Page 84 of The Grump I Loathe
“It’s not nothing,” Leigh insisted. “You fell hard. Hit your head, too. Let me at least take you to the hospital to get you checked out.”
I glanced back toward the ballroom, still hoping Connor would come charging out to apologize, to say that he didn’t want to let me go. But the door didn’t move.
“Okay.” I turned back to Leigh, letting her drag me away and vowing to myself that I wouldn’t cry.
26
CONNOR
An uncomfortable weight settled in my gut after Eddie walked away from me. It roiled, leaving me queasy, but I shoved it down.
…maybe there shouldn’t be an “us” anymore.
The words cut, leaving a jagged path down my ribs, prodding at my heart. But I couldn’t focus on that right now.Fuck. What a disaster. Sawyer and the lawyer and Grace and the tower of goddamn cocktails that had ended up on the floor. And Eddie.
Eddie.
Eddie.
No. Stuff it down. Pack it away. Right now, I needed to focus on Grace, make sure she was okay after the debacle with Ali, and then make sure things were smoothed over with Mr. Singh in case Sawyer had been whispering in his ear.
I glanced through the sea of guests, searching for Grace. A tinkle of glass caught my attention, and I twisted to see the staff hurriedlysweeping up the mess under the guidance of an uptight manager. And there, staring at them, was Grace.
“Grace,” I called, surging back to her side to comfort her.
She flinched away from me, and my heart twinged. “I’m sorry I yelled earlier,” I said, leaning over to look her in the eye. “I know that was scary; I was just worried that you’d been hurt.” I reached for her shoulder, but she lurched away from the touch. I frowned. “What’s the matter, sweetheart?”
She scoffed. “I’m mad at you!”
I blinked at her. Mad at me? “What, why?”
Her eyes narrowed, her little nostrils flaring. “I followed you. I heard what you said to Eddie when you blamed her for the mess.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” I assured her. “It was nothing serious. Just grownups talking.”
“Why are you talking to me like I don’t understand?” She stomped her foot, crossing her arms in such a perfect copy of Ali that it hurt to watch. “She said the two of you were together! And you hid it from me!”
“Grace, you don’t have to worry about anything happening between me and Eddie.”
“That’s not why I’m mad!” she huffed. “You pushed Eddie away for me without evenaskingme how I felt about it. At least Eddie wanted to ask me!” Her eyes narrowed even more. “You’re just like Mom, bringing Sawyer around without even talking to me!”
Shock filled me. I was stung by the comparison. All I’d wanted to do was protect Grace from having to worry about someone new waltzing into her life so soon after the divorce. Despite my good intentions, I’d obviously managed to screw it up anyway.
“Why didn’t you tell me about Eddie?” she demanded.
“I was…worried about things changing for you after Mom and I split.”
Grace snorted. “We’re literally standing in Mom’s wedding.”
“Exactly, honey. That felt like enough change.”
“No,” Grace declared. “I mean things havealreadychanged for me. And I handled it! I could have handled this too! I like Eddie. And I’m not a baby.”
Yes, she was. She wasmybaby, and she always would be. And I felt the same need to protect her that I’d felt since the first time the nurse put her in my arms. But saying that wouldn’t help right now.
“You’re right, you’re not. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you about it before now. And I’m sorry this night has been so tough.” I tried to stamp down on the emotion that bubbled in my chest, threatening to overwhelm me. I just wanted to get the hell out of this ballroom. “We can go back to the room now if you want.”
“No,” she said, sticking her nose up at me. “I don’t want to leave.Youcan go.”
