Chapter 37 Grace
Grace
When we land in Alabama, Johnson gets quieter. It’s eight-thirty here, since it’s an hour behind. He takes my hand as soon as we’re out of the plane and walks us towards a waiting car.
“Lily and I are a well-oiled machine when it comes to these trips,” he explains.
The town he grew up in is about two hours from my hometown, so I don’t know the area well. After about fifteen minutes on a highway, the driver turns off and soon we’re in a residential area. The houses are well maintained but not large, as far as I can tell from the beams of the streetlights.
“Up here,” Johnson says to the driver, pointing to a cream two-story house.
After we get out of the car, we walk to the front door, and Johnson knocks.
“They know I’m coming, right?” I realize I never asked him.
“Yes, Goldie.” He grinned. “Don’t be nervous, they’ll love you.”
The door swings open. It’s Johnson’s mom, recognizable from the pictures at his house.
“Hey, Mom.” He walks inside the house a step, throwing his arms around her in a hug.
“Unca Jaw-ney, Unca Jaw-ney,” says a little girl that can only be his niece Emma. Johnson breaks his hold with his mom and picks her up instead.
His mom waves at me. “Hi, Grace. I’m Pam. Come on inside, sweetie.”
I step into a now cramped entryway hallway.
“Who is she?” Emma asks.
“She’s your Uncle’s friend,” Pam answers. “It’s getting late for you, Ems. Why don’t we show Grace where she and Uncle Johnny will be staying and then I’ll get you to bed.”
We follow Pam’s lead as she walks us up a staircase that goes to the second floor.
“There are three bedrooms up here,” she explains in my direction. “You and Johnny will be in the spare bedroom. I sleep downstairs in a converted den, and here is Emma’s room.”
“Let me show you my stuffie collection,” Emma says to me.
“I’d love that.” Her outgoing personality is contagious, and her hand replaces Johnson’s as she guides me into her room. Her bed is full of stuffed animals of all kinds, shapes, and colors.
As she rattles off their names and has them each say hi to me, I spy Johnson whispering quietly with his mom. If I can be a distraction for a moment to keep Emma occupied while they talk, I’m happy to play that role.
After a few minutes, Pam steps back toward Emma and me. “Let’s get you changed for bed, Ems. Johnny is going to show Grace their room.”
I smile towards Emma’s stuffs. “It was nice to meet all of you.”
We step into the hallway, and Johnson shows me where we’ll be sleeping. It’s a comfortable room, with enough space for a couple of chairs and a queen-sized bed.
Still, it’s surreal to be in his family’s house with him. A little overwhelming now that I’m here.
Johnson seems to catch onto my state of mind. “This is a big leap for us, I know. You okay?”
“I think so. I—I’m so glad to be here for you. Get to know your family.”
He takes my hand and puts it up to his lips.
“Just another step that leaves no doubt you’re my girl. Girlfriend.”
“Yes, it feels more real now than when it was only the two of us in my condo.” My shoulders relax as I realize there’s no reason to be nervous. Not with Johnson.
He pulls me into a hug, and it’s like we’re back in the pillow fort, snug and sheltered from anything outside.
After a few beats, he whispers in my ear.
“Alright, let’s go introduce you to Lainie before I decide we’re going to stay like this all night.”
I giggle, which helps release my remaining nerves, and we break apart, walking downstairs slowly so our sounds are muted with Emma trying to sleep.
Lainie, again recognizable from Johnson’s photos, is in a cozy living room, nursing baby Leo.
“Hi, sis,” Johnson says softly.
“Hi.” She smiles at us weakly. “I can’t believe you got here this fast.”
“You know, I’ll pull any strings needed for you guys.” He steps to the side and makes sure I’m in her full view. “This is Grace.”
“Sorry that we have to meet under these circumstances.” She wears a sheepish expression.
“I really look forward to getting to know you better. Mom gave me a little of the backstory of you two earlier tonight.” She then looks at Johnson.
