Restoration (26 page)

Chapter 30

Grace was happy. She and Drew were back together, her project was in full swing, and she was feeling more like herself than she had in weeks. In the few days they’d been reconciled, Drew had already integrated himself into her daily life. Any free time was spent with each other and she smiled at the thought of seeing him for lunch today. As she rounded the corner, headed to her cottage, she grinned to herself.
I can’t believe I’m here.

Her runs were getting slower as the days passed, giving her more time to ponder and worry over the future. She’d been so prepared for rejection, that she wasn’t ready for acceptance. She was ready for Drew to have moved on, chosen to keep her at arms’ length, or to be hateful and angry. He’d surprised her, as he always did.

John wouldn’t have been so accepting. He would have run the other way if she’d been pregnant, until he thought about it and realized that a baby wasn’t a bad thing. John was the type of person who cringed at the domestic life, always the thrill-seeker and adventure-lover. Settling down, having kids, and keeping house was his definition of killing an adventurous life.

“What are we doing today?” she asked Drew from behind his seat at the kitchen table. She poured herself a cup of herbal tea and sat next to him.

He raised his eyebrows and chewed on his lip in thought. “Well, I’ve got a football match today. Would you like to come?”

“Yes!” The thought of watching him play football, no matter how terrible he said he was, made her eager and more than a little turned on.

“Really?” His eyebrows rose and his face split into a wide grin. “I didn’t think you’d be likely to waste your time watching a bunch of nutters run around chasing a ball.”

“What can I say? I have a thing for soccer players.”

“I thought you fancied Scots.” He dipped his head for a kiss.

“Scottish soccer players. Even better.”

The field was still wet with dew as they walked hand-in-hand to where Drew’s team was gathered. He dropped a light kiss on her forehead and jogged off to take his place. While she watched him move and stretch before the match started, she felt peaceful. She marveled at the fact that her life had changed more than she’d ever imagined it could in a little less than a year. She’d lost her love—the person she thought she would grow old with—moved across the world, then found love again. She’d found the person she was truly meant to be with.

Tears burned her throat as she was overcome with the realization that John had been the path leading her to Drew. Without loving and losing John, she never would have found Drew.

The match was a humiliating loss for Drew’s team. He played goalie and was definitely not lying when he said he was terrible. They all were. She didn’t care one bit. Watching him, engaged in the game, laughing and happy, made her smile and forget about everything else going on in her life. In that moment, there was no looming deadline, no devastating losses, no waiting emails from Bidwell. There was just Drew.

He smiled up at her from his bench as he removed his cleats. While she waited for him to finish saying his goodbyes and gathering his stuff, a shadow fell over her.

“Well, well. You must be Grace.” A woman’s husky, seductive voice came from behind.

Grace turned to find an angelic beauty. She shook her head and raised her eyebrows in question. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

“I’m sure Drews has told you.”

Drews? Who was this woman?

“Sarah Tensley. Drew’s wife, of course.” She reached her hand out in greeting with a wicked smile on her face.

“I think you mean
ex-wife
.” Grace crossed her arms over her chest to conceal the trembling of her hands.

“Drew hasn’t ever truly given me up. He may push me away, but he always comes crawling back. This time might have taken him a bit longer to come round, but he did. I have you to thank for that one.”

“What do you mean?” A sick feeling took hold at Sarah’s words.

“After you broke his heart, we had quite the wild time of it in Surrey.” Her face was smug and prideful.

Grace snuck a glance at Drew, who was walking toward them, his face burning with anger.

“Hello, lover,” Sarah purred as he approached.

“I told you, Sarah, I’m not your lover,” he snarled, his eyes not meeting Grace’s.

Sarah handed him an envelope and turned on her heel, calling out a taunting, “Ta-ra!” over her shoulder.

Grace turned her eyes on Drew and searched his face for enlightenment. She watched as he turned the envelope over and over in his hands.

“What is that?” she asked, not wanting to know the answer.

“I’ve no idea.”

Drew’s heart hammered in his ears as he looked over the envelope.

“What is it?” Grace asked him for the second time.

His stomach twisted and churned as he sat on the bench and shook his head, worrying about the potential bomb Sarah had just dropped.

“Grace. There’s something . . . I don’t-”

“You spent the night with her while we were apart.” It was a statement. Clear, clean, and painful.

He looked down at his shoes, trying to focus on the scuffs marring the white ends of his old trainers. “I did. But it’s not what you think.”

