Trials and Tiaras (Untouchable #7) - Heather Long Page 0,42
pair of feral cats to battle it out.
Though, I avoided that particular analogy with Frankie.
Grandpa arrived at six promptly, and I rose as the host arrived, escorting him.
“There’s my boy,” Grandpa greeted me with a wide grin and clasped my hand. He gave me a side hug, patting my back. “How are you doing, Sprout?”
“I’m better,” I admitted, and I was. I hadn’t given a damn what those results said. Neither of us had, but the relief that what we knew was true had been proven? That was profound. All it left behind was considerable anger at the two people who had been the architects of far too much pain. “I’m glad you’re back in town.”
“I would have been here sooner, but courting board members is a lot like herding cats, and half of them wanted to ‘talk’ on the golf course.” His laugh carried equal elements of humor and sarcasm. Grandpa liked golf, but he’d never favored bringing work to the course. Nana used to make him leave work at the office too. Better for everyone, she’d say.
And I had to believe she was right. Grandpa was a hell of a lot happier than Edward. The waiter interrupted to ask about drinks and to go over the specials. Grandpa asked if I wanted one, and while I did, I was also driving, so I just waved it off for now. He got a small bourbon and some water. Then once we were alone, he leaned back in his chair and fixed those eyes so like my own on me.
“Tell me what happened.” No preamble, no dancing around it. Another reason I loved Grandpa—he didn’t need to be lulled or coaxed into a conversation. He’d much rather get the worst of it out of the way before the food arrived.
He nursed his drink as I laid it all out. I didn’t mince words. Told him exactly what Frankie had told me about how Edward approached her and what he’d said. Then I added the details I’d gotten from Muriel and Edward in the aftermath. For a brief moment, I considered holding the DNA test in reserve. To test him. But I didn’t want to do that.
Not with Grandpa.
He’d never given me a reason to doubt him, and I refused to let this poison the well. I’d finished my Coke by the time I filled him in on the last bits and then downed half the water.
Sighing, he rubbed a hand over his mouth as I finished, and for the first time in a long time, he looked old to me. The silvery-white of the stubble on his face, the deeper wrinkles around his eyes, and the weariness on his face. “You have questions.”
“Some.”
“Well, let’s see if I can address these in order.” He only waited when our drinks were touched up and then our salads arrived. I was in no mood for mine, so I just ignored it and kept my focus on him. “First, were Junior and Maddy engaged? Yes. They knew each other at school, had grown up around each other. Were practically inseparable. But both her parents and your Nana and I felt that they were too young, and they were both required to finish college and establish themselves, at least a year, in whatever field they would choose to go into. That didn’t stop the engagement, but it was informal.”
Fuck.
“That said, they were both very temperamental. They broke up and got back together a dozen times between their junior year at Blue Ivy Prep and their third year at college. Honestly, it was so regular that Patience, Gene, and your Nana and I didn’t pay much attention to it anymore. It simply proved the point they weren’t ready to get married.”
“Until he had an affair with Muriel.”
“Yes,” Grandpa said, not shying away from it. “According to him, they did use protection, but it failed. Six weeks after their indiscretion, she came to him about you, and he was on the cusp of reuniting with Maddy once again. That’s when he came to me.” With another heavy sigh, Grandpa leaned forward as he nudged his plate out of the way. “To be perfectly clear here, Sprout, you were always wanted. By me, by your nana, by Junior and by Muriel. Despite their terrible behavior toward each other and you, you were wanted. But it became clear to me over the years that what they didn’t want was each other.”