by Cara E Holt
“It’s not a road trip, Owen. I’m actually going to get the house valued and get it on the market.”
Izzy looks over at me, shocked. “You’re selling the house?”
“Yep,” I reply. “It’s time.”
“Oh come on Ev,” Owen pleads. “We want to see where the girl who knocked Grayson into shape grew up.” He holds his hands together in plea, “Come on. It would do Ems the world of good.”
I chew on my lip, considering it. “It’s a two bedroom terraced house. You’d all have to bunk on the floor in sleeping bags.”
Grayson smiles at me, shaking his head. “Such a pushover,” he whispers in my ear.
Owen punches a fist in the air and stands to his feet. “Road trip!”
“Count me and Izz in,” Dom tells me, and Izzy nods enthusiastically.
Jacob groans. “Molly’s dragging me to a christening so we can’t come.”
“You four can car share. I’m not having Owen shouting road trip all the way there and asking if we’re there yet,” Grayson says with a smirk.
“Funny fucker,” Owen grins, giving him the finger.
Dom chuckles. “Owen and Ems can come with us. I’ll drive.”
Owen bangs on the table, drumming again. “Look out Manchester, the southerners are coming! Hope there’s no white walkers up north,” he adds, laughing at his own joke.
“No, but there are plenty of wildlings,” I reply with a cheeky wink.
DOM STARES WIDE EYED when Owen arrives with Izzy at our house after college on Friday afternoon. “What’s with the box?”
Owen looks around us and shushes him. “Shush, It’s our beer stash.”
“Owen!” I chastise, giving him a pointed look. “This is not turning into a house party and you lot will need to disappear and move all your shit whilst the estate agents come round.”
Owen holds up his hands. “Yes, Boss.” He looks over at Grayson who’s leaning casually against his dad’s Land Rover. “Is she always this domineering?”
Grayson winks. “Yeah and I love it.”
My dad comes out, and Owen hurriedly places his stash of alcohol in the boot.
“Here you go sweet heart. This is the list and times of the agents that will call on Saturday.”
“Thanks, Dad,” I tell him as I take the sheet of paper from him. He looks at Owen and Grayson and then the rest of us. “Now remember, Emily is only sixteen. I am trusting you all to be responsible and look after her.’
Emily chuckles at my Dad. “I’ll be fine Mr M. Grayson doesn’t let me breathe in the wrong direction, he’s so over-protective all the time.”
Owen goes to climb in the back of Grayson’s land rover and Grayson steps in and blocks his way. “You two are with Dom and Izz. I want some alone time with my girl, seeing as you lot hijacked our weekend away together.”
Owen rolls his eyes and makes a gagging noise. “Pathetic.” He coughs out under his breath and Grayson gets him in a headlock and they wrestle each other.
Izzy and Ems both look over at me and they raise their eyes to the skies. Boys!
Grayson eventually lets Owen go, and he comes up behind me and pulls me against him. “Are you ready to show me where you grew up?”
“I am,” I reply. I am excited for Grayson to see my home. I’m not ashamed of where I grew up. It is a far cry from the life I am living now, but I had an upbringing filled with love and happiness and all the money in the world can’t buy you that. I wouldn't have traded my childhood for anything as it made me who I am today - strong, fierce and determined.
FOUR HOURS LATER AND after two pit stops along the way, we pull up outside my house.
My soul feels that I’m home again.
“This is it,” I tell him, gazing at my home and smiling with happiness.
Grayson cuts the engine, and he takes my hand in his. “You okay, Manchester?”
I nod, and he leans down and kisses my knuckles. “So this is where my girl grew up, hey? I wish I’d have known you then.”
I chuckle. “I was a bossy little thing.”
“No change there then,” he replies with a smirk. “Do you think we’d have been friends as kids if we had known each other?”
“I think you’d have been the boy at school that pulled my hair and called me names and then tried to kiss me behind the bins.”
Grayson grins. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” He looks up at the house. “I’m sorry you lost your mum, Manchester, but I’m not sorry that brought you to me.”
