Mended Hearts (New Beginnings Series)

by Mandie Tepe

  “I just wonder . . . if I handled things differently, my baby would be here right now.”

  “Gracie . . . the only thing he wanted from you was a pass. You couldn’t be expected to give him that. It’s all his fault, not yours.”

  “I know that . . . usually,” she said.

  He tilted her face up to look at him. “On the days you forget it, please call me. I’ll remind you.”

  They both heard Mathias clear his throat and looked up to where he stood next to them. He sat down on the coffee table in front of them again. “I talked to Mom and Dad. Well, I talked them both down. They were on the verge of jumping into their car and driving down here, but I convinced them everything was under control.”

  “Good,” Gracie said as she moved back to the other side of the couch and curled up again.

  Sonny was sad to see her go.

  “If you feel better in a little while, you might call them too. If they hear your voice, they may be less likely to change their minds and come anyway.”

  She nodded. “Okay. I can do that.”

  Mathis looked over at Sonny. “We never fed you, dude.”

  “That’s okay. Not very hungry anymore.”

  “Well, we should eat anyway. How about ordering something in? I don’t think any of us are in the mood to go out.”

  Sonny leaned over the arm of the sofa to pick up his crutches. “I can run out to get something and bring it back.”

  “No, no . . . I’ll call in an order. I found a number for a Chinese delivery service. What sounds good?”

  “Nothing, man. Just order whatever.” Sonny looked over at Gracie. “How about you, Gracie? What sounds good to you?”

  “Nothing, man,” she said with a small smile, mocking him. She looked at Mathias. “Just order. We’ll probably all just pick at it anyway.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Gracie sat in the parking lot of Sonny’s building the next morning and looked at the clock on her cell phone. Ten forty-five in the morning. She wondered what time he had gotten home and debated just leaving and calling him later. But she really wanted to see him, so she dialed his number after all.

  “Hello?” Sonny answered groggily.

  “Um . . . Good morning, Luca. It’s um . . . it’s Gracie,” she said tentatively.

  She heard bedclothes rustling and his voice sounded more alert. “Gracie! How are you this morning? Is everything okay?”

  “I’m feeling stronger. Thanks.” She cleared her throat. “Are you still in bed?”

  “Well . . . yes. I can’t lie,” he snorted.

  “Oh. Okay. I’m sorry, Luca. I’ll talk to you later . . .”

  “No, no. I need to get up. Do you want me to come over there?”

  Gracie gave a little laugh. “Actually . . . I’m sitting out in your parking lot. Do you mind if I come up?”

  “No! Come on up. Walk slow,” he said.

  As she walked—slowly—up the sidewalk, through the door, and up the stairs—toward his apartment—she thought about the night before. He’d been so understanding and supportive. She’d been humiliated as Mathias told him her and Rob’s sordid story. He didn’t seem to think any less of her, though. Maybe she should have confided in him all along. But she was trying so hard to rebuild her life here and leave that all behind. It was nice to have a new friend who only saw her—not the weak girl she felt she’d been back then.

  Gracie was trying to figure out how to knock on the door, with her hands full, just as it opened. She smiled when his eyes lit up at the sight of the two venti-sized Starbucks cups in her hands.

  “Which one’s mine?” he asked, even before saying hello to her.

  She held out the regular coffee and kept the latte for herself. “It’s black,” she said as he took his first healthy sip. “And really hot,” she added as he gasped. She held up a paper bag. “I brought cream and sugar . . . and apple turnovers and cinnamon rolls.”

  He favored her with a fervent, “God bless you!” as he took the bag from her. He bypassed the cream and sugar and pulled out a fresh apple turnover, took a big bite and finally gave her his attention.

  Her heart stuttered as she studied him. He looked rumpled, with a terrible case of bed head and scruffy beard. He’d thrown on his jeans and the same white button-down shirt he’d had on last night. It was a wrinkled mess this morning, though, while it had been neatly pressed the night before. He’d left the cuffs open—they flapped over his hands—and had only bothered with a few of the buttons up the front—and those where fastened in the wrong holes. He looked adorable. He really was something, she thought, as he smiled at her.

