Grace (BWWM)

Chapter Twelve

I glance at Rose who maintains a smile that has me worried. She's had that smile for the past few days now, and I'm almost afraid to ask about it. It's a knowing smile, and it's odd seeing that, as I'm the adult here. I almost feel like a kid caught doing something I wasn't supposed to do.

And then there's Austin, too. He is much more open and up front as he glances between Grace and I every time we stand even remotely close to one another. As for the twins, they don't reveal anything, and I think only Rose and Austin know what's going on between Grace and me.

I'm this close to dubbing those two the observance committee. It's a small committee, but I think the name is fitting.

I arrive at Grace's home one afternoon after an eight-hour shift and I'm prepared to face the committee's knowing stares once more. But when the front door opens, my thoughts are cut short by an upset-looking Ty. Ty is not often upset, so alarm bells go off in my head.

"Hey Uncle Joe," his now-deeper voice says. Ty is no longer a kid, and I'm proud, but I also find myself thinking sometimes that time is going by faster than I'd like.

"Hey Ty, what's up?" I ask, stepping inside. We shake hands and he shuts the door before nodding over to the living room. I take my shoes off and follow.

I find everyone there, and there's a heavy atmosphere in the room. Grace stands, greeting me along with the others.

"Hey everyone," I say, lifting a hand. My mind runs as I try to guess as to what might be going on. I look to Grace, and she looks at Austin. I follow her gaze and realize he's standing in the middle of the room. Naturally, my eyes then go to Rose, and I see her eyes misting over. I don't think I've ever seen Rose cry before, and it's not something I want to see.

"What's going on?" I finally ask. Austin hesitates but then steps forward.

"I'm going to a military academy," he says, and I blink, not expecting that at all.

"A military academy?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Virginia." The word rolls around in my head for a good minute, not setting in for some reason. But then it does, and I frown, feeling the rug pulled out from underneath me.

"Virginia," I echo.

"There's an all-boys academy there and they train guys up and everything," he rushes.

"Virginia," I repeat.

"It's a four-year program they have there-"

"Four-year program?" I ask in disbelief.

"I'll try out the first year and see what happens though."

"Four years."

"It'll fly by quick, Uncle Joe," he urges, and I scrub a hand down my face before looking to Grace. She looks back at me and even though she tries to hide it, I know how she's feeling about this.

"So you want to leave Minnesota to go to Virginia, for possibly four years, to do what, Austin?" I ask looking back at him. He doesn't run. No, Austin stands up straight even though his expression looks shaky and sad.

"To get stronger," he says. With that, Rose gives him one look before getting up and leaving. We all watch as she heads down the