Chapter 84 Chapter Eighty five

Chapter 84 Chapter Eighty five
Jace’s grandfather was a literal teddy bear. 
After meeting Mr. and Mrs. Hunter, especially his mother, I was prepared for the worst. 
My sweaty palms, my thundering pulse, and the gulps of air I took with every step that brought us closer to the large, bronze door that had his name written on a large golden nameplate. 
It said, “Christopher Hunter, CEO and owner of this fucking place.”
Jace had rubbed the back of his neck once again, his cheeks splotched with red and clearly embarrassed. “He has a weird sense of humor.”
I was expecting to walk into his office and be instantly turned to stone by the sheer force of his presence. 
Well—
I was standing in front of a man who looked like Santa Claus in every way—six foot four, neatly combed out white beard that curled close to his collarbone, and a head full of hair that had turned silver a long time ago. 
My verdict was in. I liked weird. 
“Are you Jace’s girlfriend?” His voice boomed through the room, and I swore I felt the walls and windows shake.   
I nodded. 
He sighed audibly, stroking his beard. “I have just one question for you, young lady—”
Oh oh. 
“How do you put up with my grandson?” He asked. Beside me, Jace tried complaining, but Christopher placed a hand on Jace's forehead, his fingers covering most of Jace’s face, and shoved him aside. Then he took my hand, leading me over to his desk. 
He pulled out a chair. “Sit. A young lady shouldn’t be made to stand.” He glared over my shoulder. At Jace, no doubt. “You, stand. You haven’t come to see your grandfather in a long time.”
“It’s school…” Jace mumbled. “I couldn’t leave. You know that.”
Christopher scoffed, totally not buying his lies. “You forget you came from my bloodline, young man. I know you better than you know yourself. Also—” he glanced my way, subtly winking, “—I know you’ve been skipping class and leaving the school grounds with your other friends. And that I have this fine young lady to thank for setting you straight.”
“Well…” Jace cleared his throat as he walked over. “That part is true. But you make it sound like I was totally helpless before she came into my life.”
His grandfather placed a hand on my shoulder. “What do you think? I believe you’re in a better position to tell the truth. And, if you’re worried about any promises he made getting revoked, don’t forget I’m the reason his deadbeat father managed to make it to the position he occupies now.”
Deadbeat? 
I tilted my head, confused by his choice of words. Did Christopher disapprove of Jace’s dad? Did that mean he was Jace’s maternal grandmother? What did he think about his mother—his daughter—then? 
The mere thought of crossing Mrs. Hunter gave me cold goosebumps popping up on my arms. I knew very well she didn’t like me. 
“You’re right,” Christopher’s voice rumbled as he straightened, walking over to his grand chair. Literally, grand. It was bigger than any chair I’d ever seen, and his desk was so wide it would’ve sat ten people on either side. 
 Okay, maybe I was exaggerating a little. 
But he was a big man, so I understood the need. 
He folded his arms after he sat down, staring straight at me. “I do not approve of Edward Hunter, Jace’s father. He doesn’t have a backbone, letting anyone push him around and acting like a bully to people under him.”
“But,” he held up a finger, “that doesn’t mean I have a soft spot for my daughter either.” He shook his head with a pained expression. “I don’t know who she took over, cornering you like that at your father’s final resting place. Heaven knows her mother was the sweetest person to ever exist.”
My jaw has dropped midway through his speech, a cold feeling settling heavily on my shoulders, like I’d stood under the snow for too long. 
He knew? 
How did he—
“I know everything, child.” His voice softened. “I have to keep tabs on them, you see, because they’re not to be trusted by themselves. After all, they failed to treat their second son like a child. Dumping him on that school—” his shoulders rose and fell as he sighed quietly. 
He was talking about Jace. 
I felt the chair beside me move, and I turned, only to meet a puzzled expression on Jace’s face, his forehead scrunched and his head halfway cocked. I pursed my lips, trying to read into his thoughts, when it hit me. 
I didn’t tell him. 
Fucking hell. 
His grandfather had just said the very thing I’d been hiding for weeks. 
I reached for his hand quickly, squeezing it. “I was going to tell you,” I whispered earnestly. “But we were about to write exams, and I didn’t want anything to keep you from passing.”
His jaw clenched, and a muscle strained against his cheek. “You should’ve told me. I—I—” he swallowed thickly, pulling away from my touch to drag his fingers through his hair.  
“Let me handle it,” Christopher told him. 
Jace stood up abruptly. “Thank you, Grandpa, but I think this is something I should do.” he gritted his teeth. “It’s my fault it happened. I started everything—I asked Grace to be my fake girlfriend, and I, I didn’t make it clear enough to them that I wasn’t going to let them keep making decisions for me.”
Christopher nodded slowly while I reached for Jace’s hand, gingerly touching him, worried that he’d pull away again. He doesn’t. 
He glances down at me as his shoulders sag, taking my hand himself and intertwining our fingers. 
