Now after seeing how much Grace actually spends, I’m annoyed. She has barely spent anything, and I’m sure on some level, that is partly my doing. I’ve been an asshole to her, all the while she’s been trying to prove that all she wanted was my father.

“All right. I’ll pull the trigger, but know this will be on the news by the end of the night.”

“Good. It’s time everyone knows who she really is. Her protection ended the day she tried to ruin this family once again.” I hang up the phone and lean back in my chair. How am I going to make this up to Molly? I can’t even get her alone. She won’t answer my calls or texts. It’s miserable.

The messed-up part is Grace already said she forgave me. That she understood and was sorry I had a mother like Heidi who’d made me the way I am. That shit burned. I hate that my mother still has this hold over me in a fucked-up way. I want to blame her for me fucking this all up with Molly, but this is on me.

I open my desk drawer and pull out the small box, putting it into my pocket. My grandmother left me the ring when she passed. She too had seen right through Heidi. I remember her telling me that she was going to pass the ring down to me. I hadn’t had the heart to tell her I would never marry. I’m thankful for that because I would be a damn liar. I grab the folder and head out.

When I make it to the main house, my father catches me first. He pulls me into his office. I’m sure he had someone watching to see if I’d come up to the house. Not that I blame him. If he loves Grace the way I love Molly, I’d do the same if it meant keeping her from getting hurt.

“She’s not ready to talk to you.”

“I don’t care,” I clip. Anger flashes in my father’s eyes. “I know Molly better than you do. My girl often needs to be guided.” I want to say she needs a firm hand, but I keep it tame. He doesn’t need to know the ins and outs of how Molly and I work together.

“How long were you going to hide what the two of you have been up to?” he asks.

“I never wanted to hide it. I was giving her until graduation.” A graduation I had to miss. At least going with the family, but I’d been there, nonetheless. There was no way I wasn’t going to be there for that important moment in her life.

“You’re going to have to give me more here.”

“It’s not you I have to give anything. It’s Molly.”