CHAPTER 37
GRAYSON
“H ow have things been since the last time we spoke?” Dr Thorpe asks from the screen in front of me.
“Good, I guess,” I reply vaguely.
“Just good?” she frowns. “Come on Grayson, it’s been almost a year since you’ve made an appointment with me. Tell me why you chose now to reach out.”
I take a deep breath and release it on a long exhale as I scrub a hand over my face. “I met a woman, and uh… some things got lost in communication, so I took her to Reuben’s grave.”
Dr Thorpe nods along with me as I speak, her pen moving across the paper on the desk in front of her. “Okay. And when you say things got lost in communication, what do you mean?”
“She saw me in the park with Rebecca and Sapphire and got the wrong idea.”
Her eyes widen slightly with amusement. “Right. So, you made the choice to take her to Reuben’s grave. How did that go? ”
I chew on my lip a moment before responding. “Well, I planned on just explaining that they were his family, but I ended up telling her everything.”
“You spoke about the night Rueben died?”
I nod. “Yeah.”
She keeps her face blank as she assesses me. “And how did that feel?”
“Surprisingly freeing. I’ve struggled for so long to even think about that night, let alone talk about it. But, with her, the words just fell from me. It was like once I started talking, I couldn’t stop.”
She nods again with a soft smile. “This is really good, Grayson. Talking about what happened that night is a huge step towards getting that closure.”
I think about that for a moment and wonder if she’s right. Am I getting closure? I’m not sure. All I know is my grief has felt a little less heavy since I opened up to Liv. I still feel it, sure. But I don’t have the urge to hide in the darkness like I did merely a few months ago.
“I want you to do something for me,” she says, and I realise I haven’t said anything since she last spoke.
I give her an uneasy look. “Okay…”
She huffs a small laugh. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing too crazy. When you’re ready, I just want you to go to Reuben’s grave and talk to him.”
I frown. “Talk to him?”
She nods. “Yes. You don’t have to talk about the night he died, or anything you don’t want to talk about. Just go and tell him how life has been lately. Tell him about his daughter. The ranch. Anything.”
I ponder her idea, feeling a little uncomfortable. “It feels a little strange, but I’ll try.”
“That’s all I ask. ”
We talk for a few minutes longer before booking another session for a month’s time and hanging up. I feel a small sense of pride as I recap the video call in my head as I get ready for dinner up at the main house.
I noticed Liv’s car parked outside Hunter and Savannahs house earlier on as I passed, and I was surprised by the sudden eagerness to see her that I felt. She only left my bed this morning, and already I’m trying to think of ways to get her back into it.
I haven’t slept as good as I did last night in years. The moment her body relaxed against mine I was out like a light, right up until the moment she started wiggling her naked ass against my dick that is.
She wasn’t wrong when she said it was the best sleepover ever. I think I’ve had a small spring in my step all day. My brother’s and the ranch hands kept looking at me like I’ve grown a second head, but I don’t really give a shit. They can keep on wondering.
I pull a clean t-shirt over my head and spray some cologne on myself before grabbing my phone and keys and heading towards Hunter’s house.