“But what about her assistant?” Uncle Dane’s voice is calm, almosttoocalm. “We can’t risk her knowing about us.”
It isn’t until this moment that I realize my family aren’t the only ones I put in danger. There’s no telling what they would have done if Vanessa actuallyhadgotten that email.
God, I really am a selfish bitch.
“Colt and I have that handled. All of Josie’s outgoing emails are being monitored by Gunther, so her assistant never actually got the email.”
The relief in the room is palpable, but the anger remains. And I can’t blame them one bit.
“I really am sorry,” I whisper, tears burning in my eyes. “I know nothing I can ever say will make it right, but I really did feel horrible as soon as I sent it.”
“Then why did you send it?” Uncle Ford asks, sounding more confused than anything. “Why would you betray us that way?”
“I thought I wanted to escape. I thought I wanted to go back to my old life. But now… Now I realize I just want to be here, with you. I guess I was mad that it wasn’t my choice originally, but I know now that doesn’t matter. All that matters, all that should have ever mattered, is having my family back.”
Some of my “uncles” visibly soften at my words.
But not Auntie Gray.
Shoving up from her chair, she storms out of the room without another word. Daddy moves to follow her, but I grab his arm.
“I should go.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Daddy,” I say quietly but firmly. “I’m the one who caused the pain, so I need to be the one to fix it.”
After several long seconds, he sighs. “All right. But I’ll be right here if you need me.”
Rising up on my tiptoes, I press a kiss to his cheek before hurrying off after Auntie Gray.
I find her in the kitchen, pouring what appears to be a second shot of whiskey. Her gaze lands on me and she slowly lifts the glass to her lips.
“I’m sorry, Auntie Gray. I know that’s not enough, but it’s all I have. And I understand if you can’t forgive me for betraying you?—”
“You really think that’s why I’m so pissed?”
“Well… yeah. I tried to get youarrested.”
“I don’t give a flying fuck about getting arrested. You wanted toleaveus, Josie. After everything we’ve been through the past couple weeks, you still wanted to leave us. Why?”
It hits me then that she isn’t angry, not really. This isn’t Auntie Gray I’m dealing with, one of the grownups in charge of me who’s just pissed off I broke the rules. She’s my Gracie, my best friend in the whole world, and she’s heartbroken that I wanted to leave her.
And that’s a feeling I understand all too well.
“How you feel right now? That’s how I’ve been feeling since I found out you all faked your deaths all those years ago.Youleftme, Gracie. And I’ve been soangrywith all of you ever since I found out, and I guess I just… let that cloud my judgement. But now, knowing that email didn’t actually go through and I won’t have to lose you again? That was the best moment of my entire life.”
“Fuck,” she mutters. Throwing her head back, she downs her whiskey and slams the crystal down on the counter. And when her eyes meet mine, the emotion in those pale eyes threatens tochoke me. “You have no idea how hard it was on us. All of us, but me and Bram, especially. We missed you, so fucking much, every day. If we could have taken you with us, we would have, Josie, I swear. But?—”
“You wanted me safe. And that was more important. I get it. It took me a while to get there, but I get it now. I’m not angry anymore.”
Blowing out a breath, she runs a trembling hand over her hair. “No more trying to escape? You’re with us, for better or worse?”
“Until death do we part.”
And then I’m in her arms, having the breath squeezed right out of me. “I love you, so fucking much, Josie. I can’t lose you again, I can’t.”
“You won’t. I promise. But you have to promise me the same thing.”
