Page 43 of Our Shattered Pieces
I gave her a sad smile. “I think, maybe, he might be too good for me.”
“Are you insane?” Rowan asked. “Molly, you’re one of the best people I know.”
Mystic cocked her head, and I could swear the woman was looking right through me. After a few seconds, she said, “A general piece of advice?” I nodded. “Let the man see all your broken, cracked, and shattered pieces and let him make up his mind for himself, Molly.”
Tears started to spill, and Rowan quickly jumped out of her chair to run over and wrap her arms around my shoulders. “Awe, Molly, babe.”
“But what if they’re not just broken, cracked, or shattered pieces?” I asked. “What if they’re ugly, dirty, vile pieces?”
Mystic’s face softened. “Then you still let him make up his mind for himself, Molly,” she said. “Fear leads to some real regret, so don’t let Grayson be a regret. And if after seeing you bare, if Grayson decides you’re not for him, then all that means is that he’s not the one for you either. And it just clears the way for the man whoismeant for you.”
“Whatever it is, my brother’s not a cruel man, Molly,” Rowan said from beside me. “Even if your worst is more than he can handle, he would never make you feel ashamed for it. Grayson’s…Grayson really is the best.”
And that’s what I was afraid of.
Because no matter what anyone said, Grayson Lewiswastoo good for me. So, what was the point when he’d see it eventually?
Chapter 32
Grayson~
It’s been four fucking days since Molly slammed her front door in my face, and the only positive thing there was to say about this entire fucking mess, was that she hasn’t blocked me from calling or texting her yet. But that could be because I had stopped with the harassment Tuesday night, or else I was positive she would have.
And the only reason I had stopped?
Her brother was married to my sister, and I wasn’t going to push Molly to the point where our situation could possibly cause problems for Rowan and Lorcan. I didn’t want to have to make up excuses for missing out on parties and get-togethers, simply to make sure Molly was comfortable where she stood.
That didn’t mean I still wasn’t pissed, though.
Because I was.
More than anything, I was pissed and offended that Molly thought I would judge her-for anything.
Sure, I wasn’t down to share, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t see the benefit for a woman to desire being shared or even be curious about it. How many men have enjoyed sucking on a woman’s tits while another woman sucked his dick? How many times has a man looked down to see one woman swallowing his dick while the other licked his balls? How many times has a man been able to have the pleasure of a woman riding his dick while enjoying eating pussy at the same time?
I didn’t fault Molly for being curious or even acting on that curiosity. I faulted her for not being honest. I faulted her for daring to think that I’d judge her after everything we experienced last weekend. She wasn’t the only one with unconventional desires, and that was the real shit of it all. Because if she judged herself for what she enjoyed, how could she not be judging me?
“Damn, man, you look like your dog ran off on you.”
I looked over at my best friend, Darius Miller. A fellow teacher, he taught with me at Halston as one of their math teachers, and he also coached girls’ soccer. At six-foot-four, he was an imposing figure, but his approach with kids was golden. He had such a good rapport with his students and soccer team, that, one year, he had paid someone to dye his cornrows Halston colors for Homecoming week. It took three months for the colors to completely fade.
Every year, the first official week of our summer, he threw a little barbecue at his house for all us teachers. His wife, Loraine, always took their kids to go see her parents for the week, giving Darius some winding down time without any kids anywhere.
The barbecue had started out as a small gathering, with just a few of us, but when word spread that there was an actual kid-free barbecue, it kind of grew. While we all loved children, the absence of them, after ten months of being surrounded by them, was a welcomed break. There were even some teachers who got babysitters for their kids just to attend.
“Just a lot on my mind,” I commented before taking another drink of my beer.
Standing next to the barbecue pit, I always helped Darius with the cooking and preparations. Loraine always did her best to buy everything before she took off to her parents, so cooking was the easy part.
“I’ll say,” Darius remarked. “You’ve been walking around here like a zombie all day.”
“Have not,” I automatically denied.
“Have to,” he argued.
“I just-”
“Okay, okay, okay,” Brandy Horowitz said, rushing over. “I pick you two.”
