40. Grace
FORTY
Grace
Dennis Knightly, sitting on the floor of Ashford’s apartment in his custom suit and building Lego sets with Ollie and Maisie.
Not how I’d ever dreamed today would end.
But after a fun-filled day of sunshine, ski lessons, and hot cocoa, my closest family and friends had taken over Emma and Ashford’s place for dinner. Including Dane’s father, who actually seemed to be making an effort.
Considering that Callum and his firefighter buddies were here and getting as rowdy as usual, it was pretty dang hilarious. Manhattan meets Silver Ridge.
But the very best part? The wide grin on Dane’s face as we stood in the kitchen, drinking beer and relaxing.
We were full of pizza and caesar salad, a little tipsy from the growlers of IPA someone had brought from Hearthstone Brewing. For the first time in well over a week, the world felt like it was right-side-up. Better, in fact, than it had ever been before.
I loved being here with our family and friends, but I also couldn’t wait to get Dane alone later, when that grin would be just for me.
Emma squeezed in beside me and clinked her beer glass against mine. “Dane’s father paid for dinner and extra orders of cinnamon twists. Maisie’s a fan.”
It was noisy enough in the apartment that there wasn’t much risk of us being overheard. “Free food means he’s got the volunteer firefighter vote too. If Dennis springs for high-end bottles of whiskey later, he’ll be in .”
Emma didn’t look convinced. “Unless you don’t like him. He’ll be on the outs around here unless he gets the Grace O’Neal seal of approval.”
“That’s not actually a thing.”
“Wanna bet?”
To be honest, I’d been less than polite when Dennis had first appeared this afternoon. While he and Dane had been talking in the hotel manager’s office, I’d been biting my nails, wondering how bad it would be. But then Dane had brought his father outside to where we were all gathered, and Dennis apologized to me for everything I’d been through.
“What about Dane?” I’d asked, pursing my lips. “Did you apologize to your son?”
Dane had placed a hand on my hip and tugged me against him. “At ease, O’Neal,” he’d murmured in my ear. “I’ll give you all the details later, but we’re good.” By then, we had a crowd gathered, everyone curious to meet the head of Knightly Global and ask nosy questions. I let them have at it. Though I’d been very civil about it.
“If Dane’s okay with his father, then I’m okay with him,” I said to Emma. “But you’re exaggerating how much pull I have in this town.”
“When I moved here, people were welcoming. But if you’d decided I was bad news? Yikes.” Emma made a face. “You didn’t want me dating Ashford at first, and for a few days there, I was sweating it.”
I laughed. “Like I could’ve kept Ashford away from you. I wouldn’t have, of course. I’m thrilled you’ll be my sister-in-law soon. Officially.”
“Speaking of the wedding.” Her teeth tugged on her lower lip. “I’ve been meaning to ask, but you were in New York, and then things were so crazy.”
“Ask what?”
“If you’d be my maid of honor.”
“ Me ?”
“You’re like a sister to me, and you’ve become one of my closest friends. You’ve done so much for Ashford and Maisie. It feels right. Plus, I hear Dane will be best man. Would you be up for joining the fun?”
“Oh my gosh, yes .” I hugged her, tears stinging my eyes.
My life wasn’t boring anymore. But it was so incredibly rich. And I wasn’t referring to money. I was in a relationship with an amazing guy—who also happened to be smoking hot—and we had our families around us. It sounded like Dane’s father was on board with Izzy coming to visit, which would be huge for Dane and his mom both.
It could really be like this , I thought to myself. I could feel this happy every day .
We still had to deal with unwanted media attention related to the scandal and the legal cases against Ainsley and Bristol. And things were still tense between Dane and his brother. But I could see the light at the end of it.
There was only one thing still occupying the back of my mind. Well, two things. The first was that I still hadn’t told Dane I loved him. Every time I thought about it, the words got stuck.
The second thing was even more complicated. I had to make a decision. But I had to tell my brothers first, and they were not going to be thrilled when they heard.
After Maisie’s bedtime, things quieted down. Callum’s roommates headed off to a bar, and Piper took Ollie home. Dane was in the living room talking to his father. So I went looking for my brothers.
I found Callum, Ashford, and Emma up on the roof, bundled up against the cold. They had several lawn chairs up here, so I took an empty one.
“There’s something I wanted to talk to you guys about.”
“What’s wrong, Grace?” Ashford asked. Going to worst-case scenarios the way he tended to do, though less often since Emma came into his life.
Callum frowned, crossing his thick arms over his Silver Ridge FD sweatshirt.
“Nothing’s wrong. Not exactly.” I pulled the folded piece of paper from my back pocket. I’d been carrying it around for over a week, ever since Dane had given it to me. I figured it was better to just spit this out, rather than trying to build up to it. “I know where Grayden is.”
Callum cursed and grabbed the paper, while Ashford went completely still.
“He lives in Seattle,” Callum read. “What the fuck? How did you find this out?”
