Chapter 32 #3
“I won’t hold y’all up too long,” she said. “I enjoy quiet evenings with my husband alone.” She looked directly at Chauncey then. “But I wanna know what your intentions are with my granddaughter this time around, because I need to know she’s not walking back into the same hurt.”
Chauncey sat up straighter underneath me instantly.
“I don’t want her coming back to this city just to be pulled into the same things again,” my grandma continued. “This family has spent too much time piecing her back together.”
Whew.
That one landed heavy.
Chauncey rubbed his hand slowly against my thigh before answering, and I could literally feel him choosing his words carefully.
“I’m getting it right, Grandma.”
His voice was calm. Honest.
“I hate it took me so long to get here, but a lot changed in a year.” He glanced at me briefly before looking back at my grandma. “I wouldn’t say perfect timing… but realignment.”
The fire reflected in his eyes while he spoke, and for the first time all night, he looked completely stripped down emotionally. No ego. No charm. Just truth.
“The only thing I could think about before my life was slipping away from me,” he admitted quietly, “was leaving this world without making things right with my wife.”
Damn.
I stopped breathing for a second.
“Some people probably think I don’t deserve another chance,” he continued. “And honestly? I don’t, considering everything that happened between us. I’m man enough to admit that, and I know I have to earn it.”
My grandma stayed quiet, listening hard.
“I wanna earn my place back in her life.” His arm tightened around my waist a little. “I’m grateful she’s even considering giving us another chance, and I’m not taking any of it for granted.”
I looked down at my hands because hearing him talk like this out loud in front of my grandma felt… intimate in a different way.
Vulnerable.
“I know the road ahead of us ain’t gonna be easy,” he said. “But I’m willing to choose that road every day with her if it means we finally get peace without chaos.”
Silence fell across the deck after that, leaving only the sound of the fire popping and crickets humming in the distance.
Then my grandma nodded slowly.
“That’s the first mature thing I ever heard come out of your mouth,” she said bluntly.
I almost choked trying not to laugh while Chauncey dropped his head back dramatically.
“Grandma…”
“No, I’m serious.” She pointed at him. “Because love ain’t enough. Chemistry ain’t enough. History damn sure ain’t enough. Y’all got plenty of all three already.”
She leaned forward then, her expression softening.
“Peace requires discipline. Accountability. Sacrifice. Especially from a man.”
Chauncey nodded without hesitation.
“Yes, ma’am.”
And somehow… hearing him submit to correction without getting defensive made something in my chest loosen a little, like maybe this wasn’t just tension easing—it was hope sneaking in.
“I’ve been praying for you,” my grandma said softly. “For her… and for y’all marriage.”
The night got quiet after that, settling deep in my chest.
“I know, Grandma.” Chauncey nodded slowly. “And I appreciate you more than you’ll probably ever know.”
His voice dropped lower, more personal.
“I remember when you came by the hospital while I was in that coma. You brought your pastor with you.” He swallowed hard before glancing down briefly. “I heard you praying over me.”
My grandma’s face softened instantly.
“I’m glad you did,” she whispered. “The Lord may finally be starting to answer my prayers for you, and for this marriage.”
Damn.
That moment felt bigger than all of us sitting there on that deck. Bigger than the fighting. Bigger than the cheating. Bigger than the way Pride kept trying to win. It all came down to whether we could let go of that and tell the truth.
Just… grace.
“I hope so,” Chauncey said quietly.
Nobody had anything slick to say after that.
We finished talking a little longer before finally standing up to leave. My grandma hugged me extra tight, whispering for me to call her when I landed in Dallas. My grandaddy hugged me next, then pulled Chauncey into one of those long man hugs where no words really need to be exchanged.
“Take care of her,” my grandaddy muttered low.
“Yes, sir.”
Chauncey answered that quickly. No hesitation.
My grandparents walked us out to the driveway together, the porch light glowing behind them. The whole scene felt warm. Bittersweet. Like standing in the middle of an ending and a beginning at the same time, with everything still hanging between us.
Chauncey opened the Bentley door for me and waited until I got inside before closing it gently.
I leaned my head against the seat for a second, staring out the windshield.
In a few hours, I’d be in another city, alone with my thoughts, and everything tonight stirred back up inside me.
The car started, but before Chauncey pulled off, he reached over and grabbed my hand.
Slowly, he lifted it to his lips and kissed it, soft, lingering, intentional.
Soft. Lingering. Intentional.
And Lord help me…that tiny gesture almost hurt worse than the argument did. It reminded me that loving him meant facing what he had done, and that was the part I still couldn’t make easy.