Always You by Trish Edmisten

Author:Trish Edmisten [Edmisten, Trish]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-09-27T18:30:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

bailey

“Grandma, Grandpa, we’re here,” I called, letting myself into the house with Remy behind me.

Connie and Grant Nice weren’t my biological grandparents. They were Oliver’s parents, who’d taken one look at me and decided I was their grandson. In the ten years since we’d met, they’d gained a few more grandchildren, thanks to Ned and Heath, who’d adopted their first set of foster children.

So far, Ned was the only one of Connie’s sons who had children, despite her insistence she wanted more grandbabies to love. I didn’t know how the others felt, but X told me more than once that he didn’t want any children. I’d been trying to talk him and Oliver into fostering LQBTQ teens. I hadn’t had any luck yet, but I wasn’t giving up. Kids needed a safe place to land. Having landed with my brother when I lost my mom, I knew there wasn’t any place safer.

Any kids to call Connie and Grant grandparents would be as lucky as me. The minute we met, they hadn’t just welcomed me, they’d accepted me. By then, they probably didn’t even blink when they met another gay child. Oliver and his brothers had hit the jackpot, growing up in a family that prided itself on love and acceptance.

Connie smiled as she came down the stairs with a laundry basket balanced on her hip. Despite the passage of ten years, she was still pretty, even with more gray mixed in with her blond hair. The deepening of the wrinkles around her eyes and mouth spoke to how often she laughed and smiled. A few more pounds had been added to her frame, making her hugs that much better.

“Bailey, Remy, I’m glad you’re here. Give me a few minutes to start this load, and we can chat over sweet tea.”

I moved in her direction before she made it to the bottom step. “Let me help you with that, Grandma.”

Connie’s smile widened. “I won’t say no to that. As much as I love this house, we didn’t do ourselves any favors having the laundry room downstairs.”

“Where’s Grandpa? Don’t tell me he went bird watching without me.”

At fourteen years old, I’d balked when Grant invited me to go bird watching. I caved when he assured me I only had to try it once to be hooked. Turned out he was right but not because it was such a riveting activity. There wasn’t much actual bird watching involved. Instead, we spent most of our time eating junk food and talking.

Grant gave me an outlet for sharing memories of my mom. Something I felt guilty doing with my brother, considering she left him with his abusive dad and never looked back. It took me a long time to get over that, but it was easier for me to forgive her since I wasn’t the one left behind.

“No bird watching today,” Connie answered. “Today, he’s golfing with friends.”

“Sounds fun,” I said.

“I suppose it depends on who you ask,” Connie joked. “Now, let’s get this laundry started, and then we’ll sit and have a nice visit.

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