Grace Anne - By Kathi S. Barton Page 0,69

been so weak that she’d slipped away. She nearly screamed when she saw someone sitting in a kitchen chair across from her. She glanced around and didn’t see the man, but she didn’t know which one she had in front of her either.

“You always were an ungrateful child. Why we had to have you and the others is still a mystery to me. My Roscoe said that you were going to be the most difficult to handle. I suppose he was right.”

Her mother. Grace sat up a little and leaned back against the wall before she spoke. This conversation was too long in coming and if she was fucking going to die then she’d have her peace. “You have no right to call me ungrateful. You’re the one who fucked us all up. You were so stuck up your husband’s ass that you failed to see us for who we were. So, Mother dear, you can fuck the hell off.” When Guinevere stood up suddenly and slapped her across the face Grace laughed. “You think that is supposed to make me hurt? Not likely. I washed my hands of you over ten years ago. You’re nothing to me.”

“You bitch. You should…I should just let her kill you and say fuck the money. But we need it now more than ever. You’re going to make it so that we can leave the country and get a new start.” Guinevere sat back down in the chair as she continued. “She thought that I could talk some sense into you. Though why she’d think that, I have no idea. You never did do what you were told.”

“Say whatever it is you want then get the fuck out. And just so you know, I’ll do whatever it takes to see that you spend the rest of your miserable excuse for an existence in a mental institution.”

~~~

Joey watched her son. She knew he was hurting, but there was very little she could do about it. She was in pain as well, but it was more a guilty kind of pain than the kind he was going through. Thomas had never been a good son.

She’d tried so hard to like him. She didn’t feel guilty for not loving him. That would have been impossible. Thomas hadn’t made it easy on anyone after she and Lucas had been married. He resented her and he hated Michael. She’d seen it and was powerless to figure out how to make the stepbrothers get along.

Then when Michael had joined the service it had gotten a little better. With Michael gone and no longer there to remind him of whatever demons he had he actually could go for several days being pleasant. Of course, when he heard anyone mention her son’s name he would go into a rage that would scare even his sisters. Even the threat of putting him back in the hospital hadn’t worked. He would simply hide for several days, sometimes weeks, before he would show himself again and things would be better. She looked over at Alyssa when she sat beside her.

“When are you due?” she asked the pretty young woman. At her expression Joey thought maybe she’d been keeping her secret close. “I could see the way you looked at dinner. Like you weren’t sure if you wanted to toss your cookies over it or cry. I did that a lot with Michael.”

“I just found out yesterday. I haven’t told anyone yet. We had so much trouble conceiving the first time that I thought for sure I would this time as well.” She looked over at her husband. “Cain is going to be so happy. He loves having a big family.”

“It was just Michael and I for so long. He was about Trace’s age when I married Lucas. We dated for some time before I said yes.” She smiled at the memory. “Michael was so happy when I finally said yes. He loves Lucas so much.”

“I wouldn’t have known they weren’t blood if Trace hadn’t told me.” They both looked over at the little boy who was reading a story to all the children. “He’s a wonderful kid. If Grace and Michael weren’t already getting married, I might have kept him for myself. Connor just loves him.”

Joey watched Trace. She could see the sadness there too. He kept looking up at his father every time the phone rang and she knew he was feeling guilty for not watching Grace. She wanted him to talk to his