She sucked in a sharp breath and sat on the bench next to him. “Okay.”

He raised his eyes to hers, searching their depths for her true feelings. “Okay? I know you’re thinking the worst of me, but all you have to say is,
okay
?”

“I don’t like it. I hate it, actually. I hate her.” She let out a breath, as if trying to release her frustration. “I’m the one that broke things off. Whatever happened is my fault. Just promise me she’s out of your life now. As long as you’re with me, she’s not anywhere near us.”

“I promise, Grace. She’s gone. I let her get to me, but I shut her down. You’d just sent me home and I was a right mess. I drank too much, Sarah started circling, and I woke up with her naked in the bed.” Her expression darkened at his last words. “Nothing happened. I couldn’t go through with it. She wasn’t you.”

He stared down at his hands. “But I know she’s up to something.”

Grace trained her gaze on the still unopened envelope. “So? What’s in there?”

He tore open the seal and pulled out a sheet of paper. His eyes widened at the familiar legal jargon and he cursed under his breath.

“She’s suing me for sexual harassment.” He didn’t know whether to be angry or laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation.

“What? How can she do that?”

“She says I was giving her legal counsel and took advantage of her.”

He watched Grace’s reaction with caution. “Can she do that?”

He shook his head. “She hasn’t got a leg to stand on. This will never see a courtroom and she knows it. She’s hoping I’ll give her money to settle.”

“Why would you settle?” she asked. “You don’t have that much money to give.”

“Well . . . actually, I do. I’ve had a trust since childhood. Ten’s has been successful and my dad made a lot of smart investments over the years. Sarah didn’t get anything in the divorce. You know, adultery and what not.”

Her eyes went wide. “You’re not going to settle, are you?”

He ran his hands over his face and sighed. “Nah. She’ll never get anywhere with it. I know her too well. She’s desperate for money, never wanted to earn her own. I should’ve been more wary when she started phoning me all the time after her latest breakup.”

“So, what are we going to do?”

He grinned as he put the envelope in his duffel bag. “You, dear girl, aren’t going to do a thing. I’ll take care of Sarah.”

He gingerly placed an arm around her waist, worried she’d be hesitant to let him touch her in light of Sarah’s visit.

“Are we good, love?”

She snuggled into his side and wrapped her own arm around him.

“Yes,
love
. We’re good.”

Grace rolled her shoulders to rid herself of the knot forming on
her right side, a constant reminder of the extra weight she now carried. Her running form was suffering and causing more muscle issues than she was used to. The thought of Drew with Sarah weighed heavy on her mind. She knew the truth of the situation. And despite what did or didn’t transpire in Surrey, they’d been separated at the time. It still made her burn to even think of him with anyone else. His eyes continually searched hers, obviously wondering if she believed his side of the story. And she did.

When she reached her porch, she stopped and leaned into a deep calf stretch, feeling the muscle pull and burn. Her belly had been bothering her with a faint ache all morning, but now a sharp twinge accompanied it. She frowned at the feeling of wetness and stood, alarm bells ringing in her head. Her hands shook as she unlocked the door to the house and ran for the bathroom.

Bright red blood swirled in the toilet bowl and stained her panties.

“Oh . . . Oh, no. No-no-no.”

Panic took hold in her chest and she reached for her phone, tears beginning to stream down her face.

“Grace?” Valerie popped her head into the bathroom. “What’s wrong?”

Grace lifted a tear-stained face to meet Valerie’s questioning eyes.

“The baby.”

Valerie took in the scene and jumped into action. “Get up, let’s go. I’ll call Drew when we get to the hospital.”

The hospital room was stark, brightly lit, and smelled of antiseptic. Grace sat on the uncomfortable bed, her belly cramping and her heart breaking. She knew she was having a miscarriage. After all the excitement about the baby, after finally fixing things with Drew, after losing John, this wasn’t fair.

Drew was coming. Valerie had tried to call him three times on the way to the hospital and ended up having to leave a cryptic message on his voicemail. He’d been in London tying up loose ends, and was now driving to meet her at the hospital.

She heard him before she saw him, running down the hallway and yelling her name. He skidded past the room and turned, almost falling before he made it to her.

“Oh Grace, I’m so sorry it took me so long to come to you. What’s happened? Valerie only said you were ill and in the hospital.”

She wanted to cry, his face was so open, expectant. “Drew. I . . . I’m losing the baby.” She worked hard to keep her composure. Her chest burned and her throat tightened as she tried to keep the sob at bay.

