Page 53 of Anders and the Girl Worth Fighting For
I smiled brightly at him at the reminder of the last little mystery we had yet to unlock.
I pulled the picture out of my purse and looked at it again. I remembered the day we took this. I had asked Grandma why no old photos had color and why no one smiled in any of the pictures. I believed the world was that sepia tone and my child’s brain assumed no one smiled because they couldn’t be happy in a world without color. She taught me about cameras and then we tried to take our own. I couldn’t stop smiling and laughing, though.
“This mantel is in the library at the back of the house.” I turned towards the foyer and led Anders to the room inquestion. “It was her second favorite room of the house, after the kitchen. She didn’t read a ton, but she said that’s where my grandpa spent a lot of his time while he was alive. She said she felt closest to him when she was in there.”
I opened the door to the library. The smell of leather and old glue greeted us, inviting us in further, welcoming us with its warm embrace. I immediately went over to the window and opened the curtains to let some light in.
The mantel looked just as it did in the photograph. Not even the trinkets and photos displayed on it had changed. I flipped the photo over and read the inscription on it again.
When you leave him. Look under the fireplace mantel.
It wasn’t much to go on, and I walked up to it and ran my hands over the ledge. Anders stayed back and let me have this to myself. I appreciated the silent support and that he let me have this time to deal with this on my own. I knew he would be there if I needed him, and that was enough.
Something gave slightly under my hand, and I pressed harder on the spot. A soft click sounded in the quiet room and a section of the mantel lowered into my hand. A secret door revealed a small box attached to it. Inside the box, a photograph and an envelope sat nestled in dusty blue silk.
In the photo, my grandma rode on my grandpa’s back, their faces lit with wide smiles. Behind them, tucked into tall trees, sat a small cabin. She looked happier and more free than any time I had ever seen her. The image brought a smile to my lips.
“What is in the envelope?” Anders’s said soft and close just over my shoulder. He must have moved to stand behind me. I leaned back into him and he put his arms around my waist to hold me to him.
I pulled out a stack of papers and saw a letter sitting on top.
Dear Grace,
I wanted to stop it. I tried so hard to stop you from marrying that man, but I just couldn’t. Your mother blocked me at every turn. I don’t know how I went so wrong with her. I keep thinking about every mistake I made as a parent and blame myself for her turning out so cruel and thoughtless. I tried to shield you from that the best I could. I’m so sorry she never shared who your birth father is. Unfortunately, I think that is probably a secret she will take to the grave.
I wish I could be there to see you free of that man. I hope you get free of him. You deserve every happiness in this world, and I don’t think you will ever find it in that pit of vipers. I should have pushed harder to stay in your life. I should have done more to contact you when you were an adult. I was foolish and I think it hurt you. I’m so sorry. I hope you can forgive me, if for no other reason than you deserve peace.
Included in this envelope is the deed for this house. It’s in your name. I bypassed putting this in my will for the same reason I wouldn’t release your trust until you were 30 or I was dead. Your greedy mother, step-father, and husband would try to take it from you. I know it was a risk, but I’d hoped you would find this sooner rather than later and be able to get the fresh start in life that you deserve. This place is yours. Do with it what you will. I hope you find someone to help you fill it with joy, whatever that may look like.
Whatever you do with your life now, remember that you are worthy of love. Go out and find it and don’t let it go when you do.
I love you forever,
Grandma.
I leafed through the rest of the papers and, sure enough, there was a deed to the house. Tears were streamed down my face by the end of the letter. It was so short but said so much.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sometimes, I was an idiot with idiotic plans. I’m not sure why people kept trusting me to come up with them. Take my plan to let Grace have whatever space she needed after the kidnapping. Sure, I stayed by her side as much as I could, but I’d made a stupid plan to keep my hands to myself. I kissed her, hugged her, cuddled her. I couldn’t get enough of her, and it drove me crazy.
So, when she walked out of her room in some kind of green, frothy concoction with flowers and vines draped over her every curve, I immediately conjured up another crazy plan. I’m not even sure where this plan came from. I just knew that when I saw her in that flimsy, flowery thing meant to bring grown men to their knees in worship, I would give her anything.
“Do you like it?” She had asked. What the hell kind of question was that? Did I like it? I couldn’t imagine liking anything more than her in that scrap of lace. I realized that I forgot to say anything when she continued on in the shy way she does when she doubted herself. “I saw it after my divorce and thought it would make me look like a fairy and that it would be fun and romantic.”
That sentence it what led me to this plan. Thankfully, no one would be blown up this time.
“I have an idea,” I said instead of saying something sweet likeyou look amazing,“put a dress on. There’s somewhere I want to take you.”
I could see her deflate a bit more. I really am an idiot. “I’m fucking this up. You look amazing and you’re putting all kinds of ideas in my head. If you can trust me for just a little bit, I promise it will be worth it.”
It was the first sensible thing I said since she walked out of her room.
She hesitated at first and then nodded her head. She’d chosen to trust me, and my chest swelled with pride.
Somehow, I got us out to the car to enact my possibly brilliant, possibly insane plan. I gripped the steering wheel tight and tried my best to focus on the road. Just the thought of what I’d imagined enough to drive me to the edge of sanity. Grace wasn’t helping either. She put her hand on my thigh and started trailing her fingers up and down. Seems she had the right idea and was determined to break every last reservation I had.
“Grace, if you don’t stop that, we won’t make it somewhere private,” I warned.
