Chapter 38 Tell Me Lies
Grace stared at the FOR SALE sign, her mind spinning with too many thoughts at once.
Panic rose in her chest, making it hard to breathe. Her house, the place she’d grown up, the only home she’d ever known, was being sold. Her parents were gone. Everything was gone.
But even as the panic threatened to overwhelm her, a small voice in the back of her mind reminded her of what she’d said at the hospital.
From now on, they were no longer her family.
She’d disowned them. Had broken her grandmother’s necklace and declared they weren’t her family anymore. She had walked away from them with her head held high despite the pain it had caused.
So why was she surprised that they’d done the same to her?
Still, seeing it like this, seeing the physical evidence of their abandonment, hurt more than Grace had expected.
And she knew, with a certainty that settled heavy in her gut, that this was Vance’s doing.
Obviously, her father would owe him a lot, and now that Grace had refused to marry Vance, now that she’d taken herself off the table as payment, her father had to sell the house to cover his debts. That was what she theorized.
Grant Ainsley had always been weak. Had always chosen the easy path, the one that required the least amount of effort or sacrifice from him personally. Of course, he’d sell the house rather than fight Vance, he’d pack up and leave rather than face the consequences of his choices.
Grace didn’t even think he loved anyone, maybe except Sarah, and for that, she was grateful that at least Sarah wouldn’t be alone.
Not that it mattered to Grace anymore. They weren’t her family. She’d meant it when she’d said it, and she meant it now.
Grace hoped there were a few things in that house, surely they didn’t pack her personal belongings too. She forced herself to take a deep breath, to push the panic down and focus on what she could control.
“I’ll be back,” she said quietly, her voice steadier than she felt.
Maddox looked at her with concern. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, just… wait out here.”
Grace limped into the house, looking around, she gave a short laugh at the sight. Even her laugh echoed around her.
Holding the stairs, she made her way upstairs, to her room. The door was left open. She limped inside and met the room bare.
‘Of course, they took my stuff. Or was it thrown away?’
Grace looked around and two boxes caught her attention, she hurriedly limped over trying to pull one open, it was heavy. She plopped on the floor, her bad knee stretched in front of her as she pulled open the box.
No wonder it was heavy, it was filled with her books. She opened the other box and it was filled with her little precious things, including the letter Molly had attached on her birthday, it sat with another that she didn’t quite recognize.
Grace picked up the letter, opening it. It read:
I had a feeling you would come back, which was why I made sure to arrange these for you. I’m so sorry my little girl, I love you and there wouldn’t be a single day that goes by that I won’t regret everything.
~ Sarah
Grace gave a short laugh as her vision blurred, she could see the faint tear marks on the letter that belonged to Sarah, she let her head fall as she let the tears flow freely from her eyes.
“Grace?” Maddox's voice called out, “Grace!” He called out as he saw her, “What’s going on?” He asked clutching her shoulder.
Grace raised her head up to him and he could see her face, tears strewn everywhere.
“What happened?” Maddox asked, and Grace gave him the letter. He read it in silence and just watched her cry till she couldn’t anymore.
“I’ll carry these down, you can come down when you’re ready?” Maddox said, gesturing to the boxes.
Grace shook her head. “No, it’s alright, I’ll come with you.”
Maddox helped her stand as he picked up the boxes and let her walk ahead of him.
He put the boxes in the back and helped her back into the car without another word, his arm supporting her as she limped on her injured leg. Once she was settled in the passenger seat, he climbed in and started the engine.
Grace kept her eyes straight ahead as they pulled away from the curb, refusing to look back at the house. What was done was done. There was no point in torturing herself.
Maddox drove in silence, and it took Grace a moment to realize they weren’t heading away from the neighborhood entirely. They were just going a few streets over.
To Maddox’s house.
Of course. Where else would they go? Grace had nowhere else. No home. No family. No safe place to land except with the boy who’d jumped off a waterfall to save her.
‘The boy you slept with while in heat, a voice in her head reminded her. The boy whose feelings you might have just destroyed by telling him about Enzo.!
Grace pushed that thought away. She couldn’t deal with that right now. Couldn’t handle one more emotional crisis on top of everything else.
Maddox pulled into his driveway and cut the engine. The house looked the same as it always had, warm and welcoming in a way Grace’s house had never quite managed. Maddox lived with his uncle, who was a kind man, gruff but caring, and had always treated Grace like she was part of the family.
Maddox came around to help her out of the car, and together they made their slow way up the front path. Grace’s leg was throbbing now, the pain breaking through the medication’s effects. She needed to sit down, needed to elevate it, and ice it again.
The front door opened before they reached it, and Maddox’s uncle appeared in the doorway. Matteo was a large man, broad-shouldered and imposing at first glance, but his eyes were kind as they took in Grace’s disheveled appearance and injured leg.
“Grace,” he said warmly, stepping aside to let them in. “It’s good to see you. I heard what happened.”
Grace managed a weak smile. “Hi, Mr. Reed.”
Although Maddox Barker referred to Matteo Reed as his uncle, they weren’t quite related. But Maddox was raised by Matteo—more or less.
“None of that Mister business,” Matteo said, waving a hand dismissively. “You know it’s just Matteo.”
He ushered them inside, and Grace felt some of the tension leave her shoulders as the familiar warmth of the house enveloped her. She’d spent countless hours here over the years, doing homework at the kitchen table, watching movies in the living room, occasionally staying over when her parents gave permission.
