Page 59 of Wicked Love

“Grace.” My mother gritted. She barely ever used that tone with me. “You’re gonna do what we tell you to.”

“No. I’ll find a way to finish high school and be independent. I’m done being miserable.”

I turned on my heels, blocking her voice out. The one asking me to respect her and to listen to her orders.

* * *

“I was hoping you’d be here when I woke up,” Joe said when his eyes landed on me. “I’ve missed you.”

“How could you? You were asleep.”

He smiled at me. “Still. Sleep is boring when you’re not around.”

“How do you feel?”

“Like my hands caught on fire.” He winked. At least he hadn’t lost his sense of humor.

“It’s not funny. You can’t say that.”

“It hurts. But now that you’re here, it feels all better.”

I leaned in and kissed him. “Thanks for saving my life.”

“Anytime. I would do it all over again.” He perused the room. “Seen my dad?”

“Yep. In the waiting room. At least he was, a few hours ago. I got into a fight with my mother and left them there.”

“Grace, I’ve been thinking about it for a while, and I wanted to ask you… Promise me you won’t freak out.”

“Huh…okay.”

“If you agree, maybe you could come to live in New York with me?”

“New York? With you?”

“Let me finish. You could finish high school there. And they have some of the best fashion design programs in the country you can apply to. You’re so talented. I’ve seen you at work. You are focused, dedicated, and your creativity knows no boundaries. When you are accepted to NYFI, they’ll be lucky to have you.”

“I haven’t even applied yet.”

“You will, and you’ll get in. All you gotta do is to want it more than anything.”

“But… All my hard work has gone up in flames. Pun intended.”

“So what? You’ll start over. It’s gonna be even better the second time around. I’ll help you. Cheer on you. Model for you. Whatever you need, I’ll be there every step of the way. And then, at night, I’ll make sweet love to you to show you just how much I love you and how proud I am of you.”

“But what if…you know…your hands…” I couldn’t find it in me to say it out loud.

“We’ll figure it out. Together. I’m a fighter. No matter what, I’ll push through it. We’re gonna be fine.”

“Our parents won’t let us. My mom is already going batshit at the idea we’re together.”

Joe half-sat, propping himself up on his elbows, and kissed me. “She’ll say yes. Let me deal with it. If you think it’s a good idea. Otherwise, no stress. We’ll think of something else. I don’t like the idea of your living under the same roof as her when I’m not around. She’s toxic.”

I kissed him back. We both smelled like smoke and burned wood. “I love you.”

“I love you more.” He lay back. “Get my father, please. It’s time I have this discussion with him.”

“Are you sure?” Panic swirled in my stomach at the thought he and his father would argue about me.