Page 98 of Falling for Grace

“I’m so sorry.”

“You're sorry? You’re sorry.” I slam the door closed again and march over to the bed. He pulls himself into a standing position, his six-foot frame dwarfing me. I slap him again—hard.

It connects with the best sound ever, and my palm tingles.

“How fucking dare you?” My voice is shaking. “You plastered that all over the media.”

I hit him again. The bastard just stands there and takes it.

“She was our daughter, and you spilled the most painful thing all over the fucking media.”

My pathetic hands are bunched into fists and I’m striking his chest. He wraps an arm wraps around my middle and pulls me back, but I continue to try to go for him, lashing out at him.

“You're a piece of shit!” I scream. “I came here to help you. I came here to be with you while you grieved. Get the fuck off me.” I wrench around and see that it’s thehugeVin Diesel look-alike from the car last night who’s holding me back. His biceps are covering me and holding me down like I’m nothing more than a child.

“Calm down,” the guy says close to my ear.

“No, you calm down!” I scream. “You,” I say managing to rip my arm free from the giant bear of a man and pointing at Brandon. “You are fucked up.” Tears are streaming down my face and my throat is sore from screaming. “Get him out of my fucking sight.”

“I told you not to come in here, bro,” the huge man says to Brandon.

“Put. Me. Down,” I say through gritted teeth.

“Blake, Jesus,” Ava says from the doorway. “Put her down.”

He does and I launch myself at Brandon. I continue my attack. He covers his face with his arms but does nothing to retaliate.

“I hate you, I hate you, I hate you,” the words repeated on a broken sob, my hitting getting less forceful. “I love you, and you did that.” I collapse to the floor. “How could you do, to her, I get your annoyed with me, but Brandon, her?”

I look at him and I see him, a broken man.

We’re a broken pair.

The door closes behind Ava and Blake as they leave.

He joins me on the floor and grabs my cheeks. “I am so, so sorry,” he says, looking into my eyes. He’s sober, but he seems just as much of a mess as earlier. I push him off me and crawl back, sitting against the door.

And we’re back here again.

One of us propped up against the door, the other against the bed, a massive void of space between us. “You can never take that back, Brandon. Everyone knows.” Tears fall down my face, where they seem to live now. “Everyone, the whole world knows our business. Knows about her.”

He bows his head, not looking me in the eyes, and his shoulders shake. “I was so angry. I am so angry. I wanted to hurt you.”

I can’t say I blame him, but that still hurts to hear. “Everyone, every single person knows what I did.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know what to say, I don’t know how to make this right.”

“Leave,” I say, standing up. “I should have given you space when you needed it, and I didn’t. Please, Brandon, don’t make the same mistake I did. Give me space. Don’t worry, though. I’m not going to disappear. I’m not going to drink myself into a stupor. But you…” I point at him. “Get your ass back to your mum’s and sort your shit out. You can’t take back what you did, no more than I can change what I did to you. But this–” I point between us “–this isn’t healthy.”

I open the door and I’m not surprised to see Blake’s shadow in the hallway.

“Come on, bud.” Blake is next to him, pulling him from the floor.

“I can’t lose you, too, Grace. I can’t. Oh fuck, I have. I’ve lost you, haven’t I?”

Chapter 36

I’ve been home a week, and things are slowly sinking back into a routine. I call Sue daily for updates on Brandon, but I’m still in a communication blackout with him as I work through my feelings. Which are a whole load of blergh. I feel sick about the whole thing. Not sick sick, just this constant state of nauseousness that on the very rare occasion overwhelms me and sends me running to the bathroom to see my old friend the toilet.

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