Page 149 of Loving Whiskey

“And I make a better baby daddy than Cash, right?”

I shake my head. “You really are nuts.”

“He should be here, G.” She takes my arm, and we start walking to lunch.

“You are ignoring the fact thatIsent him away. This isn’t his fault. Besides, he’s busy fixing everything after my big screwup,” I say with a sigh, feeling bad that his business is such a disaster. “The company’s money is tied up now and—”

Tessa cuts me off with a glare. “You’re pregnant and you’re perfect. You get a pass; he sucks.”

Amen to having the best friend in the entire world. I smile. “You really are my favorite person. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about my mom. If I’d confided in anyone, perhaps I could have avoided this whole mess.”

“I just can’t believe she was sleeping with Cash’s dad that whole time!” She looks at me and her face softens. “Are you okay, G?”

I blow out a long breath as we continue to walk down the street arm in arm. “No,” I admit, as the tears bubble again. “I still can’t believe she’s gone,” I whisper. “She was…”

“Awful,” Tessa offers.

I turn and give her a look.

“And she was your mother,” Tessa says, leaning her head against my shoulder.

“She saved me. I just…I don’t know. I keep running through all the different scenarios. If I’d told Cash or you or Marion when she first reached out…what could have been. She’d still be alive, maybe…I’d probably have no relationship with her, but she’d still be alive.”

Tessa squeezes my arm. “She was an adult. She made her own choices…”

“But she never knew love. She always loved Cash’s dad…it’s just sosad.”

Tessa sighs. “Yeah, it really is. But here’s the thing. You do know love. Lots of it. And you can’t change the past. And in the end”—Tessa breathes in as if she’s really working up to the next sentence—“in the end, she did the right thing. She protected her daughter…and our little alien,” Tessa says, as she taps on my belly and lightens the mood.

Lost in our conversation, I don’t notice the vehicle that’s pulled up beside us. “Hey Grace, slow down,” Frank says as he rolls down the window.

Is Cash in the car?I look to the back and Frank shakes his head, trying to stem my disappointment. “He asked me to pick you up.”

With her hands on her hips, Tessa is unamused. “Not a chance. If he wants to talk to Grace, he should come to her. Not summon her. He’s not a fucking king!”

Frank glowers and I put my hand on Tessa’s arm, telling her to back it down. “You’re a pain in the ass,” Frank mutters, then his eyes shoot to mine, “Grace, please.”

“I’m a mess,” I say,and unprepared to be stared at again.

“I’ll take you back to your apartment to change first,” he offers.

I huff, knowing that Frank’s been given his orders and he’s not going to leave me alone until he does what Cash asked. “Fine. But if he just stares at me…” I start.

Frank chuckles. “Give Bossman a break. He literally watched a car blow up and thought you were inside. And then you forgot who he was. He’s doing better though, Grace. It’s time. He needs you.” The smirk pulls at his lips, and I feel my own lips turning up.

Who knew one could smile after such a disaster? But as Tessa reminded me, the only way to deal with heartache is going through it—sometimes that means smiling when it feels wrong, and sometimes it means smiling when it feels right.

Right now, with the sun shining, my best friend by my side, my baby and me safe, Frank smirking, and my boyfriend expecting me, I lift my head to the sky, breathe in the spring air, and smile. Because it finally feels like it’s our time. And man has it taken us a long time to get here. I’ve earned this smile.

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