Chapter 18
1720 Words
Grace pov
I’m at my father's office and waiting for Patrick and his father. But my mind travels to Steven, sure he has woken up, for sure he read the letter. What he will think now? He will be devastated and later he will hate me for sure. My eyes watering again but I hold them. I don’t want to be weak in front of my father. Father, he doesn’t deserve that title, a real father will choose his child's happiness, not his. Parents are not selfish with their kids. Piper and Jared are worthy to call their parents.
A knock at the door to interrupt my thoughts, I wiped my cheeks, but I didn’t manage to hold the tears. The door opens and I see Patrick. He looks different, more serious, and more mature.
“Good morning Patrick”
“Good morning sir. Grace” he says when he looks at me and I see it obvious that he doesn’t want to be here either.
“Hello Patrick,” I say with a small voice
“Grace, welcome back,” his father says and comes to hug me. I want to throw up. They don’t care only to make more money. That’s what matters to them.
“Thank you”
“Mr. MacLean, can I have a little time with Grace?”
“Of course Patrick. Your father and I have to discuss a few things anyway” he looks at me
“Grace I hope you have a good time with Patrick,” he says warning
“Don’t worry father. I remember what is at stake here” I say with a smile and I walk to the door. In the elevator, there is silence until Patrick says
“I know you don’t want to be here. Believe me, I don’t want either.” I look at him
“I want you to give me a little time to talk to you about something” I sigh
“Patrick I can’t go anywhere. I’m stuck here so you can talk as much as you want” he smiles
“You will not regret it. Trust me I have a plan to avoid the wedding”
“I’m fine with that”
“I don’t see you happy”
“Even if the wedding is canceled. I’m stuck in this town anyway. So married or not don’t expect to smile a lot”
“When you hear what I have to say, you will jump for joy” I didn’t answer that. He takes us to his car and the driver takes us to a coffee shop. We sit down and we order.
“First of all I have to thank you,” he says and I frown
“Why?”
“The last time I saw you you remember what happened?”
“Yeah. I said to my parents that I was moving to...” my voice cut and I looked outside the window. When I remember the town, the people, Steven. My Steven is there.
“Are you ok?”
“Yeah. Continue I remember that day” I say
“This day was something like awakening to me. I start to see things differently. You remember I was playboy, the bad guy”
“I remember,” I say and he laughs
“From that day I start to put foot on my father’s decisions and make my own”
“Good for you”
“But now I’m in the same position as you are”
“What do you mean?”
“I fell in love Grace.” He says and I blink
“Yes. Me, do you believe it?”
“Tell me”
“A few months after you left, I met a beautiful girl in this coffee shop. She works here”
“And you bring me here?”
“She knows everything. Even if she doesn’t like it”
“Nobody likes to see the person you love with someone else,” I say and I look around
“So about my plan. I know things and I gather enough proofs about our father's business. If I manage to have enough I can get us out from this situation. You can go back to your man and I can be with Nicole.”
“Are you sure?”
“Grace I want as much as you do not happen this marriage. I love Nicole and I want to spend my life with her. And you want...”
“Steven”
“Steven. Help me collect more proofs and we will have the upper hand on this” Suddenly I hear something break and I turn my head. I see I blond girl pick up the broken glasses
“It’s Nicole,” Patrick says and I look at her. She is beautiful, she looks up to us and I see is ready to cry. She runs to a room. Shit
“What she knows?” I ask Patrick
“Everything. But she cut any communication with me. But I can’t stay away you know” I smile
“You sure about the plan?”
“If you help me with this we both have what we want,” he says and I stand up
“Where are you going?”
“I will be right back,” I say and I walk to the room that Nicole went to. A girl tries to stop me but I go faster and I open the door. Is it a storage room and Nicole is in there crying?
“Hi,” I say softly. She wipes her tears
“What do you what?” She asks
“Patrick talk to me about you” She looks suprised
“Why?” She asks and I sigh
“Either I or Patrick want this marriage.”
“You don’t?”
“No. Patrick is becoming a good guy thanks to you I guess. But my heart belongs to another man” I say smiling and thinking Steven
“Listen what I want to say is you don’t have to worry about me and Patrick. He is in love with you and I’m really happy about that” She wipes her tears and looks at me
“I knew I shouldn’t let myself fall in love.”
“You never know who you will love. Trust me I know” I say
“I don't belong in his world. You do” Nicole says
“You shouldn’t see it like that. You and Patrick are in love. You have to be together. Trust me give him a chance to explain to you. And I hope when all this is over my man will give me a chance to explain to him too. You have him outside right now don’t miss this opportunity” I say and I’m ready to cry too thinking of my Steven. The door opens and the girl who tries to stop me is there looking at me angry
“Nicole, are you ok?”
“Yes, I’m fine Anny. I will be right back” Nicole answered. She closes the door and I look at her
“I’m sorry about her. She is my best friend and she is overprotective”
“Is ok. I have a friend like that too” I say with a smile. And I remember that I had to call Kayla. The last days I was so focused on saying goodbye to the Campbells that I didn’t call her.
I walk back to the table after talking with Nicole
“She will meet you after her shift. You know where” I say to Patrick
“Thank you. I hope she listens to me now” he says and we drink our coffee. Then he left me at my parent's house after he explained to me what he wanted me to do. I took a shower and then I called Kayla.
“Hey, baby. Where are you?” She asks worriedly
“What’s wrong?”
“Steven called a minute ago. He said that you disappeared” I sigh
“That’s why I called you. Everything is wrong.”
“What’s wrong baby?” she asks
“My father wrong”
“What he did?” I tell her everything that happened since the moment he came to the hospital, the way he threatened me about Steven and his family, and how I left like thieve because I couldn’t say goodbye. And about Patrick's plans
“Honey I’m so sorry. What kinda father does that ?”
“Mine,” I say crying
“Honey everything is good to be ok. You trust Patrick that he is going to help?”
“Yeah. He looks at Nicole with so much love. He can't lie about that”
“Then don’t worry. You will be over soon and you will go back to Steven”
“What if he doesn’t wait? He will hate me”
“Grace, Steven has not hated you. I heard him, he is worried and he can understand why you left. He knows that is a reason for that and he feels hopeless that he can't help you”
“He said that?”
“Yes. He believes that if you tell him what going on he will help you”
“He can’t. He will be telling me to stay and find a solution together. But he will not say the same when my father starts to hurt his family” I wipe my tears and Kayla sighs
“At least tell him the truth. He has to know. You own him an explanation”
“That’s true. He always was there for me. At least I own him that”
“Exactly. He will understand and he will wait for you”
After I talked with Kayla I was ready to call Steven but they called me for lunch. The Johnsons are here again. And they plan to spend the rest of the day together. After a while Patrick came too, he looked happier, I guess he talked to Nicole and he told me the same as Kayla. That I should talk to Steven. With the first opportunity, I will do it.
- Writer