  “So, angel of mercy . . . to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

  Gracie laughed. “Well . . . considering I woke you up and you’d still be happily snoozing away, I wouldn’t say my visit was a pleasure.” She moved over to sit at his dining table. “Add to that the fact that you were out late because of me too.”

  “I needed to get up anyway. You brought coffee and breakfast, and I get to look at your pretty face first thing in the morning. It is a pleasure.”

  She smiled tentatively as he sat across from her. “What time did you leave my house?”

  “About three. I woke up in the chair and you were out like a light on the couch. I would have pushed Mathias out of your bed and tucked you in there, but . . . my bum leg wouldn’t let me carry you in there.”

  “Well . . . I feel terrible that you stayed over so late.”

  “Don’t. Like I said, I did sleep in the chair for a while, and came home and got more sleep.”

  She shook her head. “Well . . . that couldn’t have been good for your knee—sleeping in a chair that way.”

  “I’m fine.” He paused to study her face. “You look good, Gracie. Feeling better about things this morning?”

  “I am. Sometimes a good breakdown is good for the soul. I’m just sorry you got dragged into it,” she said regretfully.

  “I’m not. Just remember I’m here for you and I’m happy to do whatever you need me to. Or if you just need a shoulder to lean on. Okay?”

  “Okay. Thanks so much, Luca.”

  They sipped their coffee in silence for a while. He looked her over and said, “You look nice this morning.”

  She glanced down at her wheat-colored cropped jeans and brown tunic with beige, tan and celery embroidery around the front button placket. “Thank you. I’m on my way to work.” She glanced at her watch. “I’ll have to leave here in a few minutes. I just wanted to check on you and thank you again for last night.” She smiled. “Make sure Mathias and I didn’t scare you off.”

  Sonny laughed, “No way. What’s Mathias up to today?”

  “I don’t know. He was still sleeping when I left. You’ll hear from him, I imagine. He may want you to plot with him.”

  He looked at her questioningly.

  She shrugged. “He’s the big brother. His first instinct is to try to fix my problems. You know . . . go beat up the bully.” She shuddered. “Luca, I really don’t want him to contact Rob—in any way. I don’t want to suck you into it more, but if he brings it up . . .”

  “I’ll try to talk him down. Are you sure it wouldn’t be a good idea for someone to speak to Rob, though?”

  “No. I really feel that if I ignore him, he’ll go away. He’s never been that brave a person. You know what I mean? He’ll fade away. I think it has to do with the fact that we’re coming up on the two-year anniversary since we lost the baby. That’s probably what prompted the letter.”

  “Oh, Gracie . . . I’m so sorry. I’ll talk to Mathias. It’ll be okay,” he said soothingly. Sonny’s phone rang and he glanced at the screen, but didn’t answer it.

  “Aren’t you going to pick up?” Gracie asked.

  “It’s Meg. I’ll call her back.”

  “No, answer it. She’ll be worried if you don’t,” she insisted.

  “Okay.” He connected the call. “Hey, Meg. How’re you?” Gracie could hear Me
g chattering away, but couldn’t make out her words.

  “Really? Meg! That’s great! When . . . “ He nodded and made a few noises, but didn’t say anything to let Gracie know what was going on. “Of course! I’d like to be there. Just let me know wh . . . Yeah. I really want to see them too. Okay. Thanks, Meg . . . love you too. Bye.” He hung up the phone, grinning ear to ear.

  “Looks like good news,” Gracie prodded, but not wanting to seem nosy.

  “Great news! The team is coming home. They should be back by the end of next week.”

  “Oh, Luca! That’s great. She must be over the moon.”

  “She is.” He blew out a breath. “You don’t know what a relief it is. This is my first time experiencing it from the families’ side. You know? I’m usually over there with them, working, and I don’t see the worry they go through. I think this is worse.”

  Gracie nodded and glanced at her watch. “I’d better get going. I have to be there at noon and I never know how bad the traffic is going to be.” She stood up and picked up her handbag. She stepped around the table, bent down and hugged Sonny. “I’m so happy the guys are coming home.”

