Chapter Thirty-Seven
Caz got home before Grace. She ran upstairs and jumped into the shower, scrubbing the oil and grease away. With a towel wrapped around her, she twisted the taps on the bath and dumped a huge dollop of Grace’s favourite bubbles. The scent of peach and vanilla instantly filled the air.
She’d done this a lot in the last couple of weeks, rushing home, having a warm bath ready, while she cooked dinner, and insisting that Grace rest, feet up and happy.
The weather was turning cooler as September edged towards October. Leaves were falling and skies were darkening, and the fire was lit most evenings. It was a cosy home, and that made it too easy to inch closer to each other.
Not that Caz was complaining.
If that was all she would ever have with Grace, she was good with it. She loved it even more when Grace would snuggle in, grab Caz’s hand and pull it to lay against her stomach, and they’d talk about the future, what the baby might look like, and names.
Caz liked Gregory for a boy. Grace had said it was far too posh, but then she picked Amelia for a girl, which Caz liked, but pointed out so did almost every other parent on the market for a good moniker for their kid.
She pushed her hand into the water, checking the temperature as she swirled it to make more bubbles. Turning, she almost jumped out of her skin when Grace appeared in the doorway. Her arms moved so quickly that the towel almost fell away.
“Bloody hell, Grace.” Caz laughed, readjusting the cotton covering around herself. “Scared the shit out of me.”
“Language,” Grace admonished playfully. “That’s a pound in the swear jar, Madden.”
They’d made a pact to never swear around the children. They’d agreed to never shout at each other, or the kids, if they could help it, and to always find kind words and ways to say things that wouldn’t end up scarring their offspring for life.
“Sorry, my bad.” She sagged a little. “Good day?”
“Yeah, got an offer on two different homes, so fingers crossed, I’ll be hitting my bonus early this month, but I am glad its Sunday tomorrow. My back aches a little.”
“That’s great, about the houses, not your back. You’re amazing.” Caz grinned.
The way Grace’s face lit up at the compliment gave Caz a thrill, and it was in that moment, she really understood something fundamental: She’d always loved Grace, like loved—really loved—not just a friendship love. It was real, deep, and connected love, that if she were honest, she’d never found with anyone else.
Her thoughts flicked back to Morgan telling her to just admit it to Grace.
But she couldn’t.
She shook herself out of it and pushed it all back down again. There was no place for such things. They were not that kind of couple, no matter how much she might want them to be. Her eyes moved down and watched as Grace’s hand rubbed gentle circles on her tummy—something she’d been subconsciously doing a lot lately.
“So, I’ve got dinner all planned. Chicken wrapped in prosciutto and stuffed with mozzarella, with a side of olives and mustard.”
“Sounds perfect,” Grace answered, her attention turning toward the bath. “For me, I assume?”
“You assume correctly. Jump in, take as long as you like, and I’ll bring you a cup of that horrible tea you love.”
“It’s not horrible, you just need a refined palate for it.”
Caz grimaced and ducked past her.
“If you say so.”
“I do say so,” Grace called out after her.
Caz was already on the landing and smiling to herself as she headed into what was once her bedroom but now just housed her clothes.
“You are so under the thumb,” she muttered happily. She yanked the drawer open and pulled out fresh underwear. Boxer-style shorts with the Bath Street Harriers logo on them that Dani had gotten her last Christmas in the secret Santa exchange. She again felt a pang of guilt that her friend was in the dark about everything, because she felt sure, when she could finally tell Dani and the others, nobody was going to be annoyed she was spending time at home.
And then she had to admit, she did kind of miss hanging out with the gang.
When she was dressed in matching sweatpants and hoodie, she skipped down the stairs. She was halfway when she stopped.
“Grace, do you need anything?”
There was no answer. So, she tried again, this time walking back up three stairs.
“Grace? I’m going to get dinner on.”
A strangled mewling sound filtered out through the closed door, followed by a more stringent cry.
“Caz!”
Bolting up the remaining steps, and without thinking any further than getting there, Caz opened the door and rushed inside.
Grace was curled up on her side, one hip protruding from the water, her left arm clinging to the side of the bath, with her face contorted, leaning against the edge.
“What’s wrong?” Caz said, instantly dropping to the floor and getting as close as she could.
Eyes wet with tears, stared back at her.
“Grace? Talk to me.”
She mouthed something so inaudible that Caz needed to lean closer still.
“Say that again.”
This time, in a hushed whisper, she heard, “I’m bleeding.”
There was a rush of adrenaline that moved its way like lightning through Caz’s body, numbing any sense of pain or upset.
“A lot?” she asked, but her eyes already answered for her when she looked to the water and saw the murky colour beneath the fading bubbles.
Grace nodded.
“Okay, so, let’s get you out of there and go get you and…let’s get everything checked out, yeah?”
“What if—”
Caz stood up and grabbed a towel, holding it up. She closed her eyes and allowed Grace her dignity.
“Let’s not focus on the negative, it might be completely normal, or just something we need to fix.” She kept her voice as steady as she could, trying desperately to hold on to anything positive.
The sound of water cascading, and then the feel of Grace pulling the towel towards her meant she could open her eyes again.
“It’s going to be okay, whatever happens, alright?”
Grace nodded, but the tears now trickling down her cheek said otherwise when she doubled over in pain and cried out, “Caz, we can’t lose—.”
There was nothing Caz could say, other than offer Grace a hand and help her out of the bath. “Let’s just get things checked, okay?”