Page 36 of Grace's Redemption
“Tell him, Gracie.” My dad said.
“I don’t think this is the time.” She said.
“We should be celebrating it.” Dad said.
I turned back toward him.
“Celebrate what?” I growled.
“Grace is pregnant with Mattie’s child.” Dad touched Grace’s stomach.
She flinched from his touch, but he didn’t notice.
I noticed.
“That’s great news.” I walked towards the back stairs. “I’m going to get cleaned up.”
“You do that son.” My dad hugged Grace to him, kissed her forehead and headed toward the main room in the clubhouse. “We leave in an hour to go pick up your brother and lay him to rest. No guns, no violence today. I got the Guardians in the area to lay down protection. Nothing is going to happen today. Today, I bury my son, we focus on avenging him tomorrow.”
I nodded.
Grace held her hand over her mouth.
I studied her. She looked different. She was grieving, but she had a glow about her.
I dragged my gaze away from her and headed upstairs.
She followed.
I pulled off my jacket, and pulled my t-shirt off over my head. I stopped in the middle of the door when I saw it. My cut laid flat on the bed. I knelt next to the bed and ran my hand over the emblem.
Grace sat down on the bed. She placed her hand over mine.
I slid it away and stood back up.
“I need to jump in the shower.” I headed for the bathroom.
“Mase.” She said, the desperation in her voice. She wanted comforting and I had none to offer her at the moment. The news of the baby, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. Happy for her. Happy for my family to have a part of Mattie live on. Sad for me. While I knew she loved me, I left, Mattie stayed. I’d only been gone for eight weeks. Maybe they consoled each other in my absence. I wanted to, but I had no right to ask.
“I missed you.”
I heard her get up and walk over to me. She laid her hand on my back. “You got some new ink.”
It was the map of the United States on my back, just the outline. I planned to fill it with moments from my travels. I’d only managed to fill out two spots. A memorable ride through the countryside in Philadelphia commemorated with a graphic of my bike and a steak I had at a place in Chicago that summed up the weekend I spent in the city. She traced the outline of Florida.
I turned around and pushed her back.
Her hands on my back felt wrong. Like it disrespected my brother some how.
“How far did you go?” She asked.
“Colorado.” I said.
She nodded.
“I’m sorry you had to come back.” She turned her head up and hugged herself. “When you leave this time, please do me a favor.”
She put her arms around me.
I flinched, but let her touch me. I smelled her hair.
Her strong little arms clung to me. Her thumb made small little circles on my lower spine. I had to smell like two thousand miles of road. Grace didn’t seem to care.
“What do you need Grace.” I embraced her and held her to me.
“Take me with you.”
