What Hicks really meant was that I was some predator preying on an innocent student. He could think what he wanted, as long as she was left out of it.
“What were you thinking, Seth?” he said softly, the man I’d called a friend coming through for a moment.
I didn’t answer his inquiry.
“Thank you, Dean Richards. I’ll be there first thing in the morning.”
I wasn’t going to tell him we loved each other, or that this was some lapse of judgment and I was sorry. Because it wasn’t.
I had Grace, finally, and I wasn’t letting her go.
That would most likely lose me my job, but so be it.
So be it, since it was all worth it.
She was worth it.
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Do you understand everything, Professor Baldwin?”
I turned and stared at Seth, knowing my eyes were big, feeling like my heart might jump out of my chest.
“I understand,” Seth answered without any passion in his voice. In fact, he sounded like he didn’t give two shits that he’d just been suspended from his post until further investigation.
“This is a mistake, a misunderstanding,” I exclaimed before I could stop myself.
I faced the board again, knowing I looked astonished. They couldn’t tell us how long the inquiry would go, or if Seth would even still have a job when it was all said and done.
“How can you take the word of one person over a member of your staff?”
The dean leaned forward and put his hands together, looked me in the eyes.
“We take accusations of student and faculty fraternization very seriously. An investigation will be done to find out the truth.”
All I could do was shake my head. “Nothing happened. This is all a massive misunderstanding.” I was a broken record at this point. “This is all a big mistake,” I muttered, on the edge of sobbing. But I didn’t want to. I needed to be tough, needed to act like I had my crap together and not break down in front of Seth.
“It’s okay, Grace,” Seth whispered quietly.
And then before I knew what was happening, Seth placed his arm over my shoulder and brought me in close. He took his other hand and gently grasped my chin with his thumb and forefinger, moving my head so I was facing him now.
He peered into my eyes, and everything else around me faded, gone. We might’ve been able to salvage this, denied everything, but when he leaned in and kissed me right then and there in front of everyone, there was no denying it.
He pulled back before I could stop him and smiled. “It doesn’t matter,” he murmured softly. “Only you do.” He turned and faced the board. “I love her, and I’m fully aware of the repercussions our relationship will bring.” And then he rose up and took my hand in his and walked us out of the office.
I peered over my shoulder at the board, their eyes wide and their mouths open in disbelief. I had no idea what was going to happen from this moment forward, but Seth looked confident of the future, of our connection.
And that made me feel like everything would be okay.
She was distraught and I hated it, hated that I was the reason she was in this condition, that she felt hopeless, miserable for me.
I threw my arms around Grace and pulled her in close. It had only been a couple of weeks since I’d gone in front of the board for my misconduct, as they’d put it.
And although maybe I could have gotten out of it, used my years of teaching there and my reputation, my good standing, to get out of Amy telling them about Grace and me, the truth was, I didn’t want to lie about it.
So, I’d kissed her.
I’d intended to prove the point that she was mine. I’d wanted her from the moment I saw her, and losing my position was a tiny penalty to make to be with her.
