55. Grady
GRADY
It takes me a good long minute to help calm Mrs. Rogers down. She’s distraught, and for some reason, she’s clinging to me and not her irate husband, who is still pacing behind us, muttering foul-mouthed insults about Finn Macalister.
Okay, maybe I do know why she wants to hold me instead.
She eventually stops blubbering, leaving a massive tearstain on my shirt, then tells me I should go sit with Teah for a bit.
Patting my arm, she ushers me into the room, ignoring my offers to get her coffee.
“Colin will look after me. You go. Be with our girl.” The vulnerable look on her face makes it impossible to argue, and if I’m honest, I don’t want to.
I just need to see Teah properly, with my own two eyes, and assure myself that she’s going to make it.
Quietly stepping into the room, I move around the bed, watching her face carefully and trying not to disturb her.
It kills me to see her like this. She may not be my girlfriend anymore, but I’ll always care about her.
We shared nearly a whole year together. The intensity of the summer after we got together was like a year in two months, and by the time we got back to college, we were already into the settled stage.
Shit, if she’d asked me to move in with her, I would have said yes in a heartbeat.
But she wanted to stay with her sorority girls, and I love Football Frat.
So we spent nights at each other’s places. We met up most days for a coffee or a meal together. When I wasn’t caught up with football, I was with her. We’d study together, party together… I thought we were endgame.
But that was never in the cards for her.
I wasn’t her one.
And maybe she’s not yours.
As I take a seat beside her and gently brush my fingers down her arm, I think of Blake.
She left while I was hugging Mrs. Rogers. I’m assuming she’s just gone to the bathroom, or maybe she’s hunting down some drinks for us. It was good of her to come with me. I’m grateful for her support, and as soon as I’m done with Teah, I’ll go and find her.
Just a few minutes to gather myself, and then I’ll check on Blake and figure out what to do.
It’s probably best that we leave. Now that Mac’s gone, Teah’s parents can relax.
I’ll check with security again before I go, make sure he doesn’t try and come back to her room again.
I’m hoping he’s left the hospital altogether.
Maybe he’s walking the streets, hopefully berating himself and finding the guts to break up with her. For her own good .
“Mm-hmm.” Teah makes a soft noise, and I glance up to see her eyes fluttering open.
She winces, touching her forehead with trembling fingers.
“Hey,” I whisper. “You okay? Do you need more pain meds or…?”
With a confused frown, she turns to me and blinks like she’s trying to clear her vision. “Grady? What are you doing here?”
“I heard what happened. Had to come make sure you were okay.” I reach for her hand, but she recoils from my touch, looking around the room.
“Where’s Mac?”
“He left.”
“What?” Her eyes flood, her lips trembling as she sucks in a breath. “He left?”
Aw man, I so wish I could play this off that it was his choice. She can do so much better than him.
But I can’t lie to her.
So, against my better judgment, I softly explain, “He was asked to leave. Your parents didn’t want him here.”
“That’s not their decision.” She tries to sit up, causing herself obvious pain.
Lurching from my chair, I gently lower her back to the pillow. “Take it easy.”
“I want Mac. I need Mac!” she shouts at me. “Why’d you make him leave?”
“Teah, he hurt you.”
“No, he didn’t!” Her voice pitches.
“Teah—”
“No, stop!” She squeezes her eyes shut, her face scrunching in obvious pain before she whispers, “I need Mac.”
“Okay. Okay,” I soothe her, gently rubbing her arm. “Just stay calm. Rest. We’ll… find him.” I have to grit out the last two words, hating that he’s the only comfort she wants.
Sucking in a shaky breath, she rests her head back and blinks at the ceiling. A slow tear trickles out of the side of her eye, and I suddenly feel like I don’t belong here. I shouldn’t have come. Who am I in her life now?
No one.
I’m the ex.
She doesn’t want me, she wants him .
Slumping back in my seat, I play with my bottom lip as I stare at her. I should go look for her man, but I just need a second.
This request will cause an argument with her parents. I’ll have to battle through that, then find him.
Shit, poor Blake. Should I just send her back to Football Frat, or will she want to help me scour Nolan for the man Teah truly wants?
“I’m sorry.”
The soft statement has me sitting up with a jolt. What the hell is she apologizing for?
Teah’s head slowly turns on the pillow. “It’s nice that you came to check on me. I should be saying thank you, not demanding someone else.”
I flick my hand through the air, silently forgiving her.
“I could always rely on you, Grady Newman.”
I stand so that I can inch a little closer to her. Resting my arm on the back of her bed, I lean over her and give her a closed-mouth smile. “I’m a reliable guy. ”
Reliable and boring.
“Yeah, you are.” Her voice is so weak, her eyes glassy with exhaustion.
“But I’m not the one you want.”
She gazes up at me, her expression crumpling with remorse. “I know you’re the sensible choice. My parents couldn’t believe it when I broke it off. They thought I was going to marry you.”
I swallow and, for some reason, admit, “I thought that too.”
Her lips pull into a pained smile. “I never meant to hurt you.”
I want to tell her that she didn’t, but that would be a lie. Instead, I settle for “You were ready to move on.”
“I shouldn’t have called you boring.” Her weak voices trembles. “That was mean.”
Clearing my throat, I force another closed-mouth smile when she glances up at me.
“I felt really bad about our breakup, and I felt kind of guilty for… falling for Mac so fast.”
Working my jaw to the side, I lean back. She can still see me, but I need a little distance between us.
“I can’t even explain it.” Her voice is wispy, and I can see sleep tugging at her again, but she seems determined to keep going. “It’s like this cosmic energy. Our eyes connected, and I was… gone. I couldn’t get him out of my head no matter how hard I tried.”
Images of Blake flash through me.
“It was like I had no control. I had to give in to my feelings for him or perish.” Her laughter is soft and sleepy.
“He’s the one, Grady. And even though you’ll always hold a special place in my heart…
” Her words start to tumble together as her eyes slip shut.
“He owns it. Just like I own his.” She goes silent for a beat, and I’m pretty sure she’s fallen asleep until her eyes blink back open and she stares right at me.
“I need him. Please, find Mac. I just want Mac.”
And then she’s gone again, her last effort to get what she wants draining her completely.
Bending over her, I reassure myself that she’s still breathing before lightly pressing my lips to her forehead.
I get it now.
I understand that feeling of cosmic energy and no control.
That’s exactly what I feel around Blake.
And sure, when I first met Teah, I was drawn to her. We were friends. We had a blast together, and then that friendship turned into something more.
It was fun and easy and comfortable…
But it wasn’t cosmic.
It wasn’t all-consuming.
Not like it is for her and Mac.
Not like it is for me and Blake.
An urgency to see her suddenly overwhelms me, and I dart out of the hospital room, scanning the corridor.
She’s not back yet. Dammit.
Glancing over my shoulder, I spot Teah’s parents down by the nurse’s station.
I’ll go have a quick chat with them, let them know that Teah needs Mac. Hopefully they’ll relent for the sake of their daughter.
And then I gotta go.
I gotta find Blake and get out of here .
I need to tell Wily that this thing with his sister is no rebound—it’s the real deal. I’m gonna fight for her. Whatever it takes. Whatever I have to do.
I am going to make it clear that Teah may always have a small piece of my heart, but it now beats for Blake.