Different Forms of Happiness

Part 20

Chapter 19  - Graham

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, wishing that things had turned out differently. This wasn't what he planned, wasn't what he wanted to happen. Scott was supposed to show her his true colors, and that he actually cared for Sam. Instead, Scott let them all down. Graham shook his head. Never, in a million years, would he expect Scott to be such a coward. Not only that, but his mom.

Graham felt sadness hit him hard. Through the years, he had never thought Mrs. Miller would judge a person based on their family. If she did, she probably hid her silverware every time he came over as a kid, because it was a well-known fact that his family was made up of a gang of criminals.

Shaking his head, he leaned back into the seat of the car as Sam leaned further into him. He glanced down at her, noting the way that her hair still looked perfect. Raising his free hand up, he brushed his fingers through the mass. "You still look beautiful."

"Thanks," she mumbled, looking up at him with teary eyes. With her cheeks red, she burrowed her face into his chest. "I don't know why I'm so upset."

"Yeah you do, honey," Max whispered across from them. "We all know why you're upset."

"He's just such a good friend."

Her words fell flat, and a smile flew onto Graham's face. "Come on. You can lie to yourself, but you can't lie to us. You liked him, a lot."

"Graham," she whispered, while pulling away from him slightly. "I'm sorry. I just-"

"Don't be an idiot," he interrupted. "This changes nothing. You and I will still be friends, even if you're in love with that jerk."

"He was a jerk," she said with a small laugh.

Smiling at her, Graham hugged her tighter. "You didn't deny loving him."

Her mouth snapped closed as she glared at him. "I'm not in love with him."

"Yet," Max chimed in.

Her glare turned towards Max, before it died down. "He's not worth it. If he'll let his mom speak to me like that, then he obviously doesn't care too much about me."

Graham winced as the words left her mouth. Everything around him was falling apart. His perfectly laid plans were beginning to unravel at the seams, and he blamed it all on Scott. This time, the man had screwed up, and Graham didn't know how he was going to fix it.

"Why does his mother hate you so much anyway?" Graham asked, ignoring the way Max shook his head.

Sam shook her head with an amused expression on her face. "You know, it would have helped if both of you would have told me your last names too. If I knew Scott was a Miller, I would have stayed away from him. No, I take that back, if I knew who his mother was I would have stayed away."

"I don't understand."

"And you shouldn't," Max said with narrowed eyes. "The De Luca family is none of your business."

"Max," Sam snapped, sitting straight in her seat. "Graham is my friend. If he wants to know a little bit of De Luca family history, I'd be more than happy to fill him in. It isn't as if I have anything to do with them anyway."

Max stared at Graham, his eyes turning cold. "How do you even know that he is your friend? You saw how your other friend treated you."

Graham kept his eyes connected with Max's. "Do you know who my family is? Do you know what my mother's maiden name is? Anything that the De Luca's have done will look spotless compared to my family. So, before you start making judgments, remember that."

"Sorry," Max mumbled while glancing towards Sam. "Tell him if you want too. It's not like he couldn't find out if he searched the internet."

Sam faced Graham, making his attention focus on her. With a smile, she began speaking. "My father was the heir to the De Luca fortune, but in order for my grandfather to hand over the reins, my father needed to be married. It is all about the image with them. So, when my father showed his family my mother, they all balked. It was fine though, because my grandfather had the perfect solution. Marry Piper."

Graham froze. "Your dad and Scott's mom?"

"Never happened," Max snapped. "Mr. De Luca would never cheat on his wife." Max laughed for a couple seconds. "If he did, she would have made sure it never happened again."

"Just imagine," Graham said with a shiver. "The two of you could have been related."

Sam's nose scrunched up in disgust. "Nasty." Shaking her head, she stared at him. "Where was I? Oh, yeah. So, my father defied my grandfather, and married my mother. Grandfather wasn't too happy with these turn of events and disinherited my father. I guess Piper always took it hard."

"It was her best friend that Mr. De Luca married," Max finished.

"Ouch," Graham whispered with a wince. "So, where are you parents?"

Sam laughed. "Right now? They're at the home that they spent years building. The house that I'm staying in now used to be my mothers. When I got older, she signed it over to me."

"One day, I'm going to have to meet these famous parents of yours."

"I'd like that," Sam said with a large smile, but Graham didn't miss the way Max's eyes narrowed further.

"I don't-"

Max's words were cut off when the car jolted to a stop. They all jerked forward from the abruptness. Graham looked at both of them for a moment before a feeling of annoyance flew through him. What in the hell caused the driver to stop like that? Reaching over, he pressed the button on the window. Slowly, it began dropping, and when Graham's eyes took in the image on the other side of the window, a large smile spread across his face. This was going to be good.