“First woman this guy has ever brought home, so you must be special.”
I can’t help but blush. “No need to apologize. I’m sorry it’s been a tough time.”
Johnson gestures to the couch and we both sit down. “I’ve heard Mom’s account of what happened with the job and Mark.”
“She probably told you everything important.” She sighs. “I’m too tired to revisit it all right now, but it does mean a lot that you came here.”
“That’s okay, Lainie, really. I want to help. Whatever that looks like.”
She seems to be fighting off tears. “I’m so exhausted. Losing my job could’ve been a blessing in disguise if Mark hadn’t reacted the way he did.”
Johnson starts to say something but then stops himself.
“So yeah, Johnson….” She pauses, looking down at Leo before moving her head back up to us. “I think I might be ready to accept help. I don’t even know how we’re going to afford the house if Mark’s moving out.” Silent tears begin to fall, and she turns away so they don’t drop on the baby.
“Lainie, I’ve got you.” Johnson’s voice is choked up now too. “I’ll take care of it all. I just want all of you to be well. And happy.”
She looks up at him, a knowing look in her eye.
“Let me get us all something to drink,” I offer, wanting to let them talk in private if it makes Lainie more comfortable. “Waters?”
They agree, and I find my way to the kitchen. After locating the shelf with cups, I pour three waters from the filter in the refrigerator. I move slowly so they have time to chat.
When I get back to the living room, Lainie’s tears are gone and Johnson’s holding Leo.
I’d seen the photo of him holding his nephew as a newborn, but in person, it’s a whole other level. The sight of him cradling the little guy, his big arms sheltering Leo’s little body.
Be still my heart. And my ovaries...
“He should sleep well now, he ate a ton,” Lainie says. “He sleeps a lot better than when you left.”
“The crib is still in your room?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll take him up and come back down.”
After Johnson leaves with Leo, Lainie’s shoulders loosen. She tracks his movements up the stairs with relief spelled across her face.
“Johnson’s really happy to help. I know he keeps saying it, but I can vouch, he means it.”
She smiles at me. “It’s good of him. It’s just—he has a big life, you know? I want him to enjoy it, not be stuck helping his older sister.”
I give a small nod, but the truth flashes through my mind—Johnson’s been lonely in that massive house, missing his equally “big” life with his family here. It’s not my place to mention that to her, though.
“So are you missing work for this trip?” she asks. “I hope it didn’t mess you up too bad.”
“No, not at all. I’m in business school at Tolliver, and I don’t have any Friday classes.”
She perks up. “Oh, Tolliver. Such a great school.” She asks me about my plans, and I share my interest in sports management.
After a couple of minutes of small talk, the sound of footsteps comes from the stairwell. Johnson emerges, and his mom is with him. She speaks up first.
“Lainie, you need rest, and these guys are probably tired from rushing to get here. Why don’t we all go to bed and regroup in the morning.”
The collective agreement is a resounding yes. Lainie and I stand and follow Johnson as he heads upstairs, while Pam slips to the den. Once we reach the second floor, Johnson’s hand gently touches my back, guiding me to our room.
He closes the door behind us as we step into the guest room. “You good?” he whispers.
We’re going to need to stay quiet with all the sleeping little ones. “Yes, I’m fine,” I respond, also whispering. “Your mom and sister have been so nice.”
“They’re the best.” He walks over to the bed, sitting down on it. “So now you see where I sleep when I visit. It’s not glamorous—”
“Like I care, you know me.”
He smiles, grabs my hand, and pulls me to him. “I just realized I have the most important people to me under one roof. And that’s special.”
I lean down to kiss him, and he falls backward on the bed, our mouths staying connected.
Lying on top of him, I can feel him starting to get hard. His arms swing over my body, his hands cupping my ass.
“Remember, quiet.”
And he proceeds to make that very difficult for the next hour, before we collapse into sleep.
