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As I climbed back in, Adam muttered his goodbye and slipped the phone back into his pocket, without explanation. Perhaps it wasn’t Grayson.
I placed his coffee into the drink holder between us, but held mine tightly in my hands as Adam started up the car and pulled back out onto the road.
“Was that Grayson?” I asked hesitantly.
He cleared his throat. “Yeah, he’s with Mel now. Apparently she’s stable, but still asleep.”
“Oh…That’s good news.” I was genuinely relieved, but a sharp pain radiated through my chest. I glanced down at my phone, willing it to light up.
Adam threw me a sideways glance, before gazing back at the road ahead. “He probably just expected me to relay the news. I’m sure he’ll contact you soon.”
“He really cares about her, doesn’t he?” I asked, keeping my eyes on the passing scenery.
“He always has. They’ve been through a lot together.”
I nodded, pretending to know, but I really had no idea. Grayson never spoke about her and I never asked. I took a sip of coffee and let it burn my throat. It was a welcome distraction.
“That’s why this whirlwind romance of yours has taken everyone by surprise,” he continued. “We all just expected they’d get back together. Clearly Melanie did too.”
My heart sank. “Do you think that’s why she…is that why she’s in hospital? She found out about us and…hurt herself?”
“It seems that way.” Adam sighed. “Just like the last time they broke up.”
“They’ve broken up before?”
“Yeah, back in college. Grayson ended it and Melanie went off the rails. Started drinking and partying too much, anything to get his attention.”
“Why can’t she just let him go?”
“Because she’s dependent on him. Always has been. And Grayson thinks he’s responsible for her.”
“Why on earth would he be responsible for a fully-grown woman?”
Adam went momentarily quiet as his shoulders tensed. “He hasn’t told you, has he?”
My head snapped back to his. “Told me what?”
“Fuck Grayson,” he muttered, gripping his steering wheel tighter. He glanced my way. “Why do you think they got engaged so young?”
I winced. “I assumed they were in love.”
“In love?” he snickered. “That maybe came later, but not in the beginning. If Grayson wasn’t so shit scared of her father, I doubt he would’ve proposed at all.”
“I…I don’t understand.”
Adam took his eyes off the road to meet mine. “He got her pregnant.”
“What?!” My eyes bulged and my heart lurched.
Adam rambled on like my brain didn’t just explode all over the interior of the car. “I guess he was trying to do what was right. A baby out of wedlock would be the ultimate embarrassment for our families, not to mention social suicide for Melanie.”
Bile crept up my throat. “Gr…Grayson…has a child?” How did I not know this? How could he not tell me?! Coffee spat out of my cup as my hands shook, burning my fingers, but I didn’t feel a thing.
Adam glanced my way, clearly seeing my distress. “No, Josie. Shit.” With a quick glance in the rear-view mirror he pulled over to the side of the road and stopped the car. He reached over and took the coffee from my hands, placing it in the spare cup holder. “There was no baby. Melanie lost it about a month later.”
Oh god. Relief and despair churned my stomach. “Jesus…”
Adam sank back into his chair. “It got pretty messy after that, but Grayson didn’t leave her side. She came to rely on him, and with the added pressure from our parents, I think he found it easier to stay engaged.”