It had always felt more like home than her actual house ever had.
“Maddox told me a bit about what you’ve been through,” Matteo said, his expression growing serious as he looked at Grace. “I want you to know you’re welcome to stay here as long as you need. This is your home too.”
The kindness in his voice made Grace’s throat tighten with emotion. “Thank you. I really appreciate that.”
Matteo smiled, but then his eyes narrowed slightly, taking on a teasing quality that made Grace’s stomach drop with sudden apprehension.
“Just one rule,” he said, his gaze shifting between Grace and Maddox with a knowing look. “I want you both where I can see you. No sneaking off together and no closed doors”
Grace felt heat flood her face. How did he know? They’d barely been in the house for thirty seconds. How could he possibly know what had happened between them?
Matteo must have seen the confusion on her face because he gestured toward her neck with a slight smirk. “You might want to look in a mirror, sweetheart.”
Grace’s hand flew to her neck, her fingers finding the tender spots she’d been vaguely aware of but hadn’t really thought about. She turned to the mirror hanging in the hallway and felt her face go even redder.
Hickeys. Multiple hickeys, dark purple and red, covered the side of her neck and disappeared below the collar of her borrowed shirt.
‘Oh God.’
Grace couldn’t look at either of them, couldn’t meet their eyes as mortification washed over her. She’d walked into Maddox’s uncle’s house covered in visible evidence of what they’d done, like she was advertising it.
“I, uh,” Grace stammered, her hand still pressed against her neck like she could somehow hide the marks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. I should have checked.”
“Nothing to apologize for,” Matteo said, though his tone suggested he was thoroughly amused by her embarrassment. “You’re both adults. Well, barely, but still. I just want to make sure we’re all on the same page about appropriate behavior under my roof.”
Grace managed a nod, still unable to meet anyone’s eyes.
Beside her, Maddox looked equally mortified. His face had gone bright red, and he was staring determinedly at the floor like it might open up and swallow him if he wished hard enough.
“Right,” Matteo said, clapping his hands together. “Grace, why don’t you head upstairs and get settled? Maddox’s room is the one at the end of the hall. You know where it is. There’s a first aid kit in the bathroom if you need to re-wrap that leg.”
Grace nodded gratefully, eager to escape the awkward situation. She started toward the stairs, noting that her broken leg felt much better. In fact—there was barely any pain left, only stiffness.
Odd…
But Matteo’s next words stopped her.
“Maddox, I need to have a word with you. In the kitchen.”
The tone of his voice had shifted from teasing to serious, and Grace felt a spike of anxiety for Maddox. She glanced back at him, saw the tension in his shoulders, the way he was bracing himself for whatever was coming.
“Go ahead,” Maddox said to Grace, not quite meeting her eyes. “I’ll be up in a minute.”
Grace hesitated, wanting to stay, wanting to face whatever Matteo was going to say together. But Maddox gave her a small shake of his head, and she understood. This was between him and his uncle.
She climbed the stairs slowly, wondering if her speedy recovery was from being a werewolf. But if so, why hadn’t it happened in the past?
Behind her, she heard Matteo and Maddox heading toward the kitchen, and heard the door close with a soft click.
Maddox’s room looked exactly the way Grace remembered it. Posters on the walls, a desk cluttered with papers and books, a bed that was never quite made properly. It was comforting in its familiarity, a piece of normalcy in a world that had gone completely insane.
Grace sank onto the edge of the bed with a sigh of relief, finally able to take the weight off her injured leg. She propped it up on a pillow and leaned back against the headboard, closing her eyes.
The events of the past few days crashed over her all at once. Her birthday. Enzo. Her parents’ betrayal. Being kidnapped. The truck. The heat. That darned old lady’s attempted sale. The river. Maddox. The waterfall. The inn. Everything they’d done there, coupled with the fact that she was some sort of… werewolf.
It was too much. Too much to process, too much to handle, too much to make sense of.
Grace’s hand went to her neck again, tracing the marks Maddox had left there. Evidence of passion, of need, of the way they’d clung to each other in that narrow bed.
She didn’t regret it. Even with everything else falling apart, even with the awkwardness between them now, she didn’t regret being with Maddox.
But she couldn’t stop thinking about Enzo either. Couldn’t stop remembering the way he’d touched her, the way he’d looked at her, the things he’d whispered in her ear.
‘What’s wrong with me?’
Normal girls didn’t do this. Didn’t sleep with one guy and then immediately sleep with another. Didn’t have feelings for two people at the same time.
But Grace was starting to realize she wasn’t exactly normal anymore. If she ever had been.
Downstairs, she could hear muffled voices through the floor. Matteo and Maddox were talking, though she couldn’t make out the words. The conversation seemed to go on for several seconds before falling silent, followed by a dull thud.
Then after another minute, she heard footsteps on the stairs.
Grace sat up straighter, watching the door. A moment later, Maddox appeared in the doorway.
And his cheek was swollen red.
“Oh my God,” Grace said, immediately trying to stand before remembering her leg wouldn’t support abrupt movements. “What happened?”
Maddox waved her off, moving into the room and closing the door behind him despite his uncle’s clear instruction to leave it open. “It’s nothing. I just fell down the stairs.”
Grace stared at him, wondering why he’d tell such an obvious lie.
It was clear that his uncle had hit him.
But why?