I lean across the car and pull his face to mine and press my lips against his. “I’ll never be sorry that our paths crossed. I love you.”
He smiles against my lips. “Right back at you, Sweet cheeks.”
“Quite eating her face and get out of the car!” Owen hollers, banging on the glass and making us jump apart.
“Remind me again why we agreed to him coming along?” Grayson asks me as he drops one last kiss on my lips.
I laugh as I unfasten my seatbelt. “Because he’s one of your best friends and future brother-in-law.”
Grayson growls in response. “Not in this fucking lifetime.”
I climb out the car and stop beside Ems. “You okay?” I ask her, wrapping my arm around her shoulder.
She looks at me and nods, smiling. “I’m good. Thank you for letting me come along this weekend. I’m excited to see what life was like before my brother barged in on your life.”
I laugh and wink. “I have a confession. It was pretty mundane, but it was a good life. My mum and I were really close, and we did everything together.”
Owen claps his hands together. “Can we get inside, I really need to take a leak.”
I dig the key out of my bag and turn it in the lock. A thousand memories assault me as I open the door and just breathe in the smell of home. Coming home from school and shouting hi to my mum. I’d find her in the kitchen cooking up a storm. She’d have a brew ready for me and we’d chat about the day we’d had. Everyone piles in behind me and I drop my bags down in the front room. Grayson comes in behind me and looks round the room. I watch him, wondering what he is thinking, and he turns and smiles at me. “Welcome home, Manchester.”
There’s a sudden thud from upstairs and everyone stops still.
“What was that?” I ask, suddenly on high alert.
Grayson frowns, pressing his finger to his lips. “Someone’s in the house.”
He beckons with his head for Dom and Owen to follow him and they all head for the stairs, trying to be as quiet as they can.
Izzy places her arm through mine, looking scared. There’s nothing but silence for what feels like an age, and then there're footsteps and sounds of a scrimmage.
I pull my arm from Izzy’s and dash upstairs. I want to make sure the boys are okay. I find them in my mum’s bedroom and Grayson is straddling someone, holding them by their top.
“Who the fuck are you?” Grayson demands.
“Tyler,” I gasp.
“Hey, Taylor,” he replies, looking rather sheepish, with a bloodied lip.
I place my hand on Grayson’s shoulder. “It’s okay. I know him. It’s Tyler.”
Grayson grips him tighter for a beat, before he lets go of him and climbs off him. Tyler wipes at his lip with the back of his hand.
“You have a mean right hook,” he tells Grayson with a smirk.
I crouch down beside him and tilt his face so I can look at his lip. “Come on, we need to get that cleaned up.”
“Is this him?” Grayson asks me coldly. “The one that kissed you?”
Okay, this was all kinds of fucking awkward. I nod and chew on my lip. “Grayson, this is Tyler.” I tell him, gesturing with my head to where Tyler stands beside me. “Ty, this is my boyfriend Grayson. I huh, might have told him you kissed me.”
Ty nods and rubs at the back of neck. “Yeah, I guess I kind of did.” He holds his hands out in front of him. “She put me in my place though and made no bones about it that she was with you and isn’t intere
sted.”
Grayson nods, his frown deepening. His glare could cut glass. Ty holds out his hand to Grayson. “No hard feelings, man.”
Grayson stares down at his outstretched hand. I nudge him with my side and beg him with my eyes to not make this into something it didn’t need to be.
Grayson sighs and reluctantly he places his hand in Tyler’s. “You’re lucky I haven’t given you a black eye to go with that lip.”
Ty smiles awkwardly. “Can’t blame a guy for going after what he wants.”
I sigh. He just can’t let Grayson have the last word. I take a step forward so that I am standing in the middle of them both. “Okay, let’s leave it there,” I demand. I turn to face Tyler. “And you,” I prod him in the chest, “do you mind telling me why you’re in my house?”
Tyler offers me an apologetic grin. “Yeah, I may have kind of been staying here. I needed somewhere to lie low for a few days.”
I fold my arms over my chest and glare at him. “So you just thought you’d break in here?”