When he sat back down, his eyes were full of remorse, barely able to meet mine. “I’m sorry. I’ll make sure it never happens again.”
“Your mother will waste no time cutting you off the trust fund,” his grandfather announced. He clasped his hands, his brows furrowed with a sullen expression. 
He clicked his tongue. “Unfortunately, I made the mistake of handing control over to your parents when I had a health scare. I thought I was going to die, and I didn’t want to leave you and your brothers without something to fall back on.”
“But as you can see—” he leaned back with his arms out and a jolly grin stretching across his face, “—I’m not dying any time soon. Which means I get to correct my mistakes. I will handle your mother, Jace. I can assure you, I will make sure she doesn’t get anywhere near this fine young lady again.”
His smile turned to me, making my chest glow with…
What was the feeling? 
It was almost identical to the warmth that traveled all the way to my toes whenever my mom told stories about my dad. He was the best father. He loved me. He would’ve done anything to protect me. 
That was it. I felt like I had someone protecting me.  
A big, happy, powerful man who just happened to look like he rode reindeer and shimmied down chimneys to eat cookies and drink milk, with a fat sack slung over his shoulder. 

Christopher offered to drive us to see my mom, even though I turned him down several times—and politely too. 
“I need to meet the woman who brought such a well-mannered woman into my grandson’s life,” he told me, refusing to give up. 
I was worried about two things. One, I didn’t want my mom asking questions. I knew she didn’t completely buy the lie I fed her about Jace’s mom being a teacher—and I hadn’t told either of the Hunters that part of the lie, so I had to come up with something quick that wouldn’t give me away.  
The second one was painfully obvious. 
I wasn't anywhere close to the level the Hunters were. Wealthy, influential, able to crush my entire family like we were slow-crawling bugs. What if Christopher took one look at our apartment building that was in the average-income part of the neighborhood and decided I wasn’t good for his precious grandson after all? 
“You alright?” Jace whispered in my ear, making me shiver. We were seated in the back of a luxury car while Christopher drove. He told us he didn’t have a driver—because he didn’t trust anyone and his windows were bulletproof, so he didn’t have to worry about a stray bullet missing its way. 
I had a feeling he was talking about a bullet intended for him. 
But I didn’t like the thought of that, so I pushed it out of my mind. 
I nodded. “I think so.”
His thumb traced shapes into my palm. “I know what you’re thinking…but you have nothing to worry about. I promise you, Thompson. My grandfather is the least pretentious person you’ll have to deal with.”
“I had nothing when I was growing up,” his grandfather spoke up—as if he’d been listening. “I was only lucky to win a casino in a bet with some random man who had too much to spare and a horrible gambling habit. That’s how I built my wealth.”
He glanced back for a second, his eyes crinkling. “But what matters most to me isn’t money, child. As much as I love it—and I would chop the hands off anyone who tried to steal from me- I know there are a lot of dishonest people out there.”
We arrived at the building, and my stomach didn’t feel like it was about to bottom out when Jace held out a hand to help me down. 
He didn’t let go, closing the door with his other hand. “I’m the one who should be scared,” he whispered. 
I pursed my lips. “Why?”
“Well,” he cleared his throat as his face went a shade pale. Sweat had broken out across his forehead. “I’m a rich, spoiled boy who, until he met you, acted out and did whatever he wanted. She’s going to take one look at me and demand that I stay away from you.” 
I couldn’t hold back my laughter. “I’ve never seen you so worried, Jace Hunter. I’m not sure if I should be flattered that you think my mom is a dictator.”
He leaned in, his voice very low. “Is she?”
I shook my head, popping my p. “Nope. She’s nice. Maybe too nice for her own good. But she’s going to love you. Because,” I kissed him on the cheek, just because, “I like you.”
“One thing though,” I added as we walked into the building, loud enough for Christopher, who remained a few steps behind us, to hear, “my mom thinks your daughter is a teacher at Beacon High. I couldn’t tell her the truth, so…”
I glanced over my shoulder sheepishly. “…I kinda lied.”
A second passed. 
And then Christopher exploded in laughter, smacking his chest. “Good one. I thought about disowning her several times, too. If I didn’t think she was going to make a public stint, I would’ve done it a long time ago. Maybe,” he stroked his chin, “I should think about it again. I’m very old. A few years of my name being dragged on the internet won’t change anything.”
Jace rolled his eyes without looking back. “You’re not very old. grandpa.”
“Don’t flatter me, boy. It’s not going to get you anywhere.” 
I slapped a hand over my mouth to hide my snorting chuckle, earning a sigh from Jace. 
And then we got to the elevator. I pressed the button. Pressed it again. Did it three more times, only to be met with nothing.  
And then I remembered. 
That sometimes, it just so happened that it stopped working out of the blue. The entire building was very old—and everything broke down once or twice a month. 
I sighed deeply as I turned to face both of them, dreading the words that were about to come out of my mouth. 
“How athletic are you?”