42. Grace

FORTY-TWO

GRACE

"Yeah, thanks Twyla. I'm sticking with my initial statement. I don't want the fans to be mad at Riggs. I deserved everything that happened," Tanner says to the head of the PR company he signed with this week. After everything that went down with my brother, he needed some extra help, and Maverick swore Twyla was just the bulldog he needed to make all of this drama go away.

It probably wouldn't have been nearly as bad if it weren't for all the videos that were posted to social media. Fans captured the fight from every angle, but with all the noise in the stadium, nobody heard the things Riggs was saying about why he was angry. I'm not justifying his actions because I'm still disgusted with my brother, but the media is making it look like he just randomly attacked Tanner for no reason. And although he made a statement saying he was in the wrong, the court of public opinion has already made Riggs the bad guy.

I continue listening to his conversation because nosiness will always be my most dominant personality trait.

"No, I don't think we'll be able to pull off a joint press conference. Like I said, I understand the reasoning behind everything, but we're not at a point where you'd be able to get us in the same room, agreeing on a common ground. I need more time to make that happen."

He pauses while she speaks for a minute.

"Okay. That sounds good. Let me know if you need anything else. Thanks." He ends the call, tossing the phone down on the table before dragging his hands down his face.

"What a fucking mess," he says on an annoyed exhale. "Everyone thinks I'm a perfect angel and that Riggs is just a shitty person for attacking me. Short of me renting a billboard that says ‘Hey, Valentine. Sorry I fucked your sister.' , they're going to continue making him out to be the villain."

I laugh, moving to sit on his lap. "Are you sorry you fucked his sister though?"

"No," he says, gripping my cheeks in one hand and smacking a kiss to my lips. "And I'll do it again." He reaches up, pinching my nipple through his Harvard hoodie, making me moan in the back of my throat.

"My innocent eyes!" Monroe says, slapping a hand over them as she enters the room, stopping to peek at us between her fingers. "Where do you want the paint cans?"

I scoff playfully, because she's anything but innocent. My best friend is known for making grown men weep, and I love that for her.

"Over by that wall," I say, directing her as the door to the lighthouse swings open and my dad walks through with a large package of new floorboards. Now that everything has had time to dry in here and we don't have to be concerned about mold growing, we're repairing the damage caused by the storms. We were going to hire contractors to do it all, but Tanner and I thought it might be fun to do it ourselves.

I've been traveling to work one day a week, then doing everything else remotely because the boutique has been slower than usual lately. I plan on staying at Tanner's place in Boston while I try to get back into the swing of designing clothes. I'm designing game day outfits for the Blizzard girls now, so it's better that I'm closer to them while I work, in case I need to measure or have them try things on as I go. Plus, sleeping next to my guy every night isn't a bad perk, either.

"The new chairs are set up by the firepit if you guys want to go sit out there!" Tanner's mom yells through the window as she pulls the utility gloves off her hands and shoves them into her back pocket. When Monroe and I got here after we closed up the boutique for the day, we were shocked to see everyone pitching in. We immediately changed into more comfortable clothes and started helping, moving around each other like this is the way it was always meant to be.

"What do you say, Bunny?" Tanner says, his eyes locking on the old hoodie that's still so long, you can't tell that I'm wearing shorts under it. "Wanna go make out by the fire for old times' sake?"

"Mmm," I reply quietly. "I'd rather go break in the new mattress while everyone's outside." I lean in, pressing my lips to his. It starts innocent, but as usual, it doesn't take long before he's using his tongue to massage mine while I whimper into his mouth.

"Well, I can promise I'm never going to be okay with you two tongue fucking out in the open," a voice says, prompting us both to whip around. My brother stands in the doorway, both hands in his pockets as he looks down at his feet.

"That's fair," Tanner replies, a hint of a smile tipping up the corners of his lips that are both still split but starting to heal. Riggs looks up, finally seeing the bruises his punches left behind.

"You okay?" he asks quietly, remorse showing in his expression.

"Yeah," Tanner says. "No fracture. I'm out for a week, but it looks worse than it is."

I sit quietly on Tanner's lap as long as I can, but when the silence becomes awkward, I have to say something. "Oh my God, you guys are best friends. Would you just apologize and get over it?" Riggs goes to argue, but I point my finger at him, making him close his mouth. "Tanner hurt me. Really fucking badly. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you what happened between us. But I love him, and I know that he would die before he ever breaks my heart again. We worked through everything and we're moving forward. So quit your whiny baby bullshit and make up already, because I want both of you in my life just like it used to be."

Tanner lifts me off him, pushing his chair back so he can stand. I hold my breath as he closes the space between them, stopping when he's about two feet away from Riggs.

"I fucked up," he says. "I betrayed you by going behind your back and hooking up with Grace, but I can't apologize for falling for her. I deserved to have my ass beat for leaving her…for leaving all of you , and I'm so sorry about that. I ran like a bitch because I didn't think I could ever be good enough for her. But I know now, and can promise you with absolute certainty," he turns to me, "that nobody will love that girl the way I do."

Tears fill my eyes, emotions overwhelming me at his words. This is what should've happened all those years ago. If it had, we wouldn't have lost so much time. But what matters most is that it's all over and we have a second chance to do it right. To see where our love story takes us.

My brother nods. "You've always loved her. Even before you knew what that meant. Doesn't make it any easier of a pill to swallow, but I'll try. As long as she's happy, I'm happy." He extends his hand. Tanner looks at it for a second before finally reaching his out and clasping it around Riggs', pulling him in for a hug. They pat each other on the back before backing away.

"Sorry about your face," my brother says sheepishly before raising a brow. "But if you hurt her again, I have no problem beating your ass a second time. "

Tanner laughs. "That'll never happen, but if it does, I'll let you."

I walk over, hugging my brother before I punch his shoulder. "You need to get your temper under control, you heathen."

He rolls his eyes. "Whatever. I'm a goddamn delight unless I'm provoked."

The door opens behind him, prompting us all to turn as Monroe comes through the door with her arms full of the painting supplies that we had loaded into the back of my car. As soon as she sees Riggs, a mask of disgust casts a dark shadow over her expression.

"Val," she says in a mocking tone. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Mayhem," he replies flatly. "We both know it's never a pleasure when you're involved."

My shoulders sag in annoyance as Tanner looks at me, clearly very confused. I shake my head as if to say don't ask before I take his hand and pull him outside, where our moms are planting flowers, and our dads are taking measurements so we can get the dock repaired.

"What the hell was that about?" he says, nodding back toward the house.

"I wish I knew," I reply. "You've heard of love at first sight. Well, Riggs and Monroe are the exact opposite. They met for the first time last year at the boutique, and they instantly hated each other. I gave up on trying to make them get along."

He looks back toward the house and I can tell the wheels in his head are turning, trying to figure it out, but there's no use. Those two are like oil and water. It's just the way it is.

He sits in a chair, pulling me down to sit in his lap as we watch the sun slowly lower on the horizon. I lean into him, remembering that summer, where we sat in this very spot, unable to stop ourselves from falling .

Maybe Riggs was right. Maybe we loved each other long before we knew what that meant. Tanner Lake is a part of me, just as I'm a part of him. It never mattered how many miles there were between us, or how many years we spent away from each other. We were always going to find our way back here.

This lighthouse has seen the best and the worst of our journey. It may have had to weather a few storms, just like we have, but it still stands strong after all this time. No matter what happens in the future, it'll always be the place we fell in love, the place we fell apart, and the place that saved us. And I've never felt more at home than I do right here, wrapped up in the arms of the boy next door.