The Color Of Grace (32 page)

I pressed my lips together and stared through the darkness,
hoping he’d continue. But he didn’t.

Time passed. Lying on my back, I stared up, unable to make
out his ceiling in the darkness. Cocking my head to the side, I glanced toward
his alarm clock. It wasn’t even ten yet.

“Hey, Grace.” His quiet voice rolled across the room, making
me shiver with little pinpricks of excitement.

“Hmm?”

“Are you interested yet?”

Since there was no way he could see my response, I grinned.
“I was always interested.”

He sounded rather smug with he retorted, “That’s what I
thought.”

Rolling my eyes, I muttered, “Don’t even think about
gloating to Todd or I’ll—”

“I wouldn’t dare,” he cut in, ire frosting his voice.

I settled but didn’t answer. After another moment, he said,
“When we have our first kiss…”

“
When
?” I
repeated, lifting my eyebrows.

“When,” he announced stoutly, “I think you should be the one
to decide when and where because any time’s good for me. Really. I mean, even
now would be perfectly fine.”

Chuckling out a silent laugh over his obvious hint, I once
again rolled to my side but still couldn’t see him across the black room. “Not
now.”

“Why not?” He sounded almost hurt.

“Because I’m using you for room and board right now. It’ll
have to be a time when neither of us feels like we have to kiss the other as a
means to pay them back for a service rendered.”

He sighed, a long, drawn-out sound. “Okay. Whatever. But
just so you know, I’m ready whenever.”

My cheeks began to ache from grinning so big. “Thanks.
That’s good to know.”

After another moment of silence passed, he started in again.
“You know what I said when I told you I hadn’t done anything with Kiera because
I didn’t want her to be my first?”

I held my breath and nodded. “Yeah.”

“Well, you’re not the type I want to be my first either.”

“What?” Instantly offended, I sat up to scowl across the
thick expanse of black separating us.

“You’re the type I want to be my last. You know...the settle
down and marry sort. If you’re my first, then I won’t get to—I don’t know—sow
any wild oats or anything.”

It took me a moment to think up a response. In truth, most
of his words made my tummy feel all fluttery with delight. He thought I was the
settle-down-with type? Wow.

Still. The not-wanting-me-to-be-his-first irritated me. I
didn’t like the idea of him being with another girl.

The same instant I muttered, “What does sowing one’s wild
oats mean anyway?” he said. “But I guess my parents were high school
sweethearts just like yours were, so maybe we’re just destined to follow our
family genes and start out already settled.”

As I grinned, he backtracked, answering my question. “Oh,
that phrase came from a wild weed in Europe.
When they started using it, everyone pretty much meant a person was acting
foolishly because it was foolish to sow—or plant or whatever—this wild weed
instead of planting good grain that could grow into a marketable product. I
have no idea how the sexual connotation got tacked on to it.”

“How do you know that?” I demanded. Only Ryder would know
the answer to my strange question.

“I don’t know. Read it somewhere, I guess.”

I snorted out an amused laugh. “I love you; you can be such
a dork.”

Still grinning and shaking my head a moment later, my own
words echoed back to me. Smiling at falling flat, I risked a cautious glance
across the room where Ryder had grown uncomfortably quiet.

Finally, I pulled in a breath and asked, “Did I just say
what I think I said?”

“Yeah,” he huffed. “You just called me a dork.”

My shoulders loosened, glad he wasn’t going to zero in on
the L-word I’d just thrown out there. “Well,
I’m
 
a nerd,” I explained.
“So, honestly, we complement each other nicely.”

“Hmm.”

I exhaled, relieved we weren’t going to discuss the rest of
my ill-timed comment.

Until he said, “You don’t really have a choice about loving
me, you know. Thing is, I don’t do the unrequited thing and since I fell for
you a long time ago, you were sort of just dragged into it, whether you liked
me or not.”

I arched a brow. “Excuse me?”

“I’m serious.” He sounded sure of himself. “I think it has
something to do with my big green eyes.”

I laughed. “Is that so?”

“My mom curses them all the time. Says she never can yell at
me properly whenever I do something wrong, because I just look at her with my
big green gaze and she melts every time. She claims that’s why I’m so spoiled.”

“I believe her.”

“So that’s why we’re stuck being in love with each other. I
dragged you into it.”

“With your big green eyes?”

“Exactly.”

Snorting out another laugh, I retorted, “Well, at least now
I know how you did it.”

“I figured you were curious.”

My insides glowed. I was surprised the pleasure didn’t soak
through my skin and light up the entire room. But seriously. Ryder Yates loved
me and I loved him. It was one of the best moments of my life. I felt so alive
and jittery, like I could throw off the covers, spring from the bed and simply
start dancing.

Ryder must’ve been equally alert, and in an especially
chatty mood to boot, because he talked on, teasing and making jokes until I had
to cover my mouth to keep from laughing too loud. It was after eleven thirty
when he groaned and muttered, “I think my painkillers are wearing off.”

Remembering where his mom had set the medicine on his
nightstand by the bed, I sat up. “Do you want more pills?”

“Na.” His voice slurred. “I think I’ll
just sleep it off.” A big yawn followed.

“Good night,” I murmured, lying back down.

“Night.” He shifted on the couch.

I felt guilty for stealing his nice, comfortable bed, especially
since he was in pain. But I knew he’d turn me down if I tried to trade him.
With a sigh, I once again stared up at the ceiling, listening to his breathing
change as he fell asleep. A while later, I followed him into oblivion, happier
than I’d been in a long, long time.

Chapter 24

The ringing of a phone woke me. Stirring under the tangle of
blankets on top of me, I shifted in the warm bed, irritated the annoying sound
had roused me. The ring came again, and then finally, thankfully, stopped. I
was almost out when I heard the voice.

