Page 73 of The Blessing

“They weren’t thinking clearly. How could you possibly provide for him, Trevor? Do you really think you can give him a good life?”

Now, I do roll my eyes. “I do give him a good life. I love him as if he is my own son.”

“But can you support him?” Mae challenges. “Can you raise him right?”

Suddenly, I feel bad for her. She’s worried for her grandson—and fuck she’s already lost so much. Because of this, I decide not to act like a complete jackass. Let her rip into me if she wants—if it makes her feel better. She probably knows she’s bringing up my worst fears and insecurities. I wouldn’t doubt it if she’s enjoying throwing them in my face for some sick reason. Hell, perhaps I’m just not understanding her. Maybe she’s endured so much pain she no longer knows how to behave properly. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt, let it go, and move on.

“I’m doing the best I can,” I grit out honestly. “Every day I wake-up and vow to do the best I possibly can. That’s the most I can do. That’s the most any of us can do when it comes to raising a child.” This shuts her up for a moment, so I continue. “I can understand why you don’t approve of me, but I’ve changed. I’m not the man I once was. My brother’s death was the catalyst for me becoming a better person. Everything I do, I do for Grey. And if that’s not enough—I don’t know what the hell will be.”

Ronnie returns with a now happy Grey before either Mae or Lincoln can respond to my comment. She must sense my unease because she doesn’t hand him off until I take a deep breath and tell her to. Mae’s face is abashed, but she doesn’t look very apologetic. Lincoln looks exactly like his wife, letting me know that while he didn’t voice his opinion, he definitely agrees with her.

“What happened?” Ronnie asks as soon as they’re out of earshot.

“Nothing,” I sigh, but she nudges me and I know I have to continue. “They were just tearing into me again about being Grey’s guardian.”

“Well, fuck them,” she calmly exclaims, taking me by surprise. Ronnie rarely swears but whenever she does, I want to kiss the hell out of her. It’s so raw, honest, and an insane turn-on.

“I guess I can understand where they’re coming from. They’re just looking out for their grandchild’s best interest.”

“I know, but you lost someone, too. And you’re doing the best you can.”

“Maybe they’ll warm up to the idea of me being Grey’s guardian eventually.” As I look across the room and watch Mae and Lincoln playing with my son, I can’t help but feel happy. I’m glad he has more people in his life that love him. As long as they’re good to him, that’s all that matters. I don’t care if they feel the need to treat me like shit. “Honestly, I’m just happy he hasn’t decided to call you ‘mama’ while they’ve been around. I’ve been paranoid about that.”

Ronnie nods. “I have, too. I didn’t want to have to explain that to the parents of his real mother. It would be terribly awkward for me.”

“You’re okay with him calling you that though, right? I know you love him like your own, so I’m sure it’s only natural he believes you’re his mother.”

“I’m okay with it,” Ronnie says a bit shyly.

We skipped lunch, except giving Grey some snacks to tie him over so we can stay at the museum for a few more hours. We finally decide to head out for an early dinner before we say our goodbyes. Neither Mae nor Lincoln ever really warmed up to me, but by the end of dinner they both seemed at peace with the fact that I’m Grey’s guardian. This seemed to be their first steps in accepting their daughter’s decision. They were sad to see their grandson go—but I assured them that we’d try to visit as often as possible. We snapped a few pictures of them with Grey, so they’d have something to remember this trip by. It’s nice seeing him in the loving arms of his grandparents. I’d been close to my grandma. She’d always treated Dean and me equally. She was one of the few people who always made me feel truly cared for. I’d been a mess for a long time after she died.

Before we leave the museum to head back to the hotel, I text Lincoln the pictures. I hope it’ll be something for them to hold onto while their grandson is hours away in Evergreen. As we begin to walk to the car Lincoln stops me, asking if he could have a word before we take off. I’m wary at first because the last time they had a moment alone with me they reminded me just how shitty they thought I was. However, the look on his face tells me this conversation will be different.

“Look, Trevor,” he starts off as soon as we’re out of earshot from everyone else. “I know we haven’t been too kind to you on this trip, but we really want you to know that we appreciate you. We appreciate you taking the time to drive all the way here to bring Greyson for a visit with us. I’m just hoping the way we’ve acted hasn’t scared you away. Mae can’t travel… and I hope you know how much we love our grandson and I hope the way we treated you doesn’t hinder your decision when it comes to allowing us to see him again.”

I can’t tell if he’s apologizing to me, or merely bullshitting me so I’ll feel bad enough to bring Greys back for another visit. “Is this an apology?” I question incredulously.

Lincoln’s quick to nod. “Of course, we’re very sorry, Trevor. I know my daughter would’ve been mortified if she were here to see the way we’ve treated you and your girlfriend.”

I take a deep breath, still not completely buying it. “It’s all right. I know how hard things have been and I understand.” I begin to walk away, but Lincoln remains where he is, standing on the edge of the parking lot. I turn, not wanting to stoop to their level by treating them the same way they’ve been treating me. “We’ll come back as soon as we can, Lincoln, I promise. You’ll get to see your grandson again. I want him to have as many people who love him in his life as possible.” Lincoln seems satisfied with this and I give him one final wave goodbye before walking away.

“What was that about?” Ronnie asks as soon as I slide into the car.

“He just wanted to apologize and wanted to ask if we were going to bring Grey back to visit.”

“What did you say?”

“I accepted his apology and said we’d come back as soon as we could.”

“So, he apologized for his behavior,” Ronnie says with a disbelieving laugh. “After the way they were looking at us all night I would’ve never imagined.”

“Well, it wasn’t much of an apology. But I didn’t want to stoop to their level and get all vindictive.”

“You’re a great person, Trev. Much more patient than I would’ve been.”

“Yeah.” I chuckle. “I saw the looks you were giving them.”

“Well, I have to protect what’s mine,” she says without shame.