Page 63 of Fall From Grace

Dad’s eyes hardened on him as if he was remembering that night he hit Noah like I was. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Dad…” I started.

“I’m dating Grace,” he replied smoothly. “And it’s her birthday so I didn’t want to miss it.”

He stepped into the doorway and eyed the trailers with disgust. My heart sunk. “You living around here again?”

“No, I’m living in Jewel County.”

Dad’s eyes hardened. “Oh, so that’s where you’ve been? And you just came back into Grace’s life after all these years now… because?”

“Because of me,” Mom intervened. Dad looked genuinely confused. “I asked him not to contact Grace for a while.”

“If you were gonna do that, then you should have told him to stay gone.”

“Dad!” I flushed with anger and embarrassment.

“It’s fine, Grace,” Noah told me but it wasn’t. Noah was used to certain adults treating him like dirt but that was something I could never get used to.

“Hush, Steven. I was the one that invited him over for cake,” Mom said, disappearing into the door.

“Well, come on,” Dad muttered. “We’re running up the electric bill with the door wide open like this.”

Noah and I stepped in with Dad still giving him a bad look. When we passed him, Noah whispered, “It’s fine, Grace. He’ll come around.”

“I hate anyone treating you like that, even my dad,” I muttered.

“Look at it from his point of view. You’re his daughter and he walked in on me in your room in the middle of the night when we were only thirteen,” he tried to tell me, and I sighed and dropped my shoulders because I did understand. That one small decision we made only worsened the way Dad looked at Noah. He took my hand and walked into the kitchen with me. “I can handle it. One day, I’ll make him see that what we have isn’t puppy love.”

“Birthday girl gets the first piece,” Mom chirped as she cut into the cake. “Didn’t you see if Tiffany and Sara wanted to come and have some cake with us?”

We sat down at the table. Dad didn’t even bother coming in the kitchen. “Mom, I’m too old for that kind of thing, besides, I think they are taking me out to the movies tomorrow night.”

“Which means they are using your birthday as an excuse to get you to go with them.” Noah nodded with a smile.

“Exactly.” I agreed.

“Taking her out somewhere yourself Noah?” Mom asked, lifting her eyebrows mischievously.

Noah dropped his head with a smile. “I am. I’m going to take her somewhere Sunday.”

“Oooh?” Mom hummed, and I felt the heat across my cheeks. Were our plans still the same? Was I going to let him try again?

29

Grace age 17

Noah age 17

She puts the fire in my veins. In a way, I fear that I am like my parents. Like them, I’m an addict. My drug’s name is Grace, and she’s feeding my addiction with every word she speaks, every touch I place on her skin, every night and day she gives to me, even if it’s only by a phone call.

Yeah… I’ve been in love for a very long time.

She’s not a drug, but she’s the sweetest addiction.

N.P.

“Where is he taking you?” Dad asked for the tenth time as I peeked out the blinds and waited on Noah to pick me up.

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