Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
GRACIE
I glance at the alarm clock on Ang's nightstand. Five fifteen a.m. As much as I'm not a morning person, I'm glad my internal alarm woke me up with enough time to sneak out of bed and do the walk of shame back down to my own room.
Slipping out of bed, I quickly dress in yesterday's clothes. I don't bother to see how I look in the bathroom—it's called the walk of shame for a reason. There's no way to make that any better without a hot shower and a brush.
I manage to make it five steps down the hallway, when the door to Olivia's room opens and out walks Ang's oldest.
I freeze.
She freezes.
We both get caught up in some weird, silent staredown that seems to go on forever. For some bizarre reason, my legs refuse to move. And my brain is no help as it short-circuits enough that it's no longer communicating with my mouth. Or any part of my body, for that matter.
It's pretty sad that the one who finally breaks the twilight zone moment is the eight-year-old as she backs up into her room and shuts the door.
I slap my forehead in frustration.
Oh sure, now my body wants to listen to what my brain is telling it to do.
I contemplate rushing down to my room like a scaredy-cat afraid to face my fears. Instead, I mentally pull up my big-girl panties—and thank every lucky star I already have my physical ones on—and walk over to Olivia's door. It takes until my second knock before she opens up.
"Can I come in?"
I'm not sure I'm off to a good start when Olivia merely nods instead of giving me a verbal answer. I do take it for what it's worth, though, and enter the girls’ bedroom. The decor matches their combined personalities. Soft pinks, greens, and flowers make up the majority of the room. I notice she's already made her bed, and the room is spotlessly clean. Not a single thing out of place. Olivia must’ve recently cleaned it because it isn’t always this way.
"Do you mind if I take a seat?" I whisper.
I point to the pink fluffy chair in one corner and wait for her to give me permission. It is her space, after all, and I want her to be comfortable having agency over it.
"I was wondering if we could talk."
"About you and Daddy?"
Damn, she sounds so mature for her young age. "Yes, about that."
"Are you going to be my new mommy?" Her little voice trembles as she asks the question, making her sound so lost and confused.
"Oh, sweetie." I get up from the chair and kneel down in front of her, gently taking her little arms in my hands. "No one can ever replace your mommy. You will always have her memories."
"Then why are you coming out of Daddy's room? No one else does except Mommy."
Shit. I don't have enough caffeine in my system to handle this situation. Even with coffee, I'm not sure I'm prepared to be the level of grownup it takes to explain this to Olivia.
"I think this is a conversation we need to have with your father. But I want you to know I'm not trying to replace your mommy."
I can't tell if Olivia understands or if she’s merely placating me when she nods her head. I feel like it’s more the latter, even though I want it to be the first.
"No one can ever replace your mother."
I almost jump out of my skin at Ang's declaration to his daughter.
"Daddy." Olivia heads straight for her father, who picks her up and wraps her up in his arms.
I'm tempted to sneak out of the room and give the two of them time together, but Ang's stare keeps me frozen in place.
"Good morning, baby girl. You're up early." Ang runs his fingers through Olivia's hair as he talks to her.
"I was coming to see you for snuggles."
Ang looks up at me in understanding. "Ah, and you saw Gracie there with me?"
Olivia shakes her head no. "I saw her coming out of your room."
I am so grateful Ang takes charge. "Do you remember when Mommy and Daddy used to do things with you and Zoey?"
Olivia bobs her head up and down. "Yeah."
"Do you also remember how Mommy and Daddy would sometimes kiss and hold hands during those times as well?"
Again Olivia nods her head and answers. "Yeah."
"Okay, so it's kinda like that with Daddy and Gracie."
Tears prick my eyes. Ang isn't just talking about us being together at night while the kids are in bed, but he’s setting the tone for it happening while they’re awake as well. He's talking about us being a family, and damn if that doesn't make me tear up.
"Is Gracie going to have a baby, too?"
I almost choke on my tongue at her question. Babies are not something we've discussed, and I'm not sure I'm ready to have that kind of talk just yet. This is still very new, and I want to see how things go with the five of us before we start thinking of adding more.
"Now that's a discussion for Gracie and me, don't you think?" He boops Olivia on the nose and the little girl giggles. "Would you like those snuggles with Daddy now?" he asks her, and Olivia nods her head eagerly.
I sniffle and hike my thumb in the direction of the open bedroom door. "I'm just going to run down to my room to take a quick shower."
Both Olivia and Ang give me a smile before walking out of the girls’ room. I take a moment to get my bearings before I charge downstairs and head straight for the in-law suite.
When I finally make it back to my room, I'm an emotional mess. I wasn't prepared to start my day with that intense of a conversation, and now all I want to do is climb into bed and hide under the blankets.
I don't get a chance to do that, though, because my phone on the nightstand starts buzzing.
For a brief moment I wonder who could possibly be calling me this early in the morning, but I don't have to guess for long once I glance at the screen.
Thirty-eight missed text messages and fourteen missed calls and voicemails. All from the same number. I don't even have to see them to know who could possibly be that insistent.
Curiosity gets the better of me, though, and I read a few of them before blocking the number.
Unknown Number
Stop ignoring me, Grace.
No one but Jeremy calls me Grace. I don't even like my given name.
Unknown Number
You can't ignore me forever.
Unknown Number
Who do you think you are?
Unknown Number
You're going to regret this.
Unknown Number
I'm going to find you and make your life a living hell.
I slam the phone down on the bed. Jeremy can go screw himself.