“Hello.” Pause. “Yes, Ryder lives here. I’m his mother.”

The name Ryder didn’t reach me for another three seconds.
When it did, my eyes flew open. I sat up in bed. Across the dark room I could
hear even breathing as Ryder slept on. I hissed his name, but he didn’t
respond.

In the hall, the woman’s voice grew stronger as she came
closer to Ryder’s room. “Ma’am, I assure you, my son is not dating a girl named
Grace. I don’t even believe he knows a Gra—”

The door came open and the light from the hallway spilled
inside, falling on Ryder’s bed where I sat upright, clutching his blankets to
my chest.

The woman in the doorway gasped and jerked to a stop,
pressing a phone to her ear. Her mouth fell open as her stunned gaze latched
onto mine.

A split second later, she composed herself, clearing her
voice and saying, “Just a moment, please.” Covering the speaker end, she
lowered the phone to her waist and stared hard at me. “Are you Grace?”

I nodded, too afraid to talk.

She let out a disappointed sigh and lifted the phone back to
her ear. “I owe you an apology, Mrs. Struder. I guess your daughter is here
after all. I’m so sorry. I had no idea—what’s that? Yes, yes, of course…” As
she gave my mother directions to their house, Ryder finally began to stir on
the couch.

Lifting his head, he winced against the light from the hall
and raised a hand to shade his eyes. After squinting around his fingers, he
said, “Mom?” just as she disconnected. “What’s going on?”

At the sound of his voice, Mrs. Yates let out a shriek of
surprise and spun his way. “Ryder!” she accused. “What’re you doing on the
couch? And why is there a girl in your bed?”

“Huh?” he slurred, glancing down to find himself stretched
lengthways under a throw blanket.

As his eyes popped open, he zipped his attention to his bed
and froze when he saw me gawking back. Jerking into a sitting position, he spun
back to send his mom a guilty smile.

“Busted.”

Crossing her arms over her chest, Mrs. Yates arched a brow
and tapped her foot, waiting for him to start talking.

He didn’t disappoint. “Mom, I can explain.”

She smiled stiffly. “Oh, good. I was hoping someone would.”
Then the fake smile fell, and her eyes went cold and hard. “Get up. Both of
you, please.”

I flew out of the bed, noticing Ryder was just as quick to
scramble off the couch. As we both straightened our spines with our hands held
stiffly down at our sides, ready to take our punishment, Mrs. Yates sighed as
she shook her head, glancing from me and then back to Ryder.

Then she focused on me, or rather on my clothes. “Do you
have something else to change into?”

I nodded, glad she wasn’t going to make me face my mom in a
pair of pajamas.

“All right then. You change. And you—” she narrowed her eyes
on Ryder “—will come into the hallway and explain this mess to me. Right now.”

Ryder lowered his head and began to follow her without
resistance until he glanced my way. He paused abruptly, his gaze growing
untrusting.

“Make her change in the guest bathroom down the hall,” he
said suddenly, shocking both his mother and me. He glanced toward Mrs. Yates.
“If she’s left in here alone, she might climb out the window and escape.”

I gasped, hurt and betrayed he would throw me under the bus
like that. The thought of climbing out the window hadn’t even crossed my mind.
Though after he mentioned the idea, it would’ve been a good plan.

“Smart thinking.” His mom motioned me forward. “Grace, there’s
another bathroom this way.”

Grinding my teeth, I gathered my bag and shoes and reluctantly
started toward the doorway leading into the rest of the house.

When I met Ryder’s eyes, he winced as a way to apologize.
“You gotta settle this,” was all he said.

I straightened my chin and stepped into the hallway. Mrs.
Yates showed me to the guest bathroom, and I moved inside, shutting the door,
before I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead against the wall.

Mom was going to be here in a matter of minutes, and she’d
probably bring that creepy husband of hers. I had no idea what I was going to
say, how I was going to explain. I wanted to linger in that bathroom for the
rest of my life, but I ended up hurrying as I yanked on my street clothes and
stuffed my pajamas into my book bag. Then I opened the door and followed the
sound of two adults ripping into Ryder.

When I entered the living room, I found him staring at the
floor as a man and woman demanded to know what he’d been thinking, why a girl
was in his room, and how they were going to explain this to my mother.

He looked a lot like his dad, I decided as I set my book bag
on the floor. Mr. Yates had a couple distinguished gray streaks in his hair,
but their build and facial features were nearly identical.

No one noticed me; Ryder’s parents were too busy demanding
an explanation and he was trying to calm them both down.

“First a fight, then suspension, and now a girl’s sleeping
in your bed. What in the world, Ryder? Forget tomorrow, you’re telling us
everything. Right now.”

Ryder sighed and pressed his thumbs against his temples.
“The fight and suspension have nothing to do with the girl.”

Folding her arms, his mother arched an eyebrow. “Oh, really?
So Kiera knows all about this…this
Grace
 
girl sleeping over with you then?”

“Kiera,” Ryder growled with a bitter curl to his upper lip,
“is the reason for my fight and suspension. She cheated on me with Todd. And I
caught her…in the act.”

The announcement stunned his parents speechless long enough
for Ryder to continue. “And Grace has nothing to do with any of that. She came
here because she needed help. So, I’m helping her.”

“Helping her with what?” his father recovered from his
surprise quickly enough to ask.

Ryder clamped his lips tightly together.

“Well?” his mom demanded.

Scowling, he shifted an uncomfortable step backward and
ducked his head. “I can’t say.”

“Oh, yes, you can. You’ll tell us everything. Right now.”