So it has been FOREVER (not literally, but almost) since I have updated this!!!!!! Sorry bout that, BTW. So, um, there is one thing I would like to address. The title of this story.
If I am being honest, I have never really liked this title, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to change it to just "Grayson". I made a completely new cover that I like a lot better than my current one. I wanted to tell you guys, so that you knew what was going on. I hope you like the changes as much as I do.
It will be at least a few hours, maybe less, but I figured I would let you know. I would like to know your opinion on the changes, though. So please! Share!
Okay, enough of my ramblings, you can read now! P.S. It's a little short, but I ran into a bit of trouble writing this part, and I don't know why.
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"So, Jonah," my mother started. She was sitting on a chair in the living room, leafing through a magazine, the picture of innocence, but my blood still ran cold.
Anything that started with So, Jonah, was never, ever good.
It had been three days since Edgar's accident and Kade's subsequent death, and Grayson was back to near perfect health. I could tell he was still a little sore, but he promised me that he was perfectly fine. Edgar was doing wonderful as well, back to terrorizing the members of my house. Just that morning I had heard a scream come from one of the bathrooms – a horribly high pitched noise – and when I went to inspect the occurrence, English bolted out of the bathroom and said to get a handle on my demon cat.
Speaking of Grayson, he was currently underneath me on the couch as we snuggled together. He felt me tense on top of him, and rubbed the small of my back reassuringly.
With a look from Grayson, I finally asked my mother, "What, Mom?"
"Allie's birthday is in a few days," she said. "It's her twenty-seventh. She won't be having many more after that."
I shared a glance with Grayson, my eyes wide as I processed what my mother had just said. I looked over at her, but with the way she just looked at the magazine, it was as if she had commented on the weather.
"Um, Mom?" I asked. "Are you planning on killing Allie?"
She looked up at me with a shocked expression, as if I were the one who had said something that sounded less than sane. "What? No! Of course not!" She shook her head at me. "I only meant that she'll be twenty-nine in a few years, and everyone knows that women stop counting birthdays after twenty-nine." Her golden curls bounced over her shoulders.
"Thank God," I said in relief. I really didn't want to have to visit my mother on the other side of bulletproof glass, no matter how inevitable it might seem at times.
"I mean," she continued, waving a hand in the air as she set her magazine to the side, "if anything, I would kill Kennedy."
There was a beat of silence to process that.
"WHAT?!" The daughter in question screeched as she entered the room in time to hear Mom's comment. "Why would you kill me? If anything you should kill Jonah!"
"What?" I asked, rightfully offended. "Why me?"
At the same time, my mother responded, "Because you was a little hellion to raise. Jonah was the easy kid; Allie was a mix, but more on the mellow side."
"Oh please," Kennedy said in response to my question. "We'd kill Grayson at the same time so you could enjoy an afterlife together. Promise."
"Oh, don't worry," I told her, "I'll kill English right after I strangle you so that you'll be with him." I looked her in the eye and stared her down with a smirk. "You know, because I love you."
"Aw, thanks, Sis," she told me in a saccharinely sweet voice.
"Both of you, quiet," Mom finally interrupted. "As I was saying to Jonah before she wrongly assumed I was going to kill her sister, Allie's birthday is coming up."
"And?" I asked, waiting for her to get on with the point.
"And," she continued, "I was wondering if we could have her party here?"
I was wary as I asked, "How big?"
"Just the family," my mother assured me. "Nothing big at all. If Grayson says yes, of course," she added on with a nod of her head to the man who was still snuggled pleasantly against me.
"That'd be fine," Grayson said to her, and I felt him nod. I moved and looked at him with a you have no idea what you have just done, face.
"And I was thinking," Mom said, adding on, "maybe you could invite some of your friends too." She gave him a sympathetic look. "I know our family can get tiring at times, and from your conversations with English, I understand you don't get to see them that often."
Whoomp, there it is! Mom was trying to set Allie up with one of Grayson's friends. She was seriously giving some thought to the "My daughters are mates to Shifters because I'm a freak" thing. From the look Kennedy and I shared, she realized it too. Sure, the invite was genuine, and she did want Grayson to get to see his friends, but both Kennedy and I were able to see through her like glass.
As if he knew I was trying to hit him where it really hurt, Grayson sat up with me and wrapped his arms around my stomach, keeping me locked against his chest with no chance of freedom to kick at him. He chuckled at my antics, and eventually let me up so that I could stand and stretch.
"I think that sounds like a great idea," said a voice threaded with humor from the doorway. "I know I for one would love to see everyone again."
Grayson looked at English. "You just saw them less than a week ago."
"But living with all of them in the same building for over a decade has gotten me used to them being around."
"Anyway," Mom said again. "We would really love to meet all your friends, especially if they're going to be a part of Jonah's life." She licked her lips and continued. "I mean, if you're all on the council together, than you're basically a family."
"Cynthia," Grayson said in a kind voice, "it's perfectly fine. English and I can call them and see if they'll come. You can focus on getting Allie down here."
"Oh, I don't think that will be a problem," Kennedy said in a low voice. "I'll just send her some pictures of Grayson and his friends, telling her they'll be there." She smiled at all of us, a little evil grin that made me worry a bit. "I bet she'll be down here in less than two hours." It was normally a four hour trip.
