Page 8 of Saving Grace
“Oh, you don’t need to do that.”
“It’s three miles. You’re not walking that far back while carrying my delicious treats. They’re too precious to eat cold.Now, let’s go.” She hollers to the back area, “Hey, Jett. Wakey, wakey. I’ll be back soon.”
A faint “nighty-night” sounds from the back room.
Kelsey grins to herself. “Jett is my co-owner. She runs the book side of things but is really good at the coffee side, too.”
“Is she actually awake?”
Kelsey flips her hand in dismissal. “That girl can nearly match my energy at the drop of a hat. She’ll be on it if anyone decides to venture in before I get back. But honestly, with it being Saturday, the likelihood of anyone coming in this early is slim.”
We walk out front, and Kelsey leads me to her car, setting the bag of goods in the back seat.
“Run into anyone yet?” she asks with a sideways glance, and I immediately know she’s referring to Drew.
I shake my head. “Declan was there when we came in, but this is my first time venturing out. Hell of a time of day to explore, right?” I push a strand of loose hair from my face. “This is good, though,” I say with much more confidence than I feel. “I wanted to lay eyes on the town, see what’s what without anyone breathing down my neck. I haven’t been back since I was sixteen. Now, I’m here with a kid in tow. There’s bound to be gossip.”
She laughs, the trill soft in the silence of her car. “Well, yeah. It’s Havenwood. We take care of our own, and you, my dear friend, are about to be bombarded with people wanting to help you guys settle in.”
That’s what I’m worried about. This town has a way of making you look deep into things you’d rather forget. Even if they all mean well.
Chapter 4
Drew
Iblindly search for the snooze button as my early-morning alarm screams from somewhere under the covers. Sleep was non-existent last night because of the combination of emotions that swarmed my mind. All of them circled around one single thought.
I have a daughter.
After Declan dropped that little bomb on me, all hopes of rest evaporated. Why on God’s green Earth would Leila not tell me? I screwed up phenomenally where she is concerned, but she has to know I would have done—would do—everything I could to help her.
Unless...
I shoot up in bed, groaning as every inch of my lower back spasms with the quick movement, and open my voicemail. I never listened to the messages Leila left me. They were both about two months after our last night together. I was dealing with the aftereffects of my surgeries, shut down and not really talking to anyone about what had happened. Since no one exceptour brothers knew about our relationship, it wasn’t like I could have explained heartache to Jace or Noah.
My heart drops into my stomach as I play the first message.
Hey. It’s me…not sure how to tell you this. Not sure if you’ll even listen to it. But I just took a test, and it came back positive. So, I took a whole box of them to make sure they weren’t faulty tests or something. I’m pregnant, and I’m freaking out, and I don’t know how to tell Gavin. He might actually disown me for this. Or murder you. Could really go either way. Crap, now that’s another thing to worry about. I could really use one of your peptalks right about now… Anyway, I don’t expect anything from you. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll take that as your answer.
The second one is a booted kick to the nuts.
Hey, Drew. Me again. It’s the last time, I swear. Gavin told me a little about what you’re dealing with. Hoping this news may give you a boost. Our little peanut is a girl. Found out yesterday. I’m still beyond terrified, but I’m talking with Kristen every week over video chat. I’m doing this, whether you want to be a part of it or not. You know how to reach me.
And now she’s here.Theyare here.
Leila told me, but I was too focused on my own pain to read a single text message—and there’s a ton of those, too, now that I’m scrolling through them. Even though she never heard from me, she still sent screenshots of ultrasounds and updates. She never quit trying to reach out.
How the hell am I supposed to face them after I abandoned them?
***
“About time you showed up,” Jace chirps as I step off the last stair into the gym. The dude must have been a golden retrieverin a past life. He’s always too happy-go-lucky, even at five thirty in the morning. Although I know he feels it, the only visible sign of his concern is the flick of his eyes to the back brace around my waist before he makes eye contact again.
“Don’t know why I agreed to this. Did you even go to sleep?” I ask as I begin bouncing on the balls of my feet, trying to get blood flowing and the bone-deep tiredness pushed out. Bypassing his offered roll of tape, I slip my hands into my quick wraps.
“Did you?” he shoots back before stepping up to the heavyweight bag hanging in the corner of the room and starting a sequence of one-two combinations.
I step in to hold the bag steady as his hits increase in force. “Not a lick. Watch your knee on the follow-through.”