He shrugs. “I guess.” He runs a hand through his dyed blonde hair. “I’m sorry, Taylor. I know I should have asked, but I had nowhere to go.”
I sigh. “If you’d have asked me, I would have said yes, Ty. How bad is it?”
He looks away from me and looks at Grayson, Dom and Owen, before he turns back to me. “Can we talk about this in private?”
“No,” Grayson says firmly, before I even open my mouth.
Dom clears his throat and holds his hand up. “Hey, I’m Dom. Ev’s step-brother and this is Owen, our friend. “
Ty smiles and bobs his head in greeting to them both.
“Look, we’ll head back downstairs and unload the car,” Dom suggests, and he snags Owen by the elbow who looks like he’s enjoying the show and they head downstairs.
Ty looks from me to Grayson and Grayson scoffs. “I ain’t going anywhere. If you’ve brought trouble to my girlfriend’s door, then I need to know.”
Tyler sighs and nods. “Fair enough.” He walks to the window, giving us his back, and looks out into the street. “You know I was doing some runs and selling for the Doyle’s?”
“Yep,” I reply.
“Well, I got mugged one night when I’d just picked up from him. I think it was probably a rival dealer.” He turns back to face us. “So then I’ve no drugs to sell and I’ve no money to give to Doyle.”
“How much?” I ask him.
Ty places his hand behind his head. “It was a grand’s worth, but he’s been adding interest on, so now I owe him three grand.”
“Fuck, Ty,” I exclaim and he nods, grimacing.
“Yeah, that about sums up the situation I’m in. That’s why I needed to lie low. I didn’t need him turning up at my home and scaring the shit out of my mum or my brothers and sisters. I just needed to come up with a plan to get my hands on some money.”
“Oh, Ty.” I reply. I feel for him. Yeah, he’d got himself in this mess, but he is trying to make some money to help his mum out. “What will they do if you don’t have the cash?’
Tyler swallows and pales. “I might not be able to walk for a while.”
Grayson scoffs from behind me and I turn and give him daggers. “This is not your problem, Ev.”
He was right. This isn’t my problem. I should turf him out and leave him to sort it out on his own, but I wasn’t brought up that way, and if I can help someone, then I’d try to. I look round my mum’s room and I can see he’s been sleeping here. There’s a blanket that had been left in the airing cupboard on the floor.
“You can stay here a while longer,” I announce, and I hear Grayson mutter something under his breath before he strides out of the room and thumps downstairs.
“I don’t think your guys too happy with that decision,” Tyler says with a tight smile.
“You let me worry about Grayson,” I pause, “Ty, I don’t have any money. Not yet, anyway. I’m up here this weekend to put the house on the market.”
Ty reaches out for my hand, but I take a step back from him.
“I’m not expecting you to bail me out, Taylor. I just need a place to lie low for a few more days until I have a plan.”
I gesture out of the room. “I should try to talk to Gray. You should come down and meet Ems.”
Tyler nods and he follows me out of the room and down the stairs. When we walk in the living room Dom and Izzy are deep in conversation and I can see Ems and Owen grabbing bits of out of Dom’s car through the lounge window.
“Where’s Gray?”
Dom gestures with his head through to the kitchen.
“Izz you remember Ty, right?”
Izzy smiles warmly at him. “Of course. Good to see you again, Ty.”
“Help them unpack,” I order him as I leave the room. If he is going to be staying here, then he can make himself useful.
I find Grayson in the kitchen, leaning against the worktop and looking out into the small backyard.
“Hey,” I say tentatively. I know he is pissed off and I‘m not sure what reception I’m going to get.
His stormy eyes find mine. “Hey.”
I invade his space and place myself in front of him. “He’s a friend, Posh.”
Grayson scoffs. “He doesn’t want friendship with you.”
“Well,” I reply as I step into him and place my arms around his middle. “It doesn’t matter what he wants, because I’m not interested.”
Grayson shifts his position, and he looks down at me. “He’s trouble and I don’t want you getting mixed up in it.”
