Chapter 23
She’s fucking furious.” Grayson sounded happier than I’d ever heard him. Even though I couldn’t see him, I could tell he was smiling. “She’s called her bank so many times, they’re no longer taking her phonecalls.”
“So, is that where she’s at now then?” I asked. I leaned back, propping my feet up on the end of the couch as I held the phone up to my ear. Texas was on his laptop across the room. I could see the side of his arm from where he sat at the kitchentable.
“Yeah.” Grayson sighed. “She justleft.”
Frowning, I switched the phone to my other ear so I could rest the side of my face against the couch cushion. “What’s wrong?” Iasked.
Grayson was silent for a moment more and then with a huff, he answered. “I just don’t like being back in this house,” headmitted.
“Does she suspectsomething?”
“I don’t think so. She asked about my clothes and stuff, I told her I just didn’t care about them anymore. They were just things. Pretty sure she bought it, but that’s not what I’m talkingabout.”
I swung my legs off the couch and peeked over at Texas who had yet to look up from his computer before I got up and headed for the hallway. “What’s it about?” I asked as I went to my room and closed the door behind me, leaning back againstit.
"I don't like being away from you," he finally admitted. "I hate being here because I don't like who I am when I'm aroundher."
"You're always you," I assured him. "You're just pretending rightnow."
"No, it's just..." He trailed off for a moment and I could tell that it was difficult for him to talk about. I kept my mouth shut, waiting, trying to be patient for him. I wanted to help make this as easy as possible. I just didn't know how. "You know how when you get around people that aren't good—like they're just bad people?" heasked.
I thought about Grayson's brother and Erika. "Yeah."
"Well, it's like that. I feel myself changing around her. I snap, I get angry a loteasier."
I rested the back of my head against the door. "You're not changing, Grayson," I said. "I won't letyou."
"I don't want to be who I was before," he whispered harshly. "The me I was when you first met me was mean and callous andselfish."
I closed my eyes, my thoughts drifting back to our first few encounters. In the hallway at school. When he picked me up from my house. He was right. He had changed quite a lot in a short amount of time. I reopened myeyes.
"Grayson." My voice was barely above a whisper. "Do you remember when we firstmet?"
"Yeah? Of course Ido."
"You were such an asshole," Isaid.
"I know," he said. "I don't wantto—"
"But," I interrupted him, "I kinda knew that under the surface there was more. If there wasn't, I wouldn't have fallen in love with you. If there wasn't, you wouldn't have mended things with Marv, now wouldyou?"
"Iguess."
I smiled at the sulky tone in his voice. "You're more than your mother, Grayson. You're your own person. And if you turn into an asshole again, I'll just have the guys kick your ass. If they can't do it, you know I will. You're not going to fall backwards, Grayson. We're here to catch you.I'mhere to catchyou."
A deep silence echoed through the phone. It was impossible to tell if he was angry or touched or what. But after a moment, he spoke. "Thanks, Babydoll. I loveyou."
"I love you too, asshole. Now go ruin your mom'sday."
He chuckled. "Alright. Alright. I’m going. But when I getback…”
“I’ll be waiting,” I assuredhim.
* * *
"She's losing her shit."