Falling For You - Love in Autumn Book One

Chapter Fourteen

**This has not been edited or proofread.**

Chase leaned over the couch, his hands braced on the back of it, caging me in as he leaned down to press a soft kiss to my lips. "I'm running to the store because we're out of sugar, and you know I need sugar with my coffee," he told me.

I smiled. "Make sure you stop by the diner and grab you a cup before you wander into the grocery store," I told him. "It might save someone's life."

He laughed and kissed me again. "Yeah, you're right. Call me if you need me, yeah?"

"I will," I assured him.

He pressed a kiss to my forehead before he snatched up his car keys and left. Max got on the couch and curled against my side. I slid my fingers through his soft fur before focusing my attention back on the television screen in front of me.

~*~*~

"Meredith?" I heard Grayson call. I jerked my attention away from the TV, looking towards the locked screen door. Grayson waved at me.

"Oh!" I exclaimed. I got up, padding over to the door. "Sorry," I sheepishly apologized. "I got engrossed in the movie. Everything okay?"

He nodded. "How are you feeling?" he asked me as he took a seat on the other couch. I sat back down beside Max, sliding my fingers into his soft fur.

I shrugged. "Still a little sore, but the pain medicine is helping," I told him.

He frowned. "I'm really sorry about Gerald, Meredith. He's a sick individual who seems to get a kick out of hurting people smaller than him," he grumbled.

"Grayson," I softly called, drawing his eyes to me again, "what happened to you and your mom?" It had been bugging me, and I hadn't wanted to ask. But maybe hearing how they survived would help me get through this, too.

Because at night, I still jerked awake from flashbacks, and Chase had to soothe me back to sleep each time.

He sighed, leaning his head back to stare up at the ceiling before looking back over at me. "Mom and Gerald dated when they were in high school," he explained. I noticed how he didn't call Gerald his father. It was probably a coping mechanism for him. "From what I understand, everything was great for them until Mom got pregnant. Gerald had a full ride to the University of Tennessee on a football scholarship, but apparently, he gave it all up to be there for Mom."

He was silent for a moment. I let him get his thoughts together, not speaking.

"He began to drink, stayed out a lot, partying." His forehead creased. "Someone called Mom – told her that Gerald was screwing some girl that bullied Mom a lot in the back of his truck. When he came to see her the next day, she tried breaking up with him." He swallowed thickly. "I was born prematurely. He beat the hell out of her."

"Oh, no," I whispered.

"He wouldn't ever let her leave – said if she was going to ruin his life, he was going to ruin hers. And he did in more ways than one. Along the way, he ruined mine, too."

"Until he was sent to jail," I said softly.

Grayson nodded. "Until he went to jail," he confirmed. "I thought that would be it. Mom finally got her divorce. She doesn't come out much. I mostly do all of her shopping for her. She can't stand public places, can't stand being unexpectedly touched."

"Oh, Grayson, I'm so sorry," I whispered, meaning it because I kind of knew how his mom felt.

Grayson offered me a weak smile. "I'm just sorry he tainted your life, too, girly," he told me. He stood up. "But I didn't come over here to hash out my past. I wanted to take you out to my farm, let you explore it since you didn't really get to the first time. You up for that?"

"Um, just let me text Chase," I told him.

He nodded. "Sure. And make sure you put jeans and boots on," he told me. "I'm going to teach you how to ride a horse." His watch went off, and he sighed, looking down at it. "Aaand, I guess Farrah will be joining us."

I laughed. "She's a work of art," I told him, getting up from the couch. Max got up as well, sticking to my side.

Grayson rolled his eyes. "She's a pain in my butt, is what she is."