Chapter Thirty Seven

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 Wes ~

My watch alarm went off and I dreaded the sound, knowing I had to meet a client for a training session in less than an hour.

"Dammit." I muttered under my breath as I slowly slid out from under Gracie.

She groaned a little but didn't fully rouse as I propped her up with pillows and went to her bathroom to put some cold water on my face. I raked my hand down my face feeling the scruff and stubble along my jaw.

I look like hell.

The stress of the night was all over my face and I looked like I hadn't slept in weeks.

I was trying to sort out my own feelings about Gracie and understand their intensity, contemplating how I was going to fix this shit when I heard her bedroom door open.

Mandy slowly stuck her head inside and made eye contact with me from the bathroom. She had a bottle of water in her hand and silently motioned for me to come out to the kitchen with her.

Shit. I don't have time to defend myself to you Mandy.

Letting out a hard sigh and keeping my face expressionless, I reluctantly followed her into the kitchen, mentally preparing myself for the verbal lashing I was about to receive from Gracie's overprotective friend.

"How is she?" Mandy asked as she put some scrambled eggs and bacon on a plate.

"Blacked out most of the night, asked me not to leave early this morning, but I've got a training session at the gym in 45 mins. He's my only lesson for the day so I can be back here in about two hours maybe less if I..."

Mandy's expression caught my attention and it was obvious that she wasn't listening to my words, waiting for her chance to speak. Something was wrong and she was about to tell me what it was.

"What?" I asked, furrowing my brows at her expression and body language.

"I don't know if she's going to want you to come back, Wes." Mandy said quietly.

Bracing my weight against the kitchen counter, I stared down at it, trying to keep my anger in check as I spoke to Gracie's friend.

"Listen, I know you hate me okay, but I didn't do this Amanda." I said, begging her with my eyes to believe me.

"I know that." She said quickly.

My head recoiled out of sheer surprise at her words and quick affirmation of my innocence.

"You...believe me?"

Mandy sighed and shifted her weight as if the words were difficult to say.

"I've seen the way you behave when you're caught in the act. When my friend confronted you about sleeping with someone else...you didn't deny it. You didn't even try to hide it. You reminded her that it was something you both agreed to and you weren't apologetic in the least. But last night...what I saw...the way you acted...I know you care for her Wes. And I know Trisha is full of shit."

Thank fuck.

I let my head fall back onto my shoulders as I let out a breath of relief that I had such a strong ally, grateful that I wasn't going to have to go to battle with Mandy over Gracie.

"Then help me. Help me convince her that I'm telling the truth." I practically begged.

There it is again, that look. There's something she's not telling me, but wants to.

"It's not going to be easy. In fact it just got a hell of a lot harder." Mandy said quietly.

Shit.

"Have you um, owned this shirt for long?" Mandy asked, giving the sleeve of my t-shirt a tug.

What?

"Years, why?"

Without saying a word, Mandy took her phone out and turned it to face me, displaying a picture that Trisha had posted. It was an old picture that she had taken of the two of us on one side, next to a picture of her wrapped up in my bed sheets with a caption that read: "When a good night turns into a great night."

"That's an old picture I swear. I wear this shirt all the fucking time." I said, gripping the counter so I wouldn't reach out and break her damn phone.

"You see what she's trying to do right?" I asked, in utter disbelief at how foul and malicious that Trisha was being, acting out of pure jealousy and nothing else.

"I do, but I don't know if Gracie will...someone tagged her in it Wes..." Mandy admitted.

Gritting my teeth, I ran my hand through my hair harshly a few times as I flexed every muscle in my upper body, trying to keep my anger in check.

"Fuck." I said loud enough to make Mandy jump.

The tension in the room was broken and interrupted when Gracie's tired raspy voice echoed from her bedroom.

"Wes?" She called out, which was music to my ears.

"Right here baby." I said loudly.

Mandy followed me into her room, carrying a plate of food while I carried a bottle of water.

Gracie was sitting on the edge of her bed, holding her head in her hands as she mustered up the strength and will power to stand despite her hangover.

