Chapter Twenty-Two
Adam
I was in the kitchen, gingerly holding an ice pack to the lump on the side of my head when I heard Grace come in through the front door. There was silence and then the sound of something hitting the floor.
"Grace?" I called. "Are you all right?"
When she didn't respond, I got up and walked into the living room and found her crumpled on the floor holding her face in her hands. Her body jerked as she swallowed her silent sobs.
"Grace, what happened?" I asked as I set the ice pack down on a side table and moved toward her.
"Don't," she said holding up a hand. "Just don't. I can't..."
"Can't what?" I asked. I maintained the small distance between us, but watched her closely.
"I just can't," she rasped as she swallowed another sob. She looked small and fragile crumpled on the floor with her bonnet askew.
"Grace, do you want me to get Verity or Honor?" I asked unsure how to help her.
"No!" she replied fiercely before looking up at me. Her face was streaked with tears and the look in her bright blue eyes was one that could only be described as broken. I wanted to pull her off the floor and wrap my arms around her, but I had a feeling that this might only make things worse, so I stood still and waited. "Don't get either one of them. There's nothing they can do."
"You want to tell me what happened?" I asked as she covered her face with her hands and cried. I tried a softer approach, "Can I at least help you up off the floor?"
She didn't immediately respond, so I waited.
"Yes," Grace replied. She said it so quietly that I could barely hear her whisper over the sound of the night noises coming through the open windows. I reached out and offered her my hand. Her hand was warm and wet with tears, but I held tightly to it as I pulled her up off the floor and wrapped my arms around her pulling her into my chest. She started to pull back then stopped and wrapped her arms around my waist resting her cheek on my chest.
"You want to tell me what happened?" I asked. I could feel her soft warm body pressing against my own, and I had to quickly shift my mind to the most recent Cubs batting line up to tame my natural reaction.
"My...my...my sisters shunned me," she said stumbling over the words.
"Why would they do that?"
"They want me to fall in line with the rest of the community," she said inhaling deeply and swallowing another sob. I could feel the dampness from her tears soaking through my shirt, and I knew there was more to this than she was telling me.
"What exactly do they want you to do?" I asked. There was a long pause before she answered and I was acutely aware of the way her hands felt as she gripped my back.
"They want me to make you leave," she whispered as she loosened her grip and ran her hands up my back. When I didn't move a muscle, she continued, "They think it's inappropriate for you to be staying in our house and they said that I'm no longer welcome in their homes."
"I'm so sorry, Grace," I said trying to calculate how quickly I could move out of the house, but unsure of where I would go until the Mustang was in working order again. "If it helps, I'll go tonight."
"No, it doesn't help at all!" she cried as she pulled back and looked up at me. Emotions flashed across her face as she bit her lip and then said, "I'm so sick of all of this. I want my parents back. I want my life back. I want to wake up in the morning and find that this has all been a terrible dream and that I'm back in my own bed living my own life!"
I nodded, not knowing how to respond to her outburst. I was acutely aware of the way she was still pressed against me and as I looked down into her flashing blue eyes, I had the overwhelming urge to kiss her. I held her gaze and then, taking a chance, reached up and cupped her cheek. She sighed and relaxed into my arms as I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers.
She let out a soft moan as she returned the kiss. Her hands gripped my shirt pulling me closer as the kiss intensified. She let go of my shirt and ran her hands up my back and then down my sides. I winced when she slid them up my chest and across the bruise left by the seatbelt.
"Oh no, are you okay?" she whispered into my lips. Afraid that if I said anything the moment would be over, I nodded and kissed her again as I caressed her face. I slid my hand down to her shoulder moving closer to her breast, and when she didn't stop me, I cupped it in my hand tracing a circle around her nipple until it stood erect under the cotton fabric of her dress. Grace sighed as she wound her arms around my neck and kissed me harder, and with my other arm I pulled her closer to me pressing my rigid shaft against her body.
"Grace..." I groaned as she flicked my lower lip with her tongue before catching it between her teeth and lightly biting down.
"Mmm hmmm," she murmured as her tongue found mine again. There was an urgency in our kiss as we began fumbling with each other's clothing.
Overhead, the floor creaked, startling us both. Grace jumped back and looked up at me with wide eyes. I could see her chest rapidly rising and falling as she stood stock-still. We waited to see if there would be more sounds coming from upstairs, and when it was clear that there would not be, Grace looked away and sighed.
"I can't..." she said as she backed away. “I'm sorry, Adam."
"It's okay," I croaked, trying to will the blood flowing through my body to return to my brain. I felt frustrated and embarrassed that she'd rejected me, so I laughed lightly and tried to play it off as a joke, "No wonder your boyfriend keeps coming back for more."
"That's rude," she snapped. "And he's not my boyfriend. My God, how many times do I have to tell you that before you get it?"
"I'm sorry, I was just trying to lighten the mood a bit," I said backing up with my hands in the air. "Didn't mean to hit a sore spot."
"Well, you did," she said and then stopped. When she looked up at me again, there were tears welling up in her eyes as she asked, "What am I going to do?"
"I don't know," I replied. "I don't really have a clear idea of what's going on with you and your family, but it seems like you could use some help."
She stiffened as I spoke and then lashed out, "I don't need any help! I can handle this just fine, thank you!"
"Defensive, table for one?" I said bristling as she rejected my offer without even considering it.
"Go to hell, Adam Wallace!" she hissed as she turned and ran up the stairs. Halfway up she turned and said, "We'll find another place for you to stay, but you have to leave tomorrow."
"Fine," I shot back. "I'll be ready to go in the morning."
Grace ran up the stairs and down the hallway, but I didn't move until I heard her slam the door to her bedroom. I headed into the guest room they'd set up for me, stripped down to my boxers, and climbed into bed. I lay listening to the sounds of the night for a long time before I fell asleep, and when I did, I dreamed of Grace's blue eyes and wheat-colored hair.