Silent Love_Part Three

by Kenadee Bryant

  “Princess, it is just my grandma,” Gage said. He was laying down on my bed playing on his phone while I freaked out over what to wear. “You’ve met her before.”

  “Yeah, but we weren’t dating then. We are now. I want her to like me!” I reasoned, rifling through the rest of the clothes that were hanging up in my closet.

  “She already likes you. You can literally show up in a pair of sweats and I don’t think she would care.”

  “Gage! We are going over for dinner. I can’t look like a slob.” He didn’t know why this was so important to me.

  Yes, I had already met his grandmother, but Gage and I weren’t dating and that was months ago. I really wanted her to like me and see me as someone that wasn’t going to hurt her grandson. I knew they were both really close, so I wanted her to know I wasn’t going to ruin that or hurt her only grandson.

  Because of the way I was raised, I believed that family was an important thing. That was why Gage meeting my parents was such a big deal. I wanted them to accept him and have him see how much they mean to me. Now it was my turn. I wanted to be officially introduced to his grandma as his girlfriend.

  It sounded so stupid out loud and when I tried to explain it to Gage, he seemed confused. But to me it was important. Plus, I wanted to ask her if she would like to come over for Thanksgiving in a few weeks. I hadn’t exactly asked Gage if he wanted to come or not, but if he did want to I didn’t want to exclude his grandma. I wasn’t sure if they already had plans or not, but I did promise my mom I would ask if they wanted to join our family for the holiday.

  This was a casual dinner at his grandmother’s place, but that didn’t mean I could just show up looking like a hobo, nor could I show up looking too fancy.

  “Princess, just wear something warm and you are fine.” I could tell Gage was done with me fussing over my outfit. Seeing the time, I let out a loud sigh. We needed to leave soon, so I better just pick something and get ready. Whatever I chose would just have to do.

  “Fine.” I huffed as I grabbed the closest thing to me. With the outfit in hand, I left my bedroom and headed for the bathroom. Might as well change and do my makeup at the same time. Gage was fine in my room.

  I threw on a cream-colored sweater that was slightly too big and slid on a pair of light blue skinny jeans. The sweater was thick enough to keep me warm, and casual enough for dinner tonight. I quickly got started on my makeup and kept it light. I was not one for huge amounts of makeup anyway. It didn’t take long for me to finish my makeup and do my hair. I did not want to be late. I silently wished Macey was home to calm me down, but she was busy on a date night with Luke.

  Giving myself a little talk in the mirror, I was good to go. I smoothed out my sweater before leaving the bathroom and heading back to my bedroom to get some shoes.

  Gage was in the same position as when I left him. His long body was spread across my too-small bed, his feet dangling over the end. His hands were above his face as he held his phone up. The bottom part of his blue sweater rode up just enough for me to take a peek at the strip of skin that was exposed. He was all lean muscle, so of course I couldn’t stop myself from looking him up and down.

  Even with him laying down so casually on my bed, dressed in something so simple, he looked hot. So hot that I was glad he was all mine. There was no doubt other girls wanted him for themselves and that he could get any of them just by a look. But it made me feel good that he was all mine and he didn’t seem to be going anywhere…I hope.

  “Are you done undressing me with your eyes?” Gage suddenly asked, breaking my concentration.

  “I wasn’t staring I was…leering,” I said lamely before turning around to grab some shoes. Behind me Gage just laughed and moved to get off the bed. I peeked over my shoulder at him as he stretched his arms up, his body moving fluidly. He was very graceful, something I envied. I guess being an underground fighter worked in his favor. Sometimes he would sneak up on me, his footsteps quiet like a cat’s.

  Slipping on a pair of black Vans, I grabbed my purse and made sure I had everything. I probably didn’t even need it all, but it was out of habit. I was busy looking through my bag when I felt a pair of strong arms wrap themselves around my waist.

