Page 26 of The Mechanic's Virgin

“Grace–”

“I ran into Sheila,” she whispers.

Shit. I knew it.

Hot rage races through me. I bite the inside of my lip until I taste blood. It’s not enough that she tried to ruin my life once–now she has to do it againandinvolve Grace? This is too far.

“She found me outside Bill’s,” she continues, her voice trembling. “She told me…you had hurt her.”

Emily steps up beside me. “Andwebelieve her. Don’t we, Grace?” Grace nods, but it takes her a second. Like she’s hesitating. There’s still hope. She wants to hear me out. She wants to believe me.

“Why would you believe my crazy ex-girlfriend?”

“Why would we believeyou?” Emily counters. “We barely know you! You didn’t even tell Grace about the accusations!”

“Because it was all bullshit!” I snap, reaching for my phone. I’m trembling now. This piece of my past will simply not go away, no matter what I do. “Sheila is a complete and utter psychopath who fabricated everything because I broke up with her.”

“Right!” Emily scoffs.

“You want proof? I’ve got it.”

I open my photos, go to the folder containing everything, and start pulling up images. “Grace, look,” I say, sliding the phone in front of her. “Look. I saved everything. The crazy texts she sent me after I ended things–threatening me if I didn’t take her back. Saying she’d ruin my life if I didn’t.”

Emily groans beside me, but Grace slowly reaches out and takes the phone. I watch as she starts slowly swiping, her eyes widening with every move of her thumb.

“And you see? The court documents showing that the judge threw her case out. He said it was baseless and malicious. She told people around town she had a restraining order against me when she didn’t as well.”

“Oh my God…” Grace mutters softly. Yes. I’m getting through to her. She loves me. She will believe me.

“Shetriedto get one. She tried twice, in fact, but they said no. The cops even told me if she ran around town any longer telling people she had one that I could file one againsther!”

Emily shifts over beside Grace and looks down at the phone as Grace continues to swipe. This is an absolute nightmare. Her face is twisted with pain, and I can see tears beginning to pool in her eyes.

She keeps swiping, and I catch Emily shooting me a glance–a glance that says she might be coming over to my side.

Finally, tears spill down Grace’s cheeks. She drops the phone to the table and sighs, “I’m so sorry, Nash! I didn’t know what to believe!”

“It’s okay, baby,” I say softly, pulling her into my arms.

“She–she seemed so calm, so composed, so convincing. I thought maybe I’d lost my mind falling for you so fast.”

“You haven’t lost your mind, baby,” I reply. “And neither have I. You’re mine, and I’m yours. We both fell for each other because it was meant to be.”

She presses her head into my chest and nods. Emily clears her throat and steps back. “I’ll um, give you two a minute.”

I clutch Grace against my chest, not caring or thinking about the customers in the shop watching us. This is our moment, and no one, not even Sheila and her insanity, can take it from us.

No one can take Grace from me.Ever.

“Grace,” I whisper. “I love you.”

She sobs into my shirt, clutching my shoulders like she’s afraid I’ll float away. “I–I love you too, Nash.”

I kiss her on the forehead, right there in the middle of the shop. Then I reach down and slip a finger below her chin and raise her eyes to mine.

“And I have just one more thing–something I need to ask you.”

Grace’s gorgeous eyes go wide as I get down on one knee before her. She gasps, and so do several other women behind me.

---