“Dane hired a private investigator to track Grayden down.”
Ashford’s eyes flashed. “He what ?”
“Don’t you dare be mad at him. Dane did it for me because I wanted to find Grayden. I haven’t contacted him yet. He doesn’t even know I was looking for him.”
“Are you going to contact him?” Callum asked.
“I haven’t decided for sure. I wanted to discuss it with you. All of you,” I said, nodding at Emma, because she was part of this family too. “I’d like to, though. I’d…” Tears burned at my eyes, itched in my nose. “I want him to know I miss him. That no matter what, we’re still family.”
“I don’t miss him.” Ashford stood. “Do what you feel is right, Grace, but I can’t be a part of this.”
Emma reached for him. “Ashford?—”
He took her hand and kissed it. “Let’s go back inside. It’s getting cold.”
It was clear that Ashford wouldn’t discuss the subject any further, so I didn’t try to argue. After he and Emma had gone, I turned to Callum. He was still looking at the print-out with Grayden’s info on it.
“Do you feel the same as Ashford?” I asked.
“I dunno, G. This is tough. The soldier in me wants nothing to do with Grayden. He dishonored himself. Dishonored us .”
“We don’t even know what really happened,” I pointed out, but Callum kept going.
“Then there’s the part of me that worshipped the ground our oldest brother walked on. It’s good to know he’s alive, at least. But talking to him, letting him be in our lives again… I just don’t know.”
“Will you hate me if I get in touch with him? Will Ashford hate me?”
Callum glanced up, brows knitting. “Geez, Grace. No. We could never hate you. Ashford will calm down. And I’m fine with whatever you decide. Just be careful. Don’t be surprised if Grayden disappoints you.”
I already knew that was a possibility. But by trusting Dane, I’d proven that the risk of putting myself out there was worth it.
Grayden had been a good man once. Maybe he still was. I owed it to us all to find out.
* * *
“I told Ashford and Callum about finding Grayden.”
Dane brushed the hair back from my face. “And?”
We were lying in bed in our hotel room. Dane’s father had taken a room on a different floor, and he had a flight out first thing tomorrow morning. We’d already said our goodbyes. Dane had shared with me everything that he and his father had discussed. His dad’s apology, and the possible beginnings of a better relationship between them. I hoped so.
But we hadn’t talked about my conversation with my own family yet. Not because I hadn’t wanted to share. I had just been focused on Dane, which to me was a luxury. After so many years of being the baby sibling, who everybody always looked out for, I longed for someone of my own to take care of. I’d tried to take care of Ashford and Maisie. Heck, I’d tried to take care of the whole town in some ways. But Dane was truly mine .
I still felt uncertain about the issue of my oldest brother. But I had zero doubts about Dane’s support. I owed him so much.
“Ashford reacted the way I expected.”
“I can talk to him tomorrow.”
“No, it’s fine. I told him not to be mad at you, and I don’t think he is.” I thought of my brother’s reaction, and it dawned on me. “Ashford’s afraid of getting hurt again. Callum is probably the same. He was less adamant about it, but he’s not ready to talk to Grayden yet either.” Ashford and Callum were both fearless in many ways. But when it came to our family’s history, they had both been through a lot and still struggled to talk about it. Funny to think that, for some things, I was the strong one.
Dane cuddled me against him, stroking up and down my back over my T-shirt. “What about you? Have you decided whether to contact him?”
I had known I wanted this for a while. So why wait any longer?
I sat up, glancing at the clock. “It’s almost midnight. Almost eleven in Seattle. Do you think it’s too late to call?”
“If I were Grayden, I would want to hear from you anytime, any day.”
I grabbed my phone and the paper with Grayden’s number. My hand shook as I dialed. “Do you want me to stay?” Dane asked.
“Please. I need you here.”
He snuggled in close to me. As I listened to the line ring, my heart jackrabbited against my ribs.
“Hello?”
I gasped. That was my brother’s voice. My response was trapped in my throat.
“Hello? Uh, it looked like a Colorado number calling?”
Now, I heard the anxious hope in Grayden’s voice. The same thing I felt. “It’s me. Grace.”
There was a pause. “ Gracie ? Oh my God.”
We didn’t talk for long. Just enough to establish that we were both healthy and doing okay. Same with Ashford and Callum. Grayden peppered me with questions, wanting to know everything—how I’d found him, what I did for work, if he had nieces or nephews—but we both agreed we should set up a time to talk later, when it wasn’t almost the middle of the night.
Dane sat close to me the whole time, silent but giving me strength through his presence.
Finally, we said goodbye and ended the call. I stared at the phone in my hand for a long while.
“How do you feel?” Dane asked.
“Kind of overwhelmed. But grateful. So grateful for you.” I lifted my eyes. “This is the best gift you could ever have given me. I love you so much. I’ve loved you for weeks, but I was afraid to say it.”
“I love you too. With everything I am.”
Then I dissolved into tears and folded myself into his arms.