Gray’s POV:
I ran a hand through my hair in obvious distress.
“No,” I shook my head. I then furrowed my eyebrows. “My parents didn’t leave a will. We didn’t have a legal guardian. The court appointed us to our only remaining family. Since I’m an adult… I can take care of her. I’ve never deprived her of anything, not like they have.”
“Right.” I nodded understandingly, biting my bottom lip in thought as I led him over to the bed and sat him down. “Does Aria know?”
Gray’s POV:
“No,” I answered quietly. “She doesn’t. How can I tell her that the people who treated us like dirt want her back?”
“If it gets more serious, then tell the court that they treated you like dirt. Maybe…” I bit the inside of my cheek. “I’d you could somehow record a phone call with your aunt and her evidence as to why she’s a terrible guardian..”
Gray’s POV:
I fell silent, sighing loudly.
“I don’t know,” I muttered. I felt a headache creep up at me, hammering wildly in my head. “I don’t know what to do.”
I took his hands in mine.
“What you need to do right now is take a deep breath. You’re not going to be a help to Aria in this state, so take a few minutes to relax. Have you eaten today?”
Gray’s POV:
“Tried,” I admitted. “Couldn’t stomach it.”
I stood, letting his hands slip from mine.
“Stay here, I’ll grab you something.” Making my way to the kitchenette, I threw a glance over my shoulder. “What do you want? Sandwich? Some fruit?”
Gray’s POV:
“Fruit’s fine,” I replied quietly, shrugging. I didn’t think I could eat it, but it was the thought that counted. “Do hurry, though. My hand misses your warmth.”
“Yessir,” I replied, trying to lighten the mood a little, despite the fact that my head was spinning from the onslaught of new and awful information. “I can make you some cocoa, too?”
Gray’s POV:
I shook my head.
“Just fruit,” I said, sighing deeply. Why did my life come along with so much drama? I’d even pulled Violeta into it. What even was my life?
“Alright.”
I returned to his side a few minutes later with a small bowl of raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and grapes.
Gray’s POV:
I thanked her softly, pulling her close to me so that she was perched up on my lap.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured. “My life is shit. I didn’t want to drag you into it.”
I leaned back against his chest, sighing deeply. “Gray, I’m your girlfriend. If I don’t want to help you sort out your problems and make you feel better, then there’s an issue here.”
Gray’s POV:
I chuckled, shaking my head.
“You’re one of a kind, aren’t you?” I murmured, kissing the top of her head. “Ah, this is dumb…”
“No, it’s not.” I pushed the bowl of fruit into his hands. “Now eat.”
Gray’s POV:
I obeyed silently, popping a strawberry in my mouth and chewing slowly.
“What if I ask Amanda to adopt Ari?” I said shakily. “Anything to prevent her from getting a hold on Ari.”
“Breathe,” I reminded gently, “And… that might actually work. But don’t outright ask her too, she might think you’re pressuring her, just explain the situation and say that you don’t know what to do.”
Gray’s POV:
“Will you come with me?” I asked quietly, not wanting to be alone. “I want you to meet her, anyway. She’s… helped me a lot.”
Sterling’s POV:
Ashley grinned back at us and hugged Lucas’s side. “Thanks, Eden. I’m glad you’re so excited. I still can’t believe that Luca and I are getting married…”
Eden’s POV:
“I can’t either,” I raised an eyebrow. “How did he propose?”
Gray’s POV:
“Will you come with me?” I asked quietly, not wanting to be alone. “I want you to meet her, anyway. She’s… helped me a lot.”
“Of course,” I promised quietly, craning my head to kiss his jaw.
Gray’s POV:
I took her lips in my own, my hand resting on the side of her head. I always felt at ease when kissing her. She gave me euphoria and I enjoyed every second of it.
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath before kissing him back. I tried to pour all my emotions into the kiss, muster all the comfort and tenderness I could.
Gray’s POV:
Normally, at this point, I would have chewed on her bottom lip, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I was too tired and exhausted to initiate something other than sweet and gentle, and I didn’t think Violeta wanted to, either.
Eventually, I pulled away, laying my head against his chest in order to listen to the beating of his heart. “I love you..” I whispered, “It’s going to be okay.”
Gray’s POV:
I closed my eyes, sighing softly.
“I love you, too…” I murmured. “Thank you, Vy. For being here for me. For not turning me away.”
It means a lot…
“I would never turn you away,” I promised, finding his hands and holding them tight.
Eden’s POV:
“I can’t either,” I raised an eyebrow. “How did he propose?”
Sterling’s POV:
Ashley grinned at Lucas lovingly as she explained, “He bought out an entire restaurant and hired people to pretend to be customers so that I wouldn’t get suspicious. And then after we were eating and had gotten dessert, he had them bring out the ‘special’. It was a plate of those little fortune cookies. I ate all of them one-by-one, and I could tell that it was killing him. When I finally opened the center one, it had the ring in it, and then he got down on one knee, have this beautiful speech that literally made me cry, and asked me to marry him. It was amazing…”
(When should they talk to Amanda?)
Gray’s POV:
I kissed her cheek, holding her hands tightly. I linked our fingers together before pressing a soft kiss on her knuckles.
“I love you,” I whispered against her skin. “So much.”
Eden’s POV:
“I’m glad he put in that much effort,” I chuckled, shaking my head. “Congratulations again. I’m happy for you.”