Page 22 of Graciously His

Sure enough, she steps back inside, abandoning her purse on the tiles. She won’t look at me but that’s fine. I lock the door, securing the house for the night, then I hold out my hand. When she doesn’t accept it, I take her elbow and guide her towards the second archway, the one that leads to the more intimate part of the house.

“What about Nick’s funeral?” She tries to suppress the catch in her voice. “Are you going to take that away from me, too?”

“Of course not,” I say, allowing impatience to colour my voice for the first time.

I lead her past my home office, the adjacent gym, and two unfurnished bedrooms. After the fast-moving demands of the day, I want to curl myself around my wife. But first, I have to do what Nick and her mother never have: I have to explain everything to Grace so she’ll make the choices that will work in her favour.

When I speak again, my voice is placid, betraying none of the cracks in my composure. “Arrangements are made for Nick to be cremated after the coroner releases his body to the funeral home. His ashes will be delivered here directly, then we’ll lay him to rest together.”

“What if he wanted a burial?” she asks. “What if I wanted to make different arrangements?”

I try to steer her into the master suite at the end of the curved corridor. She balks, planting her feet and glaring up at me.

Stubborn thing.

“I’ve got documents saying Nick wanted cremation. Do you know something I don’t, Grace? If so, enlighten me.”

She shakes her head, her face lined with sorrow. “I don’t want this to be the end of it. My mother in jail. Nick dead. And me—here.”

I lean in, wanting to embrace her again. She’s vulnerable and sweet in her stubbornness, and when I kiss her cheek I can taste the salt of her grief. Something similar flows through me, though it’s muted. She shivers, not pushing me away this time. Maybe she finally understands that I won’t be moved.

“We can leave anytime you want,” I whisper, “but let me show you the bedroom first.”

“Why?”

“Because I know you’ll love it.”

“No, why did you marry me? Why did you build this house? Why…?”

“Oh, Grace. For the same reason Nick married you, and your mother tried to keep you. It’s the one thing all three of us have in common.”

She peers at me, so innocent in this moment before I bring the truth down. I stroke her from shoulders to hips, readying her for what’s coming.

“Because we all loved you enough to do very bad things.”

With that, I close my arms around my bride, and carry her over the threshold into our bedroom.

Chapter 12

Grace

Ibury my face against Nate’s collarbone, shaking in his arms. I still have the urge to bolt into the night, to run until I can’t breathe anymore. But I know he’d be right behind me. As for calling the police—his confident words ring in my ears. I know what my history looks like; I’ve thought more than once about collating my own medical, school, and personal records, putting it all together to see the whole picture. If he accessed my medical history, possibly through Nick, he’d have no trouble putting together a case.

I can't leave.

“There now,” Nate murmurs, stroking my hair, “it’s time for me to take care of you, Grace.”

“No,” I whisper, even as I lean into him.

He’s muscular and strong where Nick was wiry and smooth. Loss cuts through me as I realise the resemblance between the two was entirely superficial; Nick is gone and nothing Nate does to replace him will ever ring true. He’s harsh even though he pretends to be offering me comfort.

“Let me go,” I hiss, flattening my palms against his chest. His heart pounds, the deep throb reflecting the pain I should be feeling. It’s absent, somehow, and I don’t want to consider why.

“Not a chance.”

His hand slides to the small of my back, pressing me against him more deeply.

“Are you…” my voice is breathless and I swallow, trying to calm down. “Are you going to force yourself on me, Nate?”