Am I allowed to be friends with my ex’s mother?
But it was Raewyn who spent twenty-four hours consoling me, letting me sob on her shoulder while we talked about what an idiot her son was. And Braxton didn’t give a shit about my feelings inanything, so his don’t matter here.
Raewyn might be his mother, but I’m keeping her for as long as she’ll let me. Our relationship doesn’t have to impact Braxton at all. This town might not be a big one, but I’ve made it my home, and as much as he’s wrecked that, I won’t let him take a single other thing from me.
I yank the door open almost defiantly, and Raewyn sighs heavily as soon as she sees my face, taking stock ofmy reddened eyes and the obvious lack of sleep. “Gracie…”
“I’m guessing you saw what I did,” I say, aiming for bright. There’s no point in hiding from this, not when over half of Sterling Creek got a look at those photos—unless they were lucky enough to see it in person. “That’s one way to nail the coffin shut, huh?”
She surges forward, wrapping me in a tight hug. I go stiff for a beat, but then slump against her, feeling the way her shoulders shake. When she pulls back, her eyes are wet, but she hasn’t let a single tear fall. “You didn’t deserve this. You didn’t deserve any of this. I’m so sorry.”
I sniffle, patting her arm and blowing out a shaky breath, reining my emotions in. I don’t want to waste any more tears on him. “Braxton’s a grown man.” I smile when she scoffs. “He’s responsible for his own actions, and you definitely shouldn’t apologize for him.”
“Doesn’t mean I don’t still feel it as his mother,” she counters grumpily. “You know, Stephen let him roll off the couch once when he was a baby. This is probably his fault.”
I snicker, stepping back so that she can come inside. “Let’s not blame anyone but Braxton, hm? And maybe Paisley.” I shut the door and lead her into the kitchen. “You want a coffee? It’s fresh.”
“No, thank you, sweetheart. I’ve already had one, and I’m jittery enough. I will take a cup of tea, though.”
I busy myself making her tea while Raewyn takes off her coat and scarf, hanging them off the back of one of the kitchen chairs. “Stephen and I were at Benson’s for a little while last night,” she says to my back. “We saw Esther and Joseph, butshewasn’t there. Braxton was with Nick and Ryan when we left.” She shakes her head as I sit down across from her, thanking me when I slide her steaming teaover. “Braxton looked miserable, so I’m not sure how we went from that to…”
“Sharing saliva with Paisley?” I fill in dryly, ignoring the pinch in my chest. “We all saw it coming, though. Ever since Thanksgiving.” Raewyn heard a play-by-play of the conversation I overheard, and some of the curses she let loose could have turned a sailor’s ears blue.
Now, she cups her hands around her mug, her eyes careful. “I’m sorry about Christmas,” she says when I’m finished. “I shouldn’t have…” she trails off, her mouth pulling down.
“It’s not your fault, Raewyn,” I tell her, but she shakes her head.
“I knew something was going on, but I thought if Paisley and Esther saw you and Braxton together— I never imagined…” She falls quiet, but I’m not sure what to tell her. After a long moment, she asks, “What’s your plan?”
I blow out a slow breath, appreciating that Raewyn realizes—and accepts—that last night has changed everything for me. My forgiveness was going to be hard-won, and even then, it didn’t mean Braxton and I would fix things. But now…
“I need some time,” I tell her. “I talked to Maryann about the possibility of this a few days ago, and I’m going to get out of Sterling Creek for a bit. She has a niece who’s willing to come and temporarily take over for me at Blossom Boutique.”
Raewyn’s mouth tugs into a frown, but she hides it behind her mug. “As much as I don’t like it, I understand. When will you leave?”
“Today.” I wince when her eyes cloud over, her face falling further when I add, “I couldn’t sleep, so I’ve started packing. Braxton gave me space this week, but we always knew it wouldn’t last. He’s waiting for me to cool off before he smooths things over. But this? I can’t sit around, waitingfor him to come to his senses. Or worse, coming around and blowing it off like it’s not a big deal, you know? I might talk to him when I get back, get some kind of closure. But right now, I just need to be done.”
Raewyn nods. “Where will you go? You don’t have to tell me, but I’ll worry.”
I purse my lips, trepidation filling me. “Back home. I plan on spending some time with a friend from school. I haven’t seen Elyse since I moved, and it’ll be nice to catch up. She has a spare room, and has said I can stay as long as I like.”
Raewyn inhales through her nose and then takes a long sip of her tea, using the hot drink to calm her nerves. “Will you see your parents?”
I shrug, unsure, unwilling to touch on that sore subject on top of everything else. “I’m not sure if I should ask this of you. I don’t want you to lie or anything, and I know you’re caught in the middle?—”
“Gracie,” she cuts in gently. “Just say it.”
“I don’t want Braxon to know,” I blurt. “I don’t want him to know where I am.”
She eyes me seriously before dipping her chin. “He won’t hear it from me,” Raewyn promises. “He deserves to stew in some uncertainty. But I will tell him you’re safe.”
“That’s fine,” I agree, relief heavy on my shoulders.
“There’s actually something I need to talk to you about,” Raewyn says, her voice solemn. My brows knit together as I take in her apprehensive expression. “Stephen and I…We did something. It was pretty impulsive, but we had the means. And when we saw how badly Braxton was dropping the ball, we thought it was a good idea. We were so sure that he just needed more time.”
“What did you do?” I ask slowly, my mind flinging around wildly for whatimpulsivething they could have done.
Raewyn lifts a shoulder, aiming for casual and completely missing the mark. “We bought the house.”