I shake my head. “I won’t I promise. I’m just letting him stay here while he works out his next steps. He’s nowhere else to go Gray.”
He nods. “I don’t like it.”
“I know, baby,” I say as I move my arms to around the back of his neck. “It’s just a couple of days and then he’ll be gone.”
Grayson sighs and gently tilts my chin with his fingers. “You’re too good, you know that? You want to take on other people’s problems and fix them. You see the good in everybody, even when they don’t always deserve it.”
“So, you’re not mad at me?” I ask, batting my eyelashes at him.
He chuckles. “I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at him for taking advantage of your big heart. I’ll be keeping a close eye on him and any whiff of trouble coming to your door, he’s gone, okay?”
“Of course,” I agree. I run my hands up his chest and Grayson cock a brow.
“Are you trying to distract me, Manchester?”
I nod, pressing my body flush against his. “Is it working?’
He smirks. “Never fails to.”
I push up on my tiptoes so that my lips are level with his. My lips are a breath away from his. “No one compares to you, Posh. Never doubt that.”
“I didn’t,” he says with a smug shrug of his shoulders. Vein bastard.
His lips brush across mine and I forget my train of thoughts.
“Err sorry to interrupt, but where do you want these?” I pull away from Grayson to find Tyler standing there awkwardly, with Owens’ box of alcoholic goods.
I step away from Grayson and offer Tyler a smile. “Just pop them on there and I’ll stick them in the fridge.”
I glance over at Grayson and his cold glare is fixed on Ty as he places the box down on the kitchen worktop. The next couple of days are going to be testing, that is for sure.
THE DOORBELL RINGS and I jump off the sofa and open the door to find Courtney and Jake there. Tyler had phoned Jake and let him know he was staying at my house, and I’d called Courtney at the same time to tell her we’d arrived and also to tell her about Ty.
Courtney throws herself at me, pulling me into a tight hug. “It’s so good to see you.”
“You too. Come on in,” I say, holding the door open. “No one followed you right?” I ask them, peeking my head out the door and looking up and down the street.
Jake shakes his head, his mid-brown hair falling int
o his eyes. “Not that we know of, and even if they did, they’d just see two people visiting their friend.”
“True,” I agree. “Come through and meet everyone.”
They follow me through to the lounge where Owen and Tyler are playing against each other on the x-box. Yeah, they’d insisted we bring the x-box with us, because well, they’re boys. No other explanation needed.
“Owen, Ems, these are my friends Courtney and Jake,” I tell them. “Ems is Grayson’s sister. Owen is Izzy’s twin.’ I explain to them and they all say hi to each other.
Courtney's smile drops when she sees’s Tyler, and she storms over to him and wrenches the controller out of his hands. She looks all kinds of furious.
“You,” she says to him, pointing an accusing finger in his direction, “everyone has been worried sick about you. You can’t just disappear like that Ty and not let anyone know.”
“Yeah man, we’ve all been worried sick,” Jake says agreeing with her.
Ty nods his head, his blue eyes moving between Courtney and Jake. “I know guys, I’m sorry. I guess I just thought the least you knew the better. I didn’t want to drag you both into all this.”
Courtney ruffles his short hair. “You’re our friend, Ty. We’ll always be there to help you.”
Ty nods. He gestures to the remote in Courtney’s hand. “Any chance I can have that back now you’ve given me what for?”
Courtney sighs and hands him over the remote. She looks around the room expectantly. “So where is he? This sex-on-legs of a boyfriend you gush over?”
“Hey!” Jake says, nudging her and giving her an accusing look. Courtney nudges him back.
“You know I only have eyes for you,” she reassures him and they both grin at each other.
I can’t help but smile watching them together, it is clear they are both smitten with each other. Courtney catches me grinning at them both.
“Don’t start,” she warns, trying to glare at me but fighting off a smile.
“What, so you can tease me about Grayson, but I can’t do the same to you? Because you two, I have to say, are too damn cute for words.”
Courtney’s cheeks flush, and she gives me the finger. “So, where is he?”
