“You better get out there, big guy,” I scolded, slapping his arm lightly. “You almost got us caught.”
“Me? I’m the one who wanted to wait until she was asleep,” he defended, pinching my side.
I smiled to myself as Caleb slipped into the adjoining bathroom to change. I loved every minute of the craziness of my new life. I had what I always wanted: a family.
CHAPTER 45
Caleb
I sat on the couch,watching Grace’s knee bounce. Her fingers gripped the edge of her coffee mug so tight I thought it might shatter. She stared at the muted TV, her face unreadable, but I knew exactly what she was thinking. The headline rolling across the screen told me everything.
GRACE HARRINGTON: FROM SOCIALITE TO SCANDAL TO SAINT?
“Turn it off,” I said, my voice raw with an edge. She couldn’t torture herself anymore. I watched her, waiting for her to meet my gaze. Once she did, I spoke. “We knew this was coming,” I said softly. “We spoke about all the possibilities.”
She exhaled sharply, setting the mug down on the coffee table with more force than necessary. “Knowing doesn’t make it easier.”
I reached for her hand, threading my fingers through hers. “The more you take control of the story, the easier it will get. It’s your story.”
Grace gulped and finally looked at me, her eyes clouded with doubt. I knew what she was thinking about,whoshe was thinking about. Noelle.
When Noelle first told us about the bullying, Grace’s name had been a big catalyst in the drama. News about Grace’s scandal may have died down for now, but all this recent press was dredging up the past again.
“What if Noelle gets dragged into it?” Grace whispered as I was thinking this.
I took a deep breath. “We went over all the scenarios as a family, baby. Noelle wants you to tell your story. To use your voice and help other people who have been silenced. To take your name back.”
Her lips pressed together before biting the bottom one. “They’re going to come after you too.”
I squeezed her hand. “You don’t need to worry about me. All I care about are my girls. We will face it together. Don’t let the past define your future for one more minute. Even when nobody wants to know your name, I do. Our stocks go up and down, but people snag the good ones when they are low.” I winked and she laughed.
The ring was burning a hole in my pocket. I’d wanted to propose to Grace since before our separation. Now, I was waiting until all of this was behind her.
I was planning to do it soon enough—after she came clean on national television. I figured that was as much redemption as you could get. When she came back from the big television interview she booked, I was going to propose in front of the bar where I first asked her out. Where she literally fell into me. I’d always catch her when she fell. I knew she loved me, and I loved her endlessly. She wasn’t perfect, and I sure as hell wasn’t either. Life would get hard; I wasn’t expecting it to stay good all thetime. But I was ready to ride the ebbs and flows with her. We trusted that we could rely on each other.
“Lucy’s going to be dragged into all this too, you know,” Grace pointed out, standing from the couch.
I raised an eyebrow. “Have you met Lucy?” I laughed and wrapped my arms around her. “She can handle herself.”
I felt her shoulders tense, but she nodded.
Grace was opening a homeless shelter, specifically for women and children. “A Saving Grace” was the name much to Grace’s dismay, but Fiona and Ms. Kenzie helped come up with the name and whatever they said went. It wasn’t the typical system’s shelter. No, Grace dedicated her time (and money) to make sure the shelter was just a stepping stone in a difficult period. She had in-house job hunters, who sought out employment for the women based on their individualized skills and education. Grace utilized her connections and partnered with accredited universities to help the people who wanted to return to school. All the children were given new clothes, and they had an in-house daycare. Ms. Kenzie was acting as a consultant, working on getting a full K–8 school to partner with them. They didn’t want any kid to be labeled as a “smelly kid,” and there was zero tolerance for bullying. We saw how cruel kids could be when Noelle was bullied. No kid should have to go through that. Let alone be without a home.
“Can you believe Lucy got an appointment with a record label?” Grace gushed, changing the subject.
“Trying to take your mind off your impending interview?” I called her out, raising an eyebrow.
She rolled her eyes. “I’m just happy things are working out for her. She got her first apartment. The agent I introduced her to seems like a stand-up guy.”
I nodded. We helped Lucy comb through her contract line by line. Now she was in talks with record labels to sign her. Herdebut album was going to be amazing. She was writing her own songs about salvation and hardship.
Grace’s influence changed the trajectory of Lucy’s life. When she arrived in Grand Haven, Grace was lost. In the process of healing, she not only found herself, but she also found a passion. Something she excelled at was helping people. Giving people a light in the darkness. She brightened my day, and it transferred to all her interactions once she felt comfortable enough. Grace was breaking cycles, and I knew she would have made her sister proud.
She was a fallen IT girl when I met her. Her name was something she wasn’t proud of. She felt the need to shrink herself and hide. Mistakes happened and she’d fall again. We all would at some point. That’s life. Ups and downs. The one thing we could count on was change. The sad thing was that seasons change. The good thing was that seasons change. No matter what changes we went through, I knew the one thing that would stay the same was our unwavering support for each other.
Grace was everything I never knew I was missing. She was my partner in life and a mother to my daughter. She wasmysaving Grace.
Epilogue
