“Did he say anything to you?”
“Not really. Talked about the past. Asked about Grace—seemed to know about Matt, and then one night, he pressured me about Liz.”
“Talk a little faster. I’ve got an itchy trigger finger.” I hit the button, aiming toward his shoes.
“It was more of a trade. He said he’d restore me to my glory. I’d be lead counsel on his team, making double what I made at the firm. My house would be current.”
“You’re already current. Aunt E has been covering your bills,” Grizz ended on a growl.
“I didn’t…” His lips trembled. “I didn’t know.”
“You didn’t bother to ask nor listen when anyone tried to tell you.”
“He brought papers. Looked like finance documents, and I thought nothing of it when I signed. The last page was an arranged marriage agreement. He’s coming in two weeks to marry her, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. She’s been grieving him for years, so I figured it wouldn’t matter.”
Chapter 7
Thicker Than Blood
Sabre
“I’m sorry,” Grace said, staring straight ahead as she sat upright in the hospital bed. When she’d delivered JR, relief had hit me. They had been healthy, and I could breathe a little easier. This felt familiar, but I was out of my depth.
“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about.” I reached for her hand, and she didn’t hesitate to hold mine.
“I know, but this is my dad. I should have handled him.” Her lips quivered. “Maybe I should have given in a few times to keep the peace.”
My temper flared at Gerry all over again, but I tamped it down. I wanted to rage about how fucked up this entire situation was, but I didn’t. Gerry wasn’t here to feel my wrath, and Grace was the wrong person to unleash my fury on. She’d internalize it.
There was a knock on the door.
“Feel like some company?” Scrub asked, sticking his head around the curtain. “I need a place to hide out.”
“Of course,” Grace answered, smiling at him. We both noticed it didn’t reach her eyes, but I made a slight hand gesture for him to let it go. I’d give her tonight, and if she was still having a hard time, I’d talk to her.
“Is it busy?” she asked, shifting against the pillows.
Scrub bristled at the words as he took the seat next to me. “You just jinxed me.” He was about to say something else when there was another knock on the door.
“So this is where you’re hiding.” Stands walked into the room. “Nurse Betty is looking for you.” I’d have to ask Scrub later if he’d planned this meeting or if he had just gotten lucky.
Scrub went to stand. “Do you want my chair?”
“No, but you owe me.” Stands stood at the bottom of the bed, leaning against the little table that was in the room.
“I’d give you anything you asked for.” Scrub was serious. He’d been working to get Stands back since the moment she walked out of the clubhouse, vowing never to return. They were at an impasse, and when you had that much history, it was hard to move on.
Stands ignored him, focusing completely on Grace. “I can throw him out if you need me to.”
Grace shook her head. “It’s alright. Are my results back?”
“If you didn’t have a history of high blood pressure, I would tell you this was a one-off and to get some rest.” Stands scrunched her nose. “Your blood work is normal. The ultrasound looks good. The baby is measuring exactly where it should be.”
“So, what was this?” I asked. If there was a problem, Stands would fix it.
“I hate to say it, but I honestly think this was stress.” When all of us stared at her, she rushed to follow-up with, “My mother and Slate are the worst gossips.”
“I thought you weren’t club,” Scrub said, daring her to contradict him.