The light left his eyes as comprehension took hold; the clenching of his stubbled jaw a dead giveaway. He frowned, his eyebrows knitting together and his lips forming a tight line.

“No.” It was just a whisper. He took her hand, so gentle it was as if he thought she’d break, and brought it to his lips.

“I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I did.” She was crying again and hated herself for it.

He took her head in his hands and pressed a fierce kiss to her lips to stop her speaking. “Don’t you dare apologize for this. It isn’t your fault. Where’s the bloody doctor gone?”

“He’ll be back soon. They want to do an ultrasound.” Her voice sounded hollow as she recited the doctor’s words.

Drew clenched his jaw and pulled on his ear in frustration. “How long are we meant to be waiting here?”

The doctor chose that moment to come in. He was a pretentious man, tall and balding, with sharp features and an unfriendly expression on his face. He consulted her chart and raised his eyes to meet Drew’s.

“Are you the father, then?”

Drew nodded.

“Right, then, have a seat.” He motioned Drew to the chair by her bed.

“Ms. McConnell, as you are aware, you were admitted with a threatened miscarriage. We completed a pelvic examination and concluded that there was indeed dilation of the cervical tissue, which is indicative of miscarriage. I’m sorry for your loss.”

She was silent.

“Thank you,” Drew said to the doctor. “When can we leave?”

“I’d like to keep an eye on her for a couple of hours. If everything goes well, I’ll sign her discharge papers by early afternoon.”

Drew nodded and the doctor left them alone. His hands were clenched at his sides, shoulders rigid, and face grim.

“I’m so sorry, love.”

“I’ll be fine.”

Chapter 31

The baby was lost. Drew didn’t know what to do that could possibly help Grace. He couldn’t come close to understanding how she felt. How could he? Their child was dead and she still had to feel the physical pain of losing it. Anger bubbled inside him as he remembered losing his mum. It wasn’t fair. How could it be fair for them to find each other, go through so much together, then lose their baby?

He sat in the waiting room as the doctor completed his final examination. His hands pulled at the roots of his hair and he thought back to the day his mum had been placed in Hospice care. He’d been shattered. The thought of losing her so soon made his knees weak and his chest tight. Grace had come to him with no questions.

She’d shown up with beer and tacos, ready to do whatever he needed.

“Tacos?” he’d asked, his mouth quirking up in the first smile he’d felt all day.

“Tacos. They’re a way of life. Any time there’s a problem at my house, we have tacos.”

“You daft woman,” he’d said, shaking his head in amusement, but taking the bag off her hands.

He’d taken the food to the kitchen and brought out two plates while she’d shucked off her coat and boots. Her hair was loose, the way he liked it, wild and floating around her face. He’d lowered his eyes to avoid the guilt he felt for lusting after her while his mum lay dying. She’d padded into the kitchen with the beer and set about getting glasses and filling each one.

“You don’t even drink beer, Grace.”

“I’m not going to let you drink alone. What kind of girlfriend would I be?”

She’d gone silent then and his heart beat faster at the word. They’d never labeled their relationship, but he’d known what he wanted—no,
needed
—from her. He’d taken the beer and drank down a long swallow. It was lukewarm and tasted like bitter water laced with piss. He’d grimaced and she’d laughed.

“I don’t know, but I’ll tell you what. You’re the only girlfriend I could ever want. Even if you’ve crap taste in beer.”

She’d smiled at him, bright and happy, but still tinged with sorrow. “I’m so sorry about your mom.”

He’d pulled her to him, needing to hold her tight to keep himself together. “Thank you for coming.”

“Of course. I’ll always be here when you need me.”

He shook his head. “No, thank you for coming here, to Braley. Thank you for crashing into my life.”

He sat up, smiling at the memory. She’d been so strong for him through his mum’s illness. She’d forced him to deal with the loss, pushed him to move past it and grow into the person his mum wanted him to be. Now it was his turn to support her, to be rock she needed.

Just as he was getting up to ask the charge nurse for an update, he heard the squeak of shoes on the floor coming toward him.

“Mr. Tensley? Grace is all set. She’s asking for you.”

He snapped to attention and started firing off questions at the young nurse. “When can we leave? Is she in pain? What can I do for her?”

She held up a hand to calm him.

“She’s getting dressed now. She’s been prescribed Paracetamol to manage the pain.”

He let out a breath and walked the rest of the distance in silence. He knocked on the door and moved cautiously into the room. Grace smiled at him, a slight, watery smile.