  “Don’t stress too much about it, Princess. My grandma loves you.” Gage laid his chin on my shoulder. Over these last few weeks, he had been really touchy-feely with me and I loved it. Before, he would hold my hand and kiss me, but now it was like he finally realized I was his. His hold on my hands were tighter, his kisses longer and harder. Even when we were in class, he would find a way to touch me—grabbing my thigh, my hand, placing his arm behind my chair and occasionally tracing his fingers along my neck.

  I loved this side of him, and no way in hell was I going to mention it to him. Whenever he wrapped his arms around me, like right now, I felt safe, wanted, needed. It was such a nice feeling to have from someone other than my father.

  For years I wondered what it would be like to be wanted and be protected by someone. What it would feel like to have a guy’s arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me back into the confines of his warm body. Lusting after Ethan for so long, I started to think I would never get that. That no one would give me that sort of feeling, besides Ethan. But now that was not the case. It was Gage who made me feel protected, loved, needed. And it was all I could have ever wanted.

  “Okay. No freaking out,” I said quietly as I leaned back against him. He was so firm, like a wall of protection. Even though I hadn’t known him that long—only four months—I already trusted him with my life. The day we got jumped outside of the gym helped prove he would do anything for me.

  ***

  The car ride to Gage’s grandmother’s place didn’t take long. When we pulled up in the driveway, I started to get nervous. I knew I shouldn’t be and that we had met before, but this time just felt different.

  I fidgeted in the seat as Gage unbuckled his seatbelt. I can do this. Don’t freak out, Carter. This is nothing. Taking a deep breath, I unbuckled myself and slid out of the car. The longer I sat there, the more I would try and talk myself out of going inside.

  The moment I rounded the front of the car, I grabbed Gage’s hand and laced my fingers through his. He gave me a quick kiss on the top of my head before tugging me toward the front door.

  We walked straight in and were met with the wonderful smell of homemade cooking. Being in college really made you miss your mother’s cooking more than you realized. Never take it for granted, I tell you.

  “Grandma! We are here!” Gage called out, shutting the door behind us. The place looked just like the last time I was here. It felt exactly like how a grandparents’ place should feel.

  “In the kitchen!” Over the last few weeks Gage had been with me all the time, so he couldn’t see his grandma as often as he was probably used to, something I felt terrible about. The moment we entered the kitchen, I couldn’t help but smile. The kitchen table was piled with food, and Rose was busy at the stove stirring something that smelled mouthwatering.

  “There’s my boy!” She stopped whatever she was doing and came to pull Gage into a tight hug. I dropped his hand and smiled at the two of them. Seeing them together made me miss my own grandparents. I hadn’t seen them in over four months.

  “And, Carter, it is great to see you again.” She beamed at me before also pulling me into a tight hug. I instantly relaxed in her hold and hugged her back. Why I was nervous about seeing her again, I didn’t know.

  “What is for dinner, Gram? It smells good,” Gage asked, moving around the kitchen to see what was cooking on the stove.

  “I’m making your favorite. Black bean soup with homemade rolls, salad, and your favorite cinnamon roll cake.” My mouth watered.

  “I hope you like soup, Carter.”

  “Don’t worry, Rose, everything you mentioned sounds amazing.” My stomach chose that moment to growl loudly, making me blush. “Sorry, I haven’t eaten since this morning,” I admitted shyly.
r />   “You are more than welcome to take a roll right now. Dinner should be ready in a few minutes.” Gage reached for the basket of rolls that was sitting on the counter, only to get his hand whacked.

  “What was that for?”

  “I said Carter can have one. Not you.” I bit back a laugh at the wounded expression on Gage’s face. He looked like a little kid.

  “But, Grandma, I’m hungry!” Yup, he was definitely like a little kid.

  “She is too thin. We need to fatten her up a bit.”

  “Trust me, Grams, she eats a lot.” He put emphasis on the last part.

  “Hey! I’m not a pig.”

  “You eat like one,” he muttered, once again getting hit on the head by Rose. I stuck my tongue out at him as I grabbed a homemade roll. I made a big deal of taking a bite of it, just to mess with him.

