Page 16 of Saved By The Grump

Softening, she looked up and said, “No, it is okay. It’s not a secret. I just haven’t had many people to tell. My story is quite simple really. As I am sure you have already figured out, I got pregnant as a teenager. Luca’s father, my ex-boyfriend, disappeared and I didn’t know what to do. My parents were very strict and I was a frightened kid, so I ran away from home.”

Once again impressed by her bravery I couldn’t help but gush over this fact. “All the way to Montana? That’s a long journey. Most grown adults would be too scared to move to a new country all alone, but you – you did it when you were still a child yourself. You should be proud of yourself, Katya.”

Not only was she beautiful, but she was also strong and brave.I found myself thinking.

“Thank you,” she said, her cheeks growing flushed. “But I just did what I had to do for my baby. That’s all.”

I didn’t want to prolong her embarrassment so I altered my questioning.

“So, how did you end up with Aleks?”

“I met Aleks a year or so after I arrived. At first, he seemed like the answer to my prayers. He was loving and attentive and promised to take care of Luca and me, but that quickly changed. By the time I realized he wasn’t the man I thought he was, it was too late. I had already moved in with him. So now I’m stuck. I’m trapped, living with an alcoholic loser who loves nothing more than to tell me how worthless I am,” she confessed.

I barely knew this girl, but hearing her situation made my blood boil.How could anyone treat this beautiful soul that way?Another thought popped into my head.If Katya was mine, I would treat her like a queen.Where in the hell did that come from? From the wine? I pushed that thought away and refocused on her.

Not knowing what to say, I told her the only thing that came to mind. “I am sorry, Katya. You do not deserve that. No woman does.”

I could tell she wanted to take the focus off of her and since I had been asking questions about her life, it only made sense for her to start asking about mine. The rational side of me knew this, but the hurt and guarded part didn’t agree.

“My turn,” she said, taking another sip of wine. “Why are you and Kenlee living here in the ski lodge? Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice and cozy, but…” She trailed off, probably for fear of offending me by telling me what she really thought of my living situation.

I wanted to answer her. I wanted to tell her some of my story, but I couldn’t. The words wouldn’t come out. I knew it sounded stupid but saying it out loud made it real. I knew Sarah was never coming back but somehow not talking about it helped me get through the day. I realized I was a “Dr. Phil” episode waiting to happen, but that didn’t help me answer her question. So instead, I did what I was best at, and I shut down. I stood up and quickly brushed her off by saying, “You know what, it is getting late, and I really need to go to bed. Sleep when the baby sleeps, right?”

Frowning up at me, Katya put her wine glass aside and got up as well. “Okay,” she said, going to grab her coat and purse. Before leaving she turned to me with a look of gratitude. “Thank you again for helping me tonight. I hope you have a peaceful rest of your evening.”

“You too.” I shut the door behind her and once again collapsed on the couch. Running my hands through my hair, I realized that I had screwed up.

Again.

Chapter Ten

Katya

Iwasmoreconfusedthan ever when I left Zane’s. Either something really big happened in his life, or he didn’t trust me enough to tell me. I could be angry about it since he had no problem asking me personal questions but I decided it wasn’t worth it. I needed to relieve Addie and pick up Luca and besides, he did help me set up the online account. Knowing that Aleks will not know about and cannot touch the 5k bonus gave me a sense of peace that I have not had in years. That alone is enough. For that, I was eternally grateful to Zane Grey.

I arrived at Addie’s and found Luca sleeping peacefully on her couch. I bent down and kissed him and then stood back up to talk to Addie. “Thank you, Addie. Was he any trouble?” I asked.

“Please, he’s always perfect and you know it,” she told me. She then motioned with her head towards the kitchen and asked if I’d like a cup of coffee. I could tell she was stalling, and as much as I wanted to take her up on her offer, I had to get Luca home to his own bed.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” I said. “It’s late.”

She clicked her tongue. “Are you sure?”

I gave her a look, and she sighed. “Alright, fine, you caught me,” she said. “I’m trying to get you to stay over so that the two of you don’t have to go home to that cold apartment.”

“No,” I said. “You’re trying to get us to stay over so that we don’t have to go home to Aleks.”

“Well, can you blame me?”

“Addie, we have already been through this and I am too tired to have the same conversation again. You know I can’t leave him so can we please just drop it?” I pleaded hoping she would take pity on me.

“Fine, but you know you can do better,” she said in defeat before heading to the kitchen. She came back out with enough Tupperware containers of food to feed a small army.

“Addie, what in the world is all of this? You shouldn’t have,” I scolded her.

“You stop all of that. I did it because I wanted to and so did Luca. Turns out he is quite the helper in the kitchen. There should be about a week’s worth of dinner there, but you can always freeze what you don’t want to eat yet,” she said with love I haven’t felt in a long time.

I wiped away a stray tear that had started to fall and kissed her on the cheek. “Thank you, Addie, for everything. And I don’t want to talk about it, but you are right. One day maybe there will be a way out, but right now this is my life and I have to make the best of it.”

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