Grace's Redemption by Savvi V

Author:Savvi V [V, Savvi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, romance
Publisher: Savvi V
Published: 2021-04-01T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINE

Grace

It was odd, being alone in Mateo’s house. In his private space. It felt invasive somehow, even though I was there with his full knowledge and blessing to help him out. He’d told me to make myself at home, grab a water, grab a beer, make a sandwich, do whatever I wanted, but one glance at his table made me weak in the knees. I couldn’t believe I’d just done that. I averted my eyes and pulled a bottle of water from the fridge, taking it to the living room.

I sank onto an oversized chair and let my eyes roam the room. The furniture was older but very tasteful and comfortable. The built-in shelves were still mostly empty, as they’d only been there a week, but random items poured from open boxes here and there, and still sealed boxes marked with Sharpie lined one wall. The stack of photos called to me again.

Curiosity getting the better of me, I got up and repositioned myself on the floor in front of the stack, setting the top one aside. I wanted to save it for last, to look at again. The next one was framed in an ornate nickel design, and I smiled.

Olivia, probably last year some time, grinning from ear to ear on what was likely a new tricycle. Another was Mateo and Olivia smiling into the camera from a selfie, blue sky framing their faces. My heart squeezed, looking at them. She was so clearly his entire world, and I envied that kind of perfect, unconditional love.

Two other photos were older, with a young version of Mateo with what was probably his family. One of him and a bunch of guys . . . coworkers, college buddies, couldn’t tell. And then, I was back to the first one.

It was of Mateo and his wife, with Olivia as a baby in her arms. The brand-new family. I’d played down my reaction earlier, but I couldn’t deny the hit to my chest. Someone had snapped a precious moment of the two of them, foreheads together over their new daughter, eyes closed like they were sharing one thought. It was intimate and powerful, an heirloom for Olivia to treasure forever of the overwhelming love that made her. A love so palpable, I felt guilty just tainting the frame with my touch. I set it down quickly, and swallowed hard, gazing at the image.

How could I ever compete with that?

Shock at that thought shot through me so hard and fast, I nearly fell scrambling to my feet. Breathing raggedly, I backed up to the couch, knocking my water bottle over.

“Shit.”

I sprinted to the kitchen, grabbing a dishtowel off the counter as I side-eyed the table.

Compete with that.

What the living hell was I thinking, letting that even seep into my conscience. Love? Please. Getting wasted and picked up at a bar at a wedding and fucking like rabbits . . . that wasn’t the thing palpable love stories were made of.

That was what drunk mistakes were about.

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