"Well that sounds like a plan," I said to her, my own little evil grin in place. "Wonder how she'll react to English." I narrowed my eyes at her. "Might wanna stake your claim in that message you send her. Never know who she'll like..." I trailed off purposefully, a little giggle slipping out when she shot a not-so-nice look at me.
"Uh-huh," she replied. "Might wanna do the same thing, baby sister."
I smiled at her. "But she already knows that Grayson's mine. I don't have to worry."
Kennedy had no response other than to stick her tongue out at me, which meant I had totally won the non-argument argument. I laughed quietly as her face scrunched up at me.
Actually, I kind of cackled at her.
When everyone finally calmed down, we went and sat down for a movie night. Earlier that day I had gone around and cleaned the house, with help from Kennedy and explicit directions from Grayson about how to clean what and which things went where. He was still taking it easy, and had stayed on the couch, keeping a watchful eye on us whenever we cleaned the living room and whenever we passed through it.
As the "official" guest, English was the one to pick the movie, deciding on an action flick that I knew Kennedy would hate and Mom would love. I liked it, but it wasn't my favorite. I wasn't sure if English even watched it, seeing as whenever I glanced at him he had been staring at Kennedy. Boy had it bad.
Almost to the end of the movie, Mom left the room and came back in with fresh popcorn, putting it on her lap – I never expected her to share any, but English and Grayson both looked slightly disappointed when she kept it all to herself. A few minutes after she had settled back into her chair, Edgar skulked into the room, sliding around end tables and couch cushions that had been kicked to the floor in an effort to get comfortable. He sat on his haunches at my mother's chair, staring up at her with his creep-tastic eyes before jumping up onto her lap in a single move.
As he settled down, purring slightly, Mom began rubbing her hand gently down his back, and he arched into her touch just the littlest bit that made him look completely adorable and sweet – everything he wasn't. As I watched him, I noticed that he would duck his head toward the nearly-overflowing bowl of popcorn every few seconds or so. It took me a bit to realize that he was actually eating the popcorn, and I laughed a little bit, making Grayson look at me curiously.
"What?" he whispered, trying not to be too loud.
"Edgar is eating popcorn," I replied in a low voice, smiling as I leaned against him. It was a nice feeling, being able to be yourself with someone and not worry about what they thought. Grayson seemed to know me almost better than I knew myself, and in my opinion, that was probably the best thing to have happened to me.
Grayson opened his mouth and then closed it before opening it again. Then he closed it, not quite sure what to say. Finally he decided. "You have a weird cat."
I shrugged, "I know. But I love him anyway."
THE NEXT MORNING my mother was cooking breakfast with Grayson, each of them running around the kitchen like crazy, making something wonderful in the midst of chaos, yet never running into each other or bumping anything over. I was sitting at the island, swinging my legs on the bar stool as I watched them work, a bemused smile spreading across my lips.
"Jonah," Mom said as she ran across the kitchen to the fridge, a bowl in her hand. "I was thinking that maybe you and Grayson could go and get Allie. Have her follow you back here. It would give you a chance to show Grayson the place where you grew up."
Without waiting for me to respond, Grayson turned around from his place at the stove and said, "That sounds like a great idea!" He first glanced and me, and then my mom. "Cynthia, I must say that you do come up with the best ideas."
Oh, now he was just sucking up to her.
As if reading my mind, Grayson passed me and whispered in an extremely low voice – one that made butterflies go through my tummy – "Of course I am. If I have my way, she'll be my mother in law one day."
I wrinkled my nose and replied, "If she has her way, you'll be her son in law, as will English. And I hate that you can read my mind like that."
"You love it," was the last thing he said as he walked away, going to get some apples from the fridge.
As we ate breakfast – we were not joined by English that morning, for whatever reason – my mother was more than happy to keep the conversation portion going all on her own.
"...and you'll want to leave as soon as possible," she said when she finished her drink of juice. I had tuned out a good five minutes ago, and so I was spluttering to figure out what she had said.
"Huh?" I asked her, hoping my expression didn't display my complete and utter lack of knowledge.
"Listen, Jonah," she chided gently. "I was saying that if you and Grayson want to make it at a decent hour, you'll need to leave soon."
"We could leave by noon and get there at four," I said. "It's not like it's a really long trip."
"Still," she protested, "there may be traffic, and you should show Grayson around before you go and get Allie. Bring an overnight bag and just spend the night at the house."
Mentally, I groaned. "There's no getting out of this is there?"
My mother didn't even bother to fake a sympathetic look to me. "Nope. You're going. You're taking Grayson with you. It's final."
"And what are you going to do while we're gone?" I couldn't help but ask her, even though I wasn't sure I would like the answer. "Spy on English and Kennedy?"
My – now irritated – sister glared at me from across the table and then gave Mom a pleading look that was ignored. My mother answered my question in a bored tone. "Yes, Jonah. I'm going to follow them around, hiding around corners and listening to their conversations. I'll be sure to mind-trick them into having sex by the end of tomorrow."
The bad thing was I couldn't tell if she was being serious or not.