  “Me too.” He stood up, to lean on his crutches and follow her toward the door.

  “Don’t get up,” she exclaimed, but it was too late. She shook her head at him. “What’re you going to do today?”

  “Well . . . first I’m going to call all the wives and share in the celebration. Then I’m going to call Mathias and see what he’s up to. I start my rehab on Monday, so I only have a few more days to be a slug. I think I should probably enjoy it while I can,” he laughed.

  “Yeah, right. I know how much you’ve enjoyed being a slug up to this point,” she said sarcastically. “Maybe you and Matty can go to dinner. I have to be at Savannah’s after work.”

  “Okay. I’ll try to keep him occupied so he won’t get into any trouble.”

  “Thanks again—for everything.”

  “No need to thank me. You have a good day playing with those kids.”

  She beamed at him. “That is a good way to spend the day.” She closed the door behind her and he moved back toward the rest of his coffee and his phone. He was looking forward to calling his friends’ wives and sharing their happy news with them.

  • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

  The rest of the week went more smoothly. Sonny and Mathias spent a lot of time together while Gracie was at work. It was nice to catch up.

  They went to Savannah’s Thursday night to hear the band, and so that Mathias could scope things out for himself. Sonny could tell he felt better about her situation after that. The bar was nicer than he had imagined, and they had good security. He had questioned the bouncers and was satisfied that they would be watching over Gracie. Sonny knew that embarrassed her, but she handled it well. He did notice she had pulled them aside later and apologized to them for her brother. They just laughed, though. Sonny left early that evening. With his physical therapy starting in a few days, he didn’t want to push his luck and was being really careful not to put too much stress on his leg.

  Meg had called on Friday to see if he had plans, and when he informed her that he and Mathias were going back to Savannah’s, she invited herself along. Sure enough, when he and Mathias walked through the door, there she was . . . with several others—Tobi, Declan, Scott, Kelli and Anthony. They had commandeered one of the tables near the dance floor and had two extra chairs saved for Sonny and Mathias.

  Sonny introduced Mathias to the others and they settled in. The guys had already ordered a couple of pitchers of beer, and the ladies were drinking wine. Declan reached over and poured two more mugs for the newcomers. Just then, one of the waitresses showed up with an onion blossom, buffalo wings and queso dip with chips. She placed a stack of plates and napkins on the table, asked if anyone needed anything else, and faded back into the early Friday night crowd.

  Sonny glanced over the food and nudged Tobi, sitting next to him. “Splurging, are we?”

  She laughed. “It’s Friday night after a long week of plain egg white omelets and dressing-free salads. I’m splurging! These guys could eat like this everyday and it doesn’t affect them at all,” she said in disgust. She handed him a plate and they dug in.

  He teased Declan, “What are you doing here, playa?” Which broke up everyone at the table. Declan was a talented hip hop/break dancer and didn’t look the country bar type at all. “One of these things is not like the other,” Sonny continued, quoting the old Sesame Street game and gestured to Declan’s low-slung jeans, neon green and orange track jacket—zipped up to his chin, and equally bright colored kicks. At least he wasn’t wearing the ever-present trucker’s cap—cocked sideways on his head—but he was rocking a modified faux hawk.

  “Hey, music is music. Anyway, maybe I can teach these two-steppers a few moves,” he smirked.

  “Don’t get cocky,” Meg warned. “I think you’d be surprised at the moves they could teach you.”

  “I know. I was just kidding,” he said.

  Sonny felt someone walk up behind him and stop between him and Mathias. He turned his head to see it was Gracie, looking sexy in low-rise jeans and those flat-heeled western boots she’d been wearing the first night he’d seen her perform. She had on a filmy, ruffled blouse in bold floral colors, with tiny metallic strands threaded through the fabric, over a simple white camisole. Her hair smelled like the lilac bush his Gran had planted by the back steps of his boyhood home. Gracie had some of it caught up away from her face, with the rest tumbling down her back in full waves. She was holding a glass of lemon water in her hand. Her nails were painted a dark rose pink this time, matching her lipstick.

