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“Well, what did you learn?”
He explains briefly the articles he read, and I remember them word for word, mostly because I co-wrote some of them. My mom and I agreed we wanted to try to control what was printed following the death and the accident. Then he tells me about discovering my dad is the Mayor.
“Is that it?”
“Yes.”
“Well, first of all, I need to explain a few things. It’s a bit of a story, but when I get to the more recent events, I think you’ll understand.”
“Take your time. I’ve been waiting a long time to hear this.”
“My family is very established in the town of Thomasville. Our roots are planted deep. The Monroes go back generations. It wasn’t always the orchards or the pecan trees either. We’ve had almost every area of agriculture in our family. In 1942, a family from a neighboring county came to town. They bought some of the abandoned land the town had written off as useless. This was the Rae family.
“For years, The Raes worked their fingers to the bone to get the land cultivated and pretty soon became recognized as elite tobacco farmers in the area. The Monroes didn’t like this at all and started a petition to take back the land and run the family out of town. It became an all-out war, but what they didn’t count on was Kayla Rae and Roy Monroe falling in love. An even bigger surprise was when Kayla and Roy showed up one night, married. They eloped the minute Grandma turned eighteen.
“It was the talk of the town for quite a while, with rumors flying that Grandma was knocked up. That wasn’t true. Well, things were rough for my grandparents. All their lives, they’d lived under their parents’ rule, but they were determined to make a life for themselves. Both sets of my great-grandparents were livid and tried everything just short of disowning them to break up the marriage. Nothing worked. The only saving grace was that my great-grandpa Monroe was a stubborn son of a bitch and wouldn’t have his son working for anyone but the family. So my grandpa was able to keep his job on the farm and moved them into the loft over a barn.”
Nick squeezes my hand gently. “It sounds exactly like those movies my mom and Bizzy love watching.”
“Oh, yes, it was the love story of the ages. Eventually, everyone came around. During that time, the boys were enlisting in the service to serve their country, but Grandpa decided to stay behind and tend to the land. He’ll tell you to this day that it was the best decision he ever made because he was scared Kayla’s dad would convince her that Roy Monroe wasn’t good enough for her. So he stayed to prove him wrong.
“The feud between the families died the instant Grandma was pregnant with my dad. All the rifts went out the window. As the story is told, it was a miracle. Suddenly, the Monroes and Raes were a joined unit and unstoppable. Together, my great-grandparents invested and brought the newest and best agricultural practices to Thomasville. Peace was finally found.”
“It’s a really cool story, Grace. Sounds like you’re part of an aristocracy.”
I let out a little giggle and nod. “You have no idea. But it’s not as grand as you’d think. My mom and dad raised Logan and me normally. I’ve never had a silver spoon in my mouth. As a matter of fact, when I refused to be a debutante, I thought Great-Grandma Rae was going to have a stroke. But Grandma Kayla openly applauded my decision. She was my partner in crime. I had girlfriends, but Grandma was truly the best. Mom may have had some jealousy of our relationship, but she never spoke up because she loved her equally as much.”
“Sounds like an incredible woman.”
“She was so much more than incredible. That’s why her death turned our world upside down.”
“Grace, you don’t have to explain any more. I get it. It sounds like she was an exceptional woman. I can see how her death would make you re-evaluate your priorities for a while.”
“You have no idea. She may have been exceptional, but she was a stubborn nut! Her death could have been avoided, but she was a Rae to her bones and no one was going to tell her what to do.”
He squints his eyes, clearly confused at the change in my tone. This is the part of the story where I always get fired up—and usually emotional. I suck in a deep breath and continue.
“Grandma shouldn’t have died the way she did, and to this day, we’ve been successful in keeping her entire story from anyone but immediate family. For a few months, she was acting off. Grandpa finally insisted she see a doctor and then a specialist. They found several spots on her brain that were pressing on her sensory nerves. Her speech problems and vision were the most affected. Instead of sharing with the family, she made my grandpa promise to keep it quiet until they could get a full diagnosis and make decisions on treatment. Logan was finishing his own MBA. He wasn’t the farming type, and my parents were supporting his quest to start a business. I was close to graduation with my own plans to attend graduate school. That was an expectation Logan and I never argued. We knew our education was non-negotiable, and we respected it. So her reasoning was to keep on with life as normal until they had a plan of action. One evening, she took off to the back of the farm to check out something. Stubborn ass wouldn’t wait for Grandpa to get out of the shower. On her way, she blacked out and ran her car into a tree. She was killed instantly.”
“Jesus!” He lurches forward and twists into me, folding our hands to his chest. “I didn’t see that coming. That was her accident?”
“Yes, but it was what happened next that changed the course of my life. I got the call about ten minutes after you left that night. My mom had someone come for me and would only give me basic details until I arrived at home. It was my grandpa… he was inconsolable. She was his life. My time was no longer my own. Every moment I was awake, I was with him. It became obvious I couldn’t return to school for the near future, so we made arrangements to finish school while staying in Thomasville. Being a Monroe has certain advantages, and one of them was the influence my dad had in making it so I didn’t have to withdraw. Then by the time things settled down, you were gone. Hell, almost everyone I knew from school was gone.”
“God, Grace, that’s a lot of pressure on you.”
“No, Nick, no one pressured me but myself. You can’t understand this, but Grandma Kayla and
I were so much alike, and Rae-Monroe women have a characteristic. We excel in the face of adversity. Grandpa needed me, and I wouldn’t change a thing in the world. He’s much better now. Hell, he was better within two months. He’s the one who kicked my ass back into gear with graduate school, and he’s the one who helped Logan and I follow our business plan through. It was he that backed our gallery. The only caveat was I had to promise to finish my MFA. Once again, non-negotiable. So I worked my ass off and did it then got down here to help Logan.”
“I wish you would have told me. If anything, I could have been a friend during that dark time. But what’s done is done, and I’m really fucking glad you’re here now.”
“Me too.” I give him a small smile. “Miami has been good to me. It’s a dream come true.”
Suddenly, in one quick motion, he has me transferred from my spot next to him to directly in his lap. I let out a little squeak that dies in my throat when he releases my hand and frames my face. Gently, his thumbs rub my cheeks as his eyes lock with mine.
“Glad to hear it, but I was more or less referring to right now. You and me, here in your apartment at this ungodly hour of the morning. I’m not lying when I tell you that I thought of you often, more than one person should admit. Seeing you again was a jolt to my system. I’m pretty sure I’m getting a second chance here.”
Oh my God! My heart starts to pound so fast that I know he can feel it. He watches for my reaction, which would probably be to leap in the air screaming if I wasn’t anchored to his lap. Without words, I lean in slowly and stop only inches from his mouth. Taking a page from his book earlier, I whisper against his lips.