  “I hate women.” Gage said before going over to the table and plopping down in a chair. I chuckled and rolled my eyes at him.

  I was about to turn to ask Rose something before I felt something rub against my legs. Snickerdoodle the cat was rubbing up against my legs and purring loudly. I smiled down at her before getting down on my knees to rub her fur. Yes, I was one of those people that would immediately find the animal in a house, even if I was at a party. You would find me in a corner playing with the dog instead of socializing.

  “You know, right after you left a while ago, she wouldn’t shut up and kept staring out the window.”

  “Aww, did you miss me?” I cooed to the pretty kitty. After a few minutes of loving on her and having her rub all over me, I stood up.

  “Rose, do you need help with anything?”

  “You don’t have to help.” I cut her off.

  “I’d be more than happy to.” I moved to her side to see what she needed. After she gave me some instructions on adding some spices into the bowl, I got to work. I was busy with my task, but I heard her whisper something to Gage, which I hoped was a good thing.

  For the next little bit, I helped Gage’s grandma make the cinnamon roll cake. I’d never had one before and it sounded amazing. Of course Gage had to keep coming over to dip his finger in the batter. He couldn’t cook, but he sure could eat it.

  While I helped out and Gage sat there trying to sneak rolls into his mouth, Rose told me stories about Gage when he was little. I wish I could have seen Gage when he was fifteen years old and in that awkward stage. By the sound of it he wasn’t the cocky, handsome guy he is now.

  When we finally sat down to eat, I was starving. Everything looked and smelled so good that I had to refrain from stuffing it all in my mouth. After a glare from his grandmother, Gage let me get my food first before he started to pile his plate high. And he thought I was a pig.

  “Sorry about my grandson, Carter. He apparently lost all his manners.”

  “I have manners,” Gage said through a mouthful of roll. The both of us rolled our eyes at him.

  “So, Carter, Gage tells me you are the daughter to Layla Miller. That must be exciting. She is an amazing author,” Rose said.

  “My mom is pretty great.” I smiled thinking of my mom and reminding myself to call her later.

  “I have read all of her books. I bet she is excited that they are going to make a movie out of one of them.”

  “When she got the call about that, she literally almost made the windows break with her screaming.” I laughed at the memory.

  “Speaking of my mom, I wanted to ask you two something.” I guess now was the best time to ask if they wanted to come over for Thanksgiving.

  “Oh yeah?” I felt Gage move closer to me, and he placed his hand on my thigh, almost like he thought I had bad news. I squeezed his hand and shot him a smile before I continued.

  “I was talking to my mom the other day and we both wanted to see if you guys would like to spend Thanksgiving with us? I mean, a lot of my family will be there, but we would really like it if you came over.” I chewed on my bottom lip after I finished. When they didn’t say anything at first, I got nervous.

  “If you don’t want to or have other plans, that is totally fine! No pressure to come over.” The two of them shared a look before Rose broke out in a smile.

  “We would love to come over. Are you sure your parents don’t mind?”

  “Of course not. It was kind of my mom’s idea. We always have this tradition of everyone helping make dinner, then we go out back and play some friendly football before eating. I just don’t want to intrude on your plans, though.”

  “We don’t usually celebrate Thanksgiving anyway,” Gage said. “With it only being us, we normally just eat some dinner together. Dylan usually comes over as well.”

  “He can definitely come too.” I grinned. I was excited about spending a holiday with my boyfriend. I had never had one around the holidays, so this year was going to be great.

  “So…” Rose changed the subject. “Your father is that big CEO guy, right?” I bit my lip trying hard not to laugh at the way she described my dad. Definitely a different way of describing him.

  “Yeah, that’s him.”

  “Are you going to take over after college?” Rose asked. I finished what I had in my mouth before answering.

  “Actually, no. My older brother, Luke, will be the one taking over. I’m not one for math and telling people what to do. My brother wants to take over anyway, so it works out for me.”

