Page 94 of Make You Love Me

“How did you think Lottie being with Jacob was going to help you?” Greyson asks.

“She just wanted to ensure the cash never stopped flowing,” Smith answers.

“Is that all I am to you? A means of securing a lifelong donor? I wonder how Mr. Roberts would feel knowing it was you he was supporting and not the fund,” I spew at her as she just stands there unmoved by anything we’re saying. She really is a black-hearted bitch. Has only and will only ever care for herself.

The snarl on Ethel's face says what she won't say herself. She knows she's caught, and we have enough proof to put her behind bars if we really wanted to.

“How does it feel… knowing you’ve ruined any last shred of a relationship with your only living family member? Because I can guarantee there is no coming back from this. I am no longer a pawn in your sick and twisted games. I am done with you.”

“So, what now Charlotte?” Ethel asks without a shred of remorse in her tone. Nope, still the nasty old woman I’m used to.

This is something Greyson, Smith, and I spent quite a bit of time talking about. What did I want to do with Ethel once this was all over? I’ve thought it through and I think I came up with a plan.

“Now Ethel, you're going to find a realtor and list both the country club and this oversized trophy-of-a-house. With the ridiculous amount of money you will make with the sale of these two properties, you are going to pay back what you owe to the foundation and the bank. You are going to resign as head of the Richmond Research Fund and disaffiliate from anything pertaining to it. Then you're going to take whatever remains and move far away, somewhere that no one knows your name or who you are. Because I don’t ever want to see your face again. And if for some reason you don’t do as I'm telling you, I will not think twice about dropping this folder off at the police station. So please don’t test me,” I say with a steady, detached voice, one I wasn’t aware I possessed.

“You wouldn’t dare report me to the police. You don’t have it in you!”

“Try me, Ethel. You have a month to get it sorted.”

Linking my arm with Greyson’s I look up at him and say, “I'm ready to go now.” Greyson looks past me at his dad and then, with no further words exchanged, we walk out the door.

Leaving it all behind… all the hurt, the betrayal, and most importantly the devil of a woman who I once called family.

Chapter Thirty-Two

“Nobabe,it'sclutchthen shift,” Greyson yells from the passenger seat as I hear Ol’ Girl’s gears grind.

I slam on the brake and turn to him. “How am I ever supposed to learn if you keep yelling at me?”

“I'm not yelling at you, just wasn’t sure if you could hear my instructions over the destruction of OL’ GIRL’S GEAR BOX!”

“Keep that up and I'm just going to ask your dad to teach me instead,” I grumble.

A week of driving lessons with Greyson has been interesting, to say the least. Although he's an excellent teacher, he’s shit at keeping his cool. After mastering driving an automatic, Greyson thought I should practice on Ol’ Girl to learn a stick shift. It's not going great.

“You go right ahead Babygirl… you think I have no patience? Just wait.” He winks and squeezes my thigh. I stick my tongue out at him like a petulant child.

Leaning across the bench seat, Greyson pulls the brake and grabs the back of my head to pull me in for a kiss. A kiss I feel all the way to my toes.

It’s been a crazy month, but I think I'm finally coming to terms with everything that’s happened.

Being that Greyson was also a victim of Ethel's manipulation and schemes helped me move forward in our relationship. It took me a bit, but ultimately, he knew what he did was wrong and tried to make it right. I couldn’t imagine going through all that without him by my side. He is my rock, my anchor.

A few days after the blowout with Ethel, I moved into Nana Rex’s house. Smith is the one who originally suggested it, and I couldn’t have thought of a better place for me to finish out the school year. Greyson, being the possessive man he is, wanted to move in there along with me, but Nana refused. Saying we have the rest of our lives to live together. It's been such a positive experience to live with someone who genuinely cares about me, which is something I've been missing these past months.

Being part of a big family means even bigger holiday feasts. Thanksgiving was unlike anything I've ever experienced. Nana, of course, outdid herself, so much so that Gunnar had to make her a second table to fit all of us and the food. The love and laughter that filled the room from our rag-tag group was heartwarming.

We had a lot to be thankful for, well, me especially. James had called us early that day to let us know Ethel was officially out of her house two weeks earlier than expected. Not sure how she pulled it off, but James confirmed a check was written to the RRF and the bank in the full amount owed. I don’t care where she moved or what she did with all of her things. I'm just happy to put that chapter of my life behind me.

Today, I'm taking Greyson on a date. He doesn’t know it yet but we’re celebrating. Even though it's only the beginning of December, I just got my acceptance letter to Mountain Ridge University. Since I haven’t taken my driver’s test yet, Greyson still needs to drive us to the surprise I had Frankie help set up. There's a slight chill to the air today but I'm not going to let it ruin this.

We drive down the long tree-lined dirt road for quite some time. The confused look on his face only makes my smile grow larger.

“I’ve lived here my entire life and I don’t think I’ve ever been on this road. How’d you find it?” he asks just as the thick trees start to thin out and the end of the road approaches.

“It's so pretty here,” I say, ignoring his words.

Once we’re parked, he looks ahead spotting the balloons bunched together on top of a grassy hill. Greyson exits the truck first and then walks to my side. I can’t help the giddy squeal I make when he scoops me into his arms, spinning me around and then putting me back on the ground, kissing me deeply.

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