An uncomfortable chill crawled up my spine. You’re trespassing. Like this Grayson belonged to Grace, and I had no right to kiss him or hold his hand.
Would he always be haunted by her ghost like this? Would he ever be able to celebrate a birthday with happiness? Or would it always be a date he avoided, tucked away? Did I even have the right to question it?
“We should probably head down,” he said, his eyes still locked on her picture.
“We can do whatever you want,” I offered. If he wanted to leave, I’d steal the keys from Jagger and strand the rest of them here.
“No, they went to a lot of trouble for this. I can’t hurt Mom’s feelings.”
He stood, stiff and guarded. He’d blocked me out, thrown up the walls he was so well-known for, and it hurt. But this wasn’t about me.
“Okay,” I answered, then followed him downstairs.
He never let go of my hand, even when we descended the porch steps to where the party was in full swing. “Do you know all these people?” I asked before we hit the crowd.
“Yes. Some family, mostly friends of family, or friends from high school. Everyone is home for the holiday weekend.” Tension rolled off him, reminding me of the waves that struck the beach.
“Gray!” Mia called out from the bar area, and Grayson led us over. He acknowledged everyone we passed with a nod, but his fake smile looked more like a closed-lip grimace.
We found Mia next to three other women, who by their similar looks must have been Grayson’s sisters. “I’m so sorry!” Mia said as she hugged him. He looped an arm around her waist briefly.
“It’s okay,” he replied. But it’s not.
“I had no clue what they were planning until this afternoon, I swear.”
“Let it go, Mia.” He gently pulled me forward, then looked left to right as he introduced us. “Sam, you know Mia. This is Joey, Connie, and Parker, my other three sisters.”
I flashed a nervous smile. Joey was older by a few years with a tomboy look and a quick grin. Connie was the oldest and resembled Grayson’s mother the closest. She smiled back at me with the same warmth, and then smacked Parker in the arm lightly. That didn’t stop Grayson’s younger sister from glaring daggers into me.
I guess we’re not going to be friends.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Connie said, stepping forward and embracing me.
“Mia won’t shut up about you,” Parker snapped.
“Or Grayson,” Joey shot a sideways look at Parker.
He tensed.
“I’m so happy to meet you all,” I said, proud that my voice didn’t shake. “It’s really beautiful here.” A greeting and a compliment. Mom would be proud.
“Yeah, well, it’s nicer when the dingbatters leave,” Parker said with a pointed look my direction.
“Parker,” Grayson warned in a soft growl. “She means tourists, and she won’t say it again.”
My cheeks heated, and I bit down on my tongue. Parker wasn’t some girl to annihilate with a sharp retort, no matter how much I wanted to. She was Grayson’s sister.
“Don’t be a bitch,” Joey snapped, and I internally fist-pumped.
“Whatever.” Parker turned a sugar-sweet smile on her brother. “I’m going tomorrow morning to visit with Grace, want to come with? Or are you staying there tonight?”
Ouch. That wasn’t supposed to hurt, right?
He sucked in his breath, and my teeth nearly drew blood on my tongue. That’s what she was after—my blood. But she couldn’t have his.
I reached over and stroked his arm under the cuff of his rolled-up shirt and squeezed the hand that held mine. “I certainly don’t mind.”
His eyes snapped to mine, and he held my gaze while we communicated wordlessly. I kept mine open and honest as much as possible and gave him a soft smile, hoping he couldn’t hear the way my heart was ripping at the thought of sharing him with someone else. Don’t be selfish. This had to be torture for him, splitting himself between Grace and me—between Fort Rucker Grayson, whom I was falling for, and Outer Banks Gray, who belonged to someone else entirely. “It’s okay,” I whispered. “Just pretend I’m not here.”