Page 3 of Grace Notes
This time, he goes for my seat, kicking the legs out from under the plastic chair and sending me free-falling to the ground.
He chortles as I stare up at the sky, stunned for a moment, before kicking out, repeating the motion to his chair. Grayson tumbles to the ground, arms reaching out to catch himself, but it’s too late. He hits the ground with a thud, and I send him a bright smile.
With a glare dipping his eyebrows, he opens his mouth to scold me, but my daughter comes flouncing over, her hands on her hips like a little mother hen.
“Daddy, that was not nice. Tell Uncle Grayson you’re sorry.”
That little traitor.
“But—”
She shushes me by putting her finger to my lips. “No, buts, Daddy. Apologize.”
From the mouth of a four-year-old, everyone.
She’s been waiting for this moment, cataloging my words every time she got in trouble so she could use them against me.
I look over at Grayson, who has a huge grin, trouble etching the corner of his lips.
“Sorry,” I grumble, seeing no way out of this, but the next time Avery’s not looking, I’m slugging him in the arm.
Avery looks over at Grayson, who drops his smile, pretending to be serious just for her. “I accept your apology, Brooks. I understand you’re acting out, but maybe next time, we can talk about your feelings.”
My daughter nods, hanging on to every word Grayson says. Her back is to me now, so I roll my eyes and mouth, “You’re dead meat.”
He only smirks, unperturbed by my threat.
If you’d asked me a year ago if I thought this would be my life, I would have laughed in your face. I hated Grayson when I firstlearned about him, but Emryn convinced me I needed to give him a chance. I’m glad I did—even if he annoys the crap out of me sometimes.
“Uncle Grayson, I have a first aid kit in my room. I’ll go get it and see if you have any scratches.” Avery takes off at a full sprint, not waiting for Grayson to tell her he’s fine.
“You’re not getting out of that one,” I say, standing. Once I’m on my feet, I reach down to where Grayson’s lying and take his hand to pull him up. “She’s going to spend the next hour playing doctor until she gives you a clean bill of health.”
Grayson groans, his experience with kids limited to his niece. “Do you think I can make a run for it?”
I shake my head. “She’ll just chase after you.”
He picks up his chair and flops down in it, resigned to his fate. I do the same, content to watch my revenge without lifting a finger.
“So—” I say, remembering the list in my back pocket. I pull it out and hold it up. It unfolds, just like it did earlier when Emryn held it up, and Grayson’s eyes are the size of saucers when it finally unfolds to reveal the last item. “Tell me about these colors of pink because Emryn asked me to help with our vow renewal, and I have a feeling I might need to know.”
Bending at the waist, Grayson laughs so hard he can’t catch his breath. Tears stream down his face, and just when I think I might have to give him CPR or something, his laughter slows, and he wipes at his tears with the heel of his hand.
With laughter still dancing in his eyes, he says, “You know what? I think we might be able to help each other out.”
I don’t tell him that I think our teaming up only points to more ways we can screw this up. If my brother wants to be a part of my life, I’m going to let him because there was a time when I wasn’t sure if he would ever be—he was more jaded than I was.But he’s come around, and we are finally starting to be the family I dreamed about having as a kid.
“Yeah, Gray. Maybe we can. Give me your list, and we can devise a plan.”
He nods, pulling out his phone. I’d bet a hundred dollars that he’s putting a reminder in there. The man’s a little Type A.
Avery hasn’t returned yet, likely having gotten distracted somewhere along the way, but I’ve been waiting for a chance to be alone with my brother all night. There are some things we need to talk about—something I don’t want Avery to know yet—and it makes me sick to my stomach because I’m not sure Grayson knows.
Standing, I walk over to the grill, flipping the burgers I put on earlier. “Have you—um—talked to Dad—Kip—lately?”
Grayson struggles with his relationship with our dad. I did, too, for a long time because the man was a drunk half my life, but going to therapy with Emryn has taught me to forgive—especially when people show you they can change. Grayson’s trying, but he also has an aversion to people.
Secretly, I don’t think that aversion is as big as he lets on. I just think it’s how he protects himself. His life hasn’t always been the easiest, either.
