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Back Nana Save as PDF
Chapters (70)
  1. Title page
  2. Prologue
  3. Part One
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. Part Two
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. Part Three
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. 53
  59. 54
  60. 55
  61. 56
  62. 57
  63. 58
  64. 59
  65. 60
  66. 61
  67. 62
  68. Get on the Mailing List!
  69. Also by Brandon Massey
  70. About Brandon Massey

Their Maltese, Duchess, was barking her head off when Troy opened the front door.

“Hey, you,” Troy said to the dog. Duchess sniffed the cuffs of his slacks and whined, detecting that food had been consumed in her absence.

Lexi scooped Duchess up into her arms.

“Lexi, she needs to be let outside to potty,” Troy said.

“I want Duchess to meet the new lady,” Lexi said.

Lexi brought the dog to Grace as she stepped inside the house, and two things immediately happened: Grace recoiled as if presented with a hissing rattlesnake. And Duchess started barking furiously, baring her teeth, looking eager to rip into Grace if she could have managed it.

“I didn’t know you had a dog.” Grace moved back to the threshold, one hand clutching the doorknob. A scowl twisted her features.

“Oh, Duchess is always such a sweetheart,” Monica said. She cooed to the dog, who would not be placated. “What’s gotten into you, little girl?”

Duchess snapped and snarled, her attention focused solely on Grace. Grace glared at the dog.

She’s definitely not a dog lover, damn, Troy thought. The woman looked as if she were eager to toss Duchess in front of a moving car.

Troy plucked Duchess out of Lexi’s hands—his daughter was struggling to hold onto her—and stroked the dog behind the ears. Petting her in that spot usually soothed her, but that time, it did nothing to calm her.

“I’ll take her outside to pee and run around for a little while, burn off some of this energy,” Troy said. “Monica, you can go ahead and show Grace to her room and let her get settled in, all right?”

Troy caught his mother’s eye as he turned to take out the dog. A look passed between them, and Troy could read his mother’s thoughts because they mirrored his own.

Duchess had always, without fail, been friendly to everyone.

Why didn’t she like Grace?

6

Monica led her mother upstairs to one of the guest rooms. The surreal feeling of having her own flesh and blood parent in her presence was strong as ever; she could barely focus on where she was walking because she kept glancing over her shoulder at Grace.

Grace, for her part, seemed quietly amused at Monica’s constant attention, her lips curved in a gentle smile. Her eyes absorbed every detail of the spacious house. Monica had never been truly comfortable with the size of their home—it seemed too ostentatious to her—but at that moment, she felt proud of what she and Troy had accomplished in owning such a place, and was eager for her mother’s approval.

At the bedroom’s threshold, Monica flicked the light switch.

“This is the other guest room, where you’ll be sleeping.” Monica hesitated, heart thudding. “Lily used to stay here when she would spend the night with us.”