox, but he wasused to them making rash decisions where their hearts were concerned. I, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. I asked questions, overanalyzed, and spiraled before coming to an overly rational conclusion. When Mom asked me what was taking so long to marry Thomas, Dad offered his full support, allowing me all the time I needed.
I’d only ever seen a hint of concern when I came home from college the weekend after my birthday. I thought I’d hidden my despair over Grady and me breaking up well enough, but he’d seen right through me. We spent our days curled up in the living room, watching old movies as I eventually sobbed onto his chest.
“I know I’m wasting my breath, but try not to worry, okay?” Grady said, pulling me back to the present. “The only people whose opinions matter are the people we know love us and want the best for us.”
He pulled me down onto his lap, patting the other open spot for Charlie, who immediately climbed up, and then he wrapped his arms around us both and squeezed us tight. It didn’t alleviate my concerns or fear, but it brought me comfort, knowing we’d likely face a mess in our future, yet we would be able to get through it because we had each other.
I hoped that would be enough.
cleo
. . .
I was sittingat the piano as Grady came back into the living room. He’d just put Charlie to sleep after a tearful bedtime. When they tried to call Olivia, which apparently, they did every night, she hadn’t answered, which sent Charlie into a bit of a spiral. She was missing her mom something fierce, and my heart broke each time she wailed.
“Still nothing?” I asked, attempting to recall Chopsticks by memory, though not very well.
Grady collapsed on the couch, running his hand through his hair. “Nope. I texted her, too. It isn’t like her to go silent like this. Her assistant said she hadn’t spoken to her since before dinner, and she didn’t have any scheduled meetings tonight.”
“Maybe she fell asleep early?”
He snorted. “Liv is like a vampire. That woman doesn’t understand the meaning of the word sleep. She survives on spite, ADHD medication, and Red Bull. Oh, and gin and tonics.”
“And don’t forget the blood of the innocent, apparently. I’m not sure Red Bull and meds are vampire staples,” I teased, trying to lighten the mood. “The G and T’s and spite seem on point, though.”
“It’s just weird, that’s all. I don’t know. I’m probably just overthinking.”
I closed the fallboard, turning around to face him. “You don’t think something happened to her, right? Like, she’s okay?”
He waved me off. “Yeah, nothing like that. It’s more like I’m worried she’s laid up in bed, seriously sick, because she refuses to tell anyone she’s hurting.”
“Ah,” I said, grimacing. “I know the feeling well.”
“I’m well aware,” Grady said with a roll of his eyes. “Do you remember when you got the flu right after we started college and you ended up getting the entire class sick because you refused to stay home?”
“It wasn’t my finest moment,” I confessed. “But I was worried I would fall behind!”
“Cleo, it’d been like three days, and we shared classes. I could’ve helped you with anything you needed.”
“Blame it on my inability to let go,” I said, raising my hands.
“Whatever you say,” he chuckled, moving to the floor where the remnants of our card game littered the floor.
