Page 61 of Grumpy

Jackson did all the heavy lifting. By the time he had packed up the SUV, including strapping a new crib still in the box to the roof, Colton had finally figured out that he had two working legs and started to make his way down the sidewalk.

Erik only came out of his room to hug Maddie—it was a very brief hug with Grumpy glaring daggers at the young man—and to wish her luck. Kelly wondered what their relationship was. She placed Erik as a year or two younger than Maddie. Though a big guy, he was clearly not too worldly or sure of himself. He didn’t even ask Maddie if she was okay or if she wanted to go with Grumpy, Kelly, and Jackson. Although, in his young defense, he’d also just witnessed Jackson very easily break his roommate’s arm, so maybe he thought it best to keep his mouth shut.

With Jackson at her back, Kelly got Maddie and Grumpy situated in the backseat of the SUV. It wasn’t until she was in the driver’s seat that she realized the truck was so full she couldn’t see out the rearview mirror. From what Keys had told them, Maddie had a dorm room at college, but it seemed her entire life was at this home.

Grumpy sat behind Kelly’s seat so he could look at Maddie next to him. Jackson just gave Kelly the signal that she was good to head out in her side mirror when Maddie burst into tears again.

“What is it, Mads?” Grumpy demanded to know. “Did you forget something?”

Kelly turned in the driver’s seat to see Maddie shake her head. She had no doubt that this was an extremely emotional experience for the young woman. Hell, Kelly wasn’t even sure if anyone had mentioned to Maddie that Kelly was more to her father than just a simple friend driving him around places.

What did Maddie know? They hadn’t even explained who Keys was or why he was breaking who-knew how many laws to fuck with Colton on her behalf.

And yet, even without those questions answered, Maddie undoubtedly trusted and loved Grumpy. While they were packing, she kept asking him if he was okay or if he needed something, like water or a pillow. Kelly approved of her sweet demeanor, even as she disapproved of Grumpy’s insistence that he was fine and could help do more than fold clothes.

“I j-j-just can’t b-believe you’re here,” Maddie stammered out through her tears. “I’ve… I’ve m-missed you so-so much!”

The SUV had three rows of seats, though the third was currently laid flat to accommodate all the luggage now occupying the trunk. The second row was a bench seat with optional arm rests separating them. Despite that Grumpy was already buckled in with his pillows surrounding him, he undid his seat belt, shifted his pillows to the floor, and slid across the bench seat to embrace his daughter.

Kelly felt her own eyes tear up, and fought to contain her emotions. Grumpy lifted his attention from Maddie long enough to wave at Kelly, indicating she should start driving.

Unfortunately, Kelly still didn’t know where she was going. But she knew they’d passed Maddie’s college to get to Colton’s rented house, so she headed back the way they came. If Maddie had another destination in mind, she could tell Kelly once she’d calmed down. Hell, Kelly was fine circling the city for a while if it just got them away from that house.

Kelly adjusted her rearview mirror to focus on the backseat, since clearly she wasn’t going to be seeing out the back window anytime soon.

Maddie tried to apologize for her tears numerous times, but Grumpy shut her apologies down every time. Kelly’s heart swelled at the softness in his voice, a tone she thought was solely reserved for Scotty and the younger club kids.

They passed Colton on their way onto the highway. In her passenger mirror, Kelly saw Jackson hop his bike onto the sidewalk. He might have run Colton over if the dickwad hadn’t thrown himself into the thorn bushes he’d been walking next to. Kelly bit her lip to hide her smile as Jackson got back onto the road behind them. She wasn’t sure if it made her a bad person that she took so much joy from that stunt.

Neither Grumpy nor Maddie seemed to have noticed as they continued to cling to each other in the backseat.

“I have so much to tell you,” Maddie said when she finally calmed down enough to speak without stuttering or hiccupping.

Kelly saw Grumpy brush Maddie’s cheeks dry with his thumbs. “You and me both.”

“Are you really okay?” Maddie asked, worry in her voice. “The last time I saw you… I mean, at the hospital. You were…” She sniffled. “I truly thought you were going to die.”

“I won’t lie to you and tell you that I’m a hundred percent. I’m not, and I won’t be for a while.” Kelly was proud of Grumpy for not sugarcoating his condition. “But I will be. It’s just going to take time.”

Movement caught Kelly’s eye, and a quick glance at the mirror showed Maddie nod her head. Grumpy still held her face like he was memorizing it. Kelly didn’t blame him in the slightest after a decade’s separation.

“I don’t even…” Maddie let out a long sigh, one that was filled with such anxiety and strife that even Kelly heard it from the front seat. “I don’t even know where we’re going.”

“Right now I’m just heading towards the college, but I don’t have a specific destination,” Kelly told Maddie over her shoulder. “But we’ll go wherever you like. I just need directions.”

Maddie started to sob again. “I don’t even know. I mean, I still have my dorm room, I guess. But I haven’t been there in months or even spoken to my dormmate recently. She can’t turn me away, though. Half that room is technically mine.”

Kelly could understand Maddie’s babble. She often worked through her problems out loud, too. Not wanting to cause Maddie stress with the baby, Kelly threw out another suggestion. “How about we go get something to eat? Is there some place you know that’s quiet and won’t mind us taking up space for a few hours?”

It took Maddie a moment, but she nodded. “Yeah, yeah. There’s a mom-and-pop diner that’s open twenty-four-seven. I used to go there all the time to pull all-nighters after the library closed.”

Kelly followed Maddie’s directions, grateful she’d already been aiming them towards campus. Despite her dorm room, Maddie’s situation screamed homelessness. She clearly had been living with Colton for a while. Kelly wondered if Colton was the father of Maddie’s baby, but given the crude comment Colton had viciously spewed at Maddie when she’d opened the door, Kelly had her doubts. She certainly didn’t judge—no one had the right to speak to anyone as vindictively as Colton had to Maddie. No matter the circumstances.

Still, Maddie couldn’t raise a baby in a dorm room. Kelly didn’t even know if that was allowed by the college. What were Maddie’s chances of graduating, of going to law school, now that she was going to be a mom? Times had certainly changed since Kelly was Maddie’s age, as had expectations. But Maddie would still be a single mom raising a baby. Beyond a home, what about a job? Food? Baby supplies? The crib currently strapped to the SUV’s roof had been the only baby item Kelly recalled being packed.

As Kelly slowed at a red light, she glanced in the mirror again. Her gaze locked onto Grumpy’s, and Kelly knew his thoughts were identical to her own. Neither of them needed verbal or visual confirmation to know the truth of what they were now facing. They’d come down here to reunite Grumpy with his long-lost daughter. Circumstances had changed dramatically, but the one thing that was certain was that Kelly and Grumpy were in this together. She knew that Grumpy would not abandon his daughter, and Grumpy knew that Kelly would not abandon him.

Even if it meant leaving Mount Grove and moving to Texas.