When I wake up the next morning, he’s already gone from the bed, leaving only a crinkled cool spot. I give myself a few minutes to wake up properly, then change into daytime clothes.
Popping into the bathroom to get myself ready, one thought springs into my head, and won’t stay quiet.
Talk to Johnson about it later, it’s going to be family time now.
Only as I head back to the guest room to slip some socks on, he’s there—holding a mug.
“Mom has chai tea, believe it or not. She made you some, and I put a little milk in it.”
“Awww, amazing, thank you.”
He waves back to the bed. “Here, sit down and take a few sips. It’s going to be chaos once you go downstairs, everyone is awake.”
“Thanks…” I pause, wanting to call him something more affectionate than his full name. “By the way, I feel like I need to give you a nickname. Other than J, or Johnny, like everyone else.”
He chuckles. “You can call me anything.”
“I’m trying to think of a good one. I mean, you’ve had like eight for me.”
“Only two, but that’s more than you’ve come up with for me. How about ‘hot stuff’?”
I laugh. “No.”
“Sex machine?”
“No.” I chuck a pillow at him.
“Lover boy?”
“Stoppp. Okay, what keeps wanting to slip out is not super masculine. Like don’t get alpha on me. But…it’s honey. Like, ‘thanks honey.’”
“Honey, huh?” he looks pleased. “I like it. I’m Grace’s honey. Kind of goes with Goldie even, variations of the same colors.”
“I didn’t even think of that. Okay, honey”—he grins wide—“there’s something that crossed my mind that I wanted to bring up. I was going to wait until later, but since we’re here now…”
His face flashes with concern, and I don’t want him to be worried, so I clarify. “Nothing bad.”
“Okay, what is it?”
“You’ve been so transparent—admirably self-aware to be honest—about your house in Orlando. That you got it because you wanted a home you can settle in for the long term, but that it’s ended up feeling empty. That you’re lonely in it sometimes.”
“Much less often now that you’re in my life, Goldie.”
I smile. “Stop saying sweet things or I won’t be able to finish.
” He makes a zipper gesture over his mouth.
“Why don’t you move your family into the Orlando house?
At least temporarily? You have that empty first floor guest wing they could take over.
It would give Lainie time to regroup, and of course, you’d have a house teeming with life with all of them there. ”
He rubs his hand over his beard, looking thoughtful. “Yeah, that actually may be a great fix. Even short term. I can keep an eye on everything a lot easier mid-season if they’re in Orlando.”
“Exactly.”
He looks at me, his eyes soft. “I hadn’t gotten further ahead than our plans for today. Thanks for helping me sort through this.”
“Nothing that you wouldn’t do for me.” I take a sip of my chai now that it’s cooled down a minute.
“And you won’t mind sharing me with them there? Sharing the house?”
I shake my head. “I’m from a family of six, it’s my normal too. You know how close I am with my own brothers. And anyway, I’m pretty sure we could have them there as well as four kids of our own, and your house still wouldn’t feel empty.”
I meant the last comment as a tease, but my eyes go wide. Whoa, probably shouldn’t have dropped the whole kids together scenario yet.
But his eyes look the opposite of freaked out. More like…he’s curious?
“You want kids? A big family?” he asks.
I breathe out. This is an intense topic before eight in the morning. “I do.”
“Good to know.” The ends of his mouth tilt up slightly.
Suddenly Pam’s voice comes through, muted as if she’s standing at the bottom of the stairs. “Johnny? Grace? Do you want breakfast?”
The moment broken, Johnson turns back towards his door. “Yeah, we’ll be there in a second.”
I stand up, tea still in hand. “I'm going to go down now, if you are.”
He nods. “Yeah, and let’s talk to them about your idea later today, maybe when Leo is napping.” He gives me a kiss on my forehead and we head out the guest room door.
My heart starting to expand in ways I thought impossible only a few months ago.