  She smiled shyly around the table. “Hey! Thanks for coming out tonight.”

  Meg laughed, “I hope you don’t mind us all ambushing you. Would you have liked some warning?”

  “No, no. I’m glad you’re here.”

  She chatted for a while and then excused herself to join the band on stage and start the first set of the night. They kicked it off with a rousing version of the old Garth Brooks song, Not Counting You, and the dance floor immediately filled up with those two-steppers Declan had been referring to.

  It was another great night for Sugar Creek. Sonny was more impressed every time he saw them perform. Halfway through the second set, the band broke into Joey and Rory’s Cheater Cheater and—as it did every time she sang a cheating song—the emotion poured out of Gracie. This one, being a fun tongue-in-cheek—yet angry—song, she really let loose.

  Tobi laughed, “Boy she really nails those cheatin’ songs, doesn’t she?”

  Mathias said bitterly, “Yeah, well . . . I guess you really feel what you’ve lived.”

  Tobi—and everyone else at the table, really—looked startled for a moment. “Oh,” she said in embarrassment. “I didn’t . . .”

  He smiled grimly at her. “No worries. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  Tobi glanced uncertainly at Sonny. She knew she’d touched a nerve, but didn’t know what to do about it. Her mouth inadvertently got her into trouble on a regular basis.

  Meg quickly changed the subject and lightened the mood. She was good at that. The rest of the evening went on pleasantly, everyone but Sonny and Mathias leaving at the beginning of the last set. They had all said goodnight to Gracie during the break and promised to come back. Declan had cozied up to one of the cowgirls and learned some new moves from her, so he was especially excited about hanging out there again—even hoping to get some of his crew to join him.

  Sonny and Mathias moved to the bar after they had all left. Sonny glanced over at Mathias in concern. He’d seemed kind of quiet that evening and Sonny wondered what was up with him. “You okay, Mathias?” he asked.

  Mathias, who’d been staring into his beer, snapped his head around to look at Sonny. “Yeah. Fine.” But he continued to study Sonny’s face.

  Sonny was starting to get a littl
e uncomfortable. “Are you sure?” he asked uncertainly.

  Mathias turned on his barstool until he faced Sonny. “I guess I’m just feeling weird about leaving her in the morning. She seems stronger, though, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah, she does. I think she’ll be okay.”

  “Yeah.” Mathias nodded.

  “I’ll keep an eye on her,” Sonny reassured him.

  “I know that.” He continued to study Sonny. “Thanks.” Just as Sonny started to squirm, he continued, “There’s something going on with you and Gracie, isn’t there?”

  Now it was a full-on squirm. “Um . . . not really . . . I mean . . . I like her . . . but . . .”

  Mathias smiled ruefully. “Don’t get all freaked out, Luca. I just want to know what’s going on. I’m not going to jump you in the alley or challenge you to a duel.”

  Sonny sat for a moment taking stock of what it really was he had been feeling. He hadn’t let himself analyze it too much up until now. He turned his bar stool to face Mathias head-on too. “Okay.” He huffed out a sigh and dragged his hand through his hair, pushing it back off his forehead. “I like Gracie. She’s been a good friend to me and, I hope, I’ve been a good friend to her.”

  “You have been, Luca. I appreciate it.” Mathias motioned for him to continue. He knew there was more to come.

  Sonny squeezed his eyes shut. “I am really attracted to her.” He opened his eyes and gauged Mathias’ face for a reaction. There was none. “I would like for there to be more between us.” He paused again, wondering how much it was going to take for Mathias to say something . . . or shove him off the stool onto the peanut shell-covered wooden floor. He blew out a breath and decided to go for broke. “She’s beautiful, but there’s a lot more to her. She’s a lot stronger than she realizes . . . she’s funny . . . and caring. She’s still skittish, but I can see how hard she’s working at getting her feet back under her. I admire the hell of her. I’d like to be there to help her see how much she still has to offer. That someone could still make her happy. I want to be that someone.” There. He’d said it.