“All set?” he asked.

She nodded and wiped away the tears that were pooling in her eyes.

“Right, let’s go home and get some tacos.”

Grace wasn’t fine and Drew knew it. His
heart hurt for the baby they would never get to know, but he couldn’t comprehend how she must be feeling. In the weeks since the miscarriage, she’d been engrossed in work, hesitant to let him touch her, and distant. He knew it was part of the grieving process, thanks to his Google research on miscarriage. All he could do was be there for her and refuse to give up. He remembered when his mum had died and how raw everything felt for weeks, until one day the pain was different, less sharp. Grace hadn’t given up on him then and he wasn’t going to give up on her now.

Hello, love. Fancy a tea break?

Sure.

Her replies were becoming terser as his messages increased in frequency, but he couldn’t leave her alone. Not when he’d just gotten her back. The weather was warm and sunny, the birds chirped happily in the trees, and the slight breeze kept the air fresh and clean. He packed his rucksack full of biscuits, jam, honey, and hot tea in a thermos.

When he arrived at her house, he was surprised to feel butterflies in his stomach and his heart pounding in his chest. She was so breathtaking as the door swung open. Her hair, swept halfway up, away from her face, and trailing down her back brought her eyes into sharper focus.
As if that’s even fair.
Her lips were plump and pink and he struggled to control his desperate need to press himself against her, to feel her hands tugging on his hair, and her breath ghosting along the skin of his neck.

“Hi. Come on in.” She looked down at her bare feet, her toes painted bright red.

“Nope, come along. We’re going for a picnic.”

She started to protest, and he chuckled as he watched her think better of it, slipping her feet into a pair of shoes.

He directed her to a beautiful spot on a hillside behind the church. It overlooked the whole town and he hoped giving her some perspective would help bring her around. As he set the blanket out on the soft grass, he watched her absorb the scene in front of her. She was standing with her arms crossed over her middle, her typical posture since the miscarriage. His chest tightened and he walked up to her.

“I love you, Grace,” he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

He felt her stiffen, but didn’t let go. Instead, he buried his face in the curve of her neck. She raised her arm and ran her fingers through his hair, sending tingles down his spine. He turned her to face him and searched her eyes for anything other than grief.

“I love you, too.”

The words gave him the courage to deepen their connection and he lowered his face. His lips touched hers, testing her mood. Before he was able to judge her reaction, she pressed against him and moaned into his mouth.

“God, Drew, just kiss me. I’m not made of glass.”

He didn’t need her to tell him twice and cupped the back of her head in one hand, while pulling her against him with the other. The kiss was deep and passionate; something they’d been missing since they’d lost the baby. When they pulled away from each other, they were both breathing heavily; her eyes were bright, face flushed.

“I’ve missed that.” He felt a smile pull at the corners of his mouth.

“Me, too. What took you so long?” Grace quirked her mouth, teasing him.

“Are you having me on? I’ve been waiting on you to come round.”

“Drew, I’m fine. It’s hard to think of it, but it’s been three weeks now. I’ve come to terms. I still love you. I still want you. You can’t keep pulling away anytime something goes wrong.”

He was flabbergasted. “Me, pull away? Me? Grace, you’re the queen of pulling away!”

“Once, Drew. That was once.”

“Please don’t make me list the number of occasions you’ve left me arse-over-tea-kettle.”

“What do you mean?” She looked well and truly offended at this point and he knew he should stop. Unfortunately, the words just kept coming.

“Well, for starters there was our first kiss, then the first time we slept together, then Edinburgh, and of course let us not forget the worst time in my life, eh? I’m sure you remember it. I ask you to bloody marry me and you said you needed to think. Then I find out it wasn’t because you weren’t sure of me, it was because you’d been deeply in love with my identical twin brother who died! God, it sounds ridiculous even now. You ripped out my heart and crushed it under your pretty little foot. Oh no, you never run from problems!”

He was breathing hard and he could feel his pulse pounding through his veins. He was finally angry. His emotions had bubbled over and were uncontrollable. Everything he’d felt over the last year was finally out in the open.

She stood there, mouth agape. “Drew.” She whispered his name as she reached up to brush some of his fringe out of his eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

They sat together and ate their biscuits with the tea that was now barely lukewarm. A weight finally lifted off his chest after his admission. He looked at her as she snuggled into his side and munched on her favorite chocolate biscuits, and felt like he was finally home.