  “Oh, what are you going into?” she asked curiously.

  “I’m majoring in photography and art, and hoping to also minor in education. Art and photography aren’t exactly the most secure jobs out there, so my parents made sure I had something else to fall back on just in case. I can always end up being an art teacher.”

  “As long as you love what you do, then that is all that matters. My husband was a plumber and carpenter. It wasn’t the highest paying job out there and he had to work hard, but he loved what he did.” Rose smiled at the mention of her late husband. “He always loved to help people and do things with his hands. He used to say, ‘If you don’t work hard for what you have—'”

  “You should have nothing,” Gage finished for her. I grinned over at him. He never really talked about his grandpa too much, but I knew for a fact he owed his grandpa a lot. He made him the man Gage is today.

  “He sounds like a great man.”

  “He really was.” I could tell Rose was getting a little chocked up on the subject, but she quickly moved on.

  “What about your grandparents, Carter? Will they be coming to Thanksgiving?” At the mention of my grandparents, I smiled.

  “They will. They are my father’s parents and are amazing. You’ll really like my grandma. She’s one of those ‘I want to make friends with everyone’ kind of people”

  “What about your mother’s parents?”

  “Grandma!” Gage butted in. “You are getting a bit personal, don’t you think?”

  I placed a hand on his arm. “It is okay, Gage. I don’t mind.”

  “My mother’s parents were…not nice people. We have never met them, and I don’t want to. I think they may have passed away a few years ago too.” It was years ago that my mother sat Luke and I down and told us about her parents. I think we were eleven and twelve years old when we asked if we had other grandparents. Everyone else in our grades had two sets of them and we didn’t, so we wanted to know why.

  After learning that her parents abused my mother, the both of us were glad we never met them and never would. Beside the fact that my father wouldn’t allow us to anyway, we didn’t want to. It did take us a few years to actually comprehend the whole thing, and it may have just made us hate them even more. After being raised with so much love, it was hard to think that someone you thought loved you and gave birth to you would be so cruel. Now, at eighteen, I could really not care less about them. I had one set of grandparents that were amazing, and I didn’t need another one.

  “It sounds like they had it coming,” Rose said, shrugging. I grinned and knew she would get
along with my mom and grandma for sure.

  “The food is amazing, Grandma,” Gage said, cutting in and breaking the serious tension.

  “It tastes amazing,” I added. Rose could definitely cook, and the fact it was all homemade just made it better.

  “Oh, speaking of food, before I forget, Dylan is supposed to come by. I accidentally mentioned food and the fat-ass immediately hung up.” I couldn’t help but laugh at her words. That was so Dylan. Right on cue, the front door swung open with a bang and a familiar voice yelled out.

  “I’m here to eat, bitches!”

  ***

  Two weeks later…

  “This day is going to be crazy,” Macey muttered as she finished the touches on her makeup.

  “Got that right. Everyone is coming, aren’t they?” I looked over at her.

  “Yup. Hope your mom is making enough food.”

  “You know my mom. She loves to cook big meals. Plus, we will get roped into helping out too.”

  “Damn it, there goes my plan of forcing Luke to stay in his room with me. My mom will definitely make me help out.” Macey groaned. Her idea sounded great, but neither of our mothers would let that happen.

  It was currently 10:20 a.m., and my mother told us to be there by eleven at the latest. We wouldn’t eat until three or later, but everyone was expected to come by around noon, which meant we had to come early to help out.

  Our house was going to be jampacked with people, that’s for sure. While I was excited about seeing my aunt and uncles and cousins, I was worried about Gage. I didn’t want this to be overwhelming for him or for his grandma.

  I quickly finished up my own makeup before leaving to my room to grab my shoes. My mother would kill us if we were late. Luke, Macey, Ethan, and me were going in one car and Dylan, Gage, and Rose would meet us at my parents’ house later.

  Glancing in the mirror, I looked over my appearance once more. I didn’t dress up too much considering I would be helping make food, and it was just my family. Family that had seen me in diapers.