I sat down beside her and wrapped one of my arms around her and held the water bottle out for her.

"Thank you." She rasped as she took a sip with a shaky dehydrated hand.

"I made you some breakfast to soak up some of that tequila sis." Mandy said, bringing the plate over to Gracie.

The second Gracie's eyes fell onto the plate they went wide then slammed shut as she dropped her head and started to take deep purposeful breaths.

I knew exactly what that meant and lifted her to her feet, taking her body weight as we stood together and headed toward the bathroom.

Lowering her down to the floor between my legs we sat in front of the toilet the way we had most of the evening at my place with her hair gathered in my hand.

"Get it out if you need to Gracie." I soothed, rubbing her back as she fought against the urge to vomit.

We sat that way for a few minutes without moving and I let Gracie lean back on me with her eyes closed as she breathed slowly, trying to regain control over her dehydrated little body.

"You need to rehydrate." I said, motioning for Mandy to bring me the bottle of water.

"Little sips." I instructed, unscrewing the cap and handing her the bottle.

Gracie did exactly as I asked and sat there with me until she felt well enough to stand.

"I'm okay." She said in a shaky voice as she stood from between my legs.

I pushed her up with my arms, making sure she was steady on her feet before I stood behind her.

"Sorry." Mandy said, scrunching her face with the plate out of sight.

"No, it's not your fault. I appreciate you babe. I just feel like shit." Gracie groaned.

Looking down at my watch I checked the time and internally cursed, knowing I had to leave soon. Gracie picked up on my tense body language immediately and addressed it.

"Do you have to work today?" She asked.

"Yeah, I've got a client coming in at 9:45."

"Please don't feel like you need to stay. I'm okay I promise...Jeez what time is it anyway?" Gracie asked as she reached for her phone.

"Gracie wait..." Mandy and I said almost in unison, but it was too late.

Squinting against the brightness of her phone, Gracie focused on the screen and I watched as her brows furrowed and her breathing changed. Her fingers moved to the screen as she zoomed in and focused hard on Trisha's post.

Don't believe it Gracie.

"It's not what you think." I said, knowing the cliche line wasn't going to help me.

Gracie sighed and shook her head with tears welling in her eyes.

"I've been hearing that phrase a lot from you in the past 24 hours Wes...But if it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, then it's a..."

"But it's not! I swear to you Gracie. I didn't do this. She's fucked up in the head and jealous so she's trying to make it look like something happened between us. But I'd never do that to you Gracie. Not ever. You know me." I was begging her, pleading with her to believe me, but I knew it was a losing battle when her eyes bounced down to my shirt then back up to my face.

"You couldn't have even changed your shirt?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at me before tossing her phone on her bed and brushing past me through her bedroom door.

"I wear this shirt all the time, it's a coincidence. That's an old picture."

Gracie was trying her best to be angry. She was trying to look angry and act angry and tough, but I knew better. My girl was hurting, that was pain on her face.

"Gracie I'll admit this looks bad. It looks really fucking bad, but you have to believe me."

"I don't have to do anything Wes." She snapped, wiping aggressively at a tear that had the audacity to fall when she was trying to act tough and angry.

"I think you should go, I need some space."

No, please.

"Please don't do this." I pleaded as we stood at her front door.

She paused and her chin quivered as she mustered up the courage to turn the door knob that she was holding.

Deep down she believes me, she has to...she's just scared.

"Go to work Wes, I'll call you later." She said with her voice cracking.

Dropping my shoulders, I did as she asked and walked out the door completely defeated and devastated. I wanted to tell her no. I wanted to stay and tell her I wasn't going to leave until she believed me, but that wasn't going to help the situation. She had to come to the conclusion on her own, but the waiting was going to kill me. 

"I'll put my phone on loud okay. I'll answer even if I'm at the gym, okay?" I said, turning my head over my shoulder as I walked down her steps.

She nodded at my words with tears pooling in her eyes and I knew she didn't want me to leave, but she was protecting herself...from me.

I can't let this happen, but what do I do?

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