Grace (BWWM)

Chapter Twelve

I don't know when, but at some point he seemed to stop hoping. But here he is hoping for something else now. I know this isn't the answer, but I see how determined he is. He thinks this will somehow help the deep hurt he has.

"Austin," I start.

"This has to work, Uncle Joe. If it doesn't . . . then what do I do?" His blue eyes stare up at me, a deep sorrow in them, and my heart aches.

"You grow. This might not be the solution, and I just want you to keep that in mind. The absolute best thing you can do is to face this feeling you have head on-don't run-and grow from it. Your parents did a crappy job, so the best thing you can do is become a bigger man and in the future, you raise your own kids up better than they ever raised you up. That's what you do." I see him take my words into consideration. But even with that, it's obvious that his mind is already made up.

I know nothing he hopes for will come of this. I know this isn't the way to go about this, and so I find myself unable to cheer him on. But even with that, I still love him, and that will never change. So I give him a hug. He holds on tight, and I sigh.

"I love you and want the best for you. You know that, right?"

"I do."

"We all love you."

"I know," he says, his voice thick with emotion.

"We don't want you going, but I'm not going to stop you. I know Grace will probably try though," I say, and he laughs.

"She said she won't let me go that easy." I laugh as well, knowing Grace. I expect that she'll try to persuade him to stay until it's time for him to leave.

"Can I call you Pops, Uncle Joe?" he asks softly, and the question surprises me.

"Of course. Don't say it around Grace though," I warn. He lets out another laugh.

"Aunty would probably try to have my head for it. I won't do that. And . . . I want to say that I care about you all too. I love you all. I'm sorry if this hurts you."

I nod. I don't know what to say to that. We break apart after some time and I see that his eyes are wet with unshed tears.

"You should go check up on Rose." I know she's taking this the hardest. He nods and heads to the basement.

Not long after, the twins and Grace come up, giving Austin and Rose time together.

"Did you stop him from leaving?" asks Nova, staring at me expectantly.

"He's still going, Nova," I say gently, and her face falls. I give her a hug, knowing how close the four of them are. That he might up and leave for four years is not an easy pill to swallow.

"His parents suck big time. They're useless; what are they still around for anyways?" Ty says angrily. My eyebrows rise at that. Normally, Grace would chastise him immediately for talking about adults like that, but she seems caught up in her own thoughts right now.

"Let's try to be respectful here, Ty," I say.

"But he's not wrong, Uncle Joe," Nova argues.

"That's not a respectful thing to say. Sometimes things aren't just a matter of right or wrong. Sometimes, even if we're right, the things we say are more telling of our own character than the person we're talking about." They nod but don't say anything, and after some silence, they head upstairs, still quiet.

I pause for a moment to reflect on this situation, finding it interesting how we're the ones here for Austin like this. Even more so, it's interesting how it's as if I'm co-parenting with Grace. What was originally just me spending time with her and the twins to feel a purpose in life turned into me willingly helping out and somewhere along the line, we arrived here-with two more kids, or rather teenagers, added into the mix. Years ago I never would have expected this, but I'm also happy to be here for everyone.

I turn to Grace as she leaves for the kitchen. She's being unusually quiet.

"What's on your mind?"

"Nothing much," she murmurs.

"Nothing has you that quiet? I haven't seen you this quiet for a while, unless you're eating." I try for a joke, but she doesn't even throw a quip my way. I walk up behind her.

"Talk to me," I say gently, and she looks over her shoulder, her gaze lowered.

"I'll be fine. I've just got some things to think about. I'll get started on dinner." I take a hold of her elbow before she can run away.

"How are you feeling?" I ask.

"The saying goes that if you have nothing nice to say, you should not say anything at all."

"I take it you have a lot to say about his parents."

"More than a lot, Joe." That seems to do it. She turns to face me fully looking angry and exasperated. "I'm so angry and I just-" She shakes her head, and her eyes take on a sheen. I run a hand over her arm.

"I'm so angry. Instead of them taking care of Austin, they're treating him like he's not even their child. Ty is right, they are absolutely useless." I frown and bring my hand to her chin.

"Let's be careful of what we say, Grace."

"But they are," she pushes.

"But is it alright to say that?"

"Then maybe they should be better parents."

"Grace," I say, and she falls silent. She sighs in exasperation before wiping at her eyes. "I know that you're not happy with them, and neither am I," I say. "I think it would be best to be careful what we say about them though. I would personally like to meet them and exchange more than just words, but I know that's not the best course of action. Not only that, what example would I be setting? We have to keep this in mind. It's not just the kids that should watch what they're saying." She's still not looking at me, but I know that she's listening.

"You get me, Grace?" I ask softly.

"Yes," she murmurs. I smile despite her stubbornness.

"What else is on your mind? How did you take what Austin said?"

She sighs again. "Fine," she mutters.

"I can tell," I respond. She shakes her head with a slight smile.

"Not good. I don't want him to go."

"Alright."

"I want him to stay here. Joe . . . I don't want him to go," she says, looking back at me-the same look as Nova. It's like they're both hoping that somehow, someway, we can stop him.

"He wants to go, Grace."

"We just have to talk sense into him and-"

"Grace."

"This doesn't make sense, Joe. How can he just go for four-"

"Grace."

"Are you saying that he should just go? That we shouldn't even try to stop him?" Her voice breaks and I run my hands down her arms.

"He wants to go," I say gently.

"If they were just better parents then this wouldn't happen."

"But they're not," I remind her. "He was born into this situation, and we can't change that. You know this." She just stares at me, her eyes glossy.

"Just like that then?" she asks.

"Just like that," I say. "We let him go just like that, and hopefully things will turn out right for Austin, however that looks." She looks at me a moment more before slowly letting her head rest on my chest. I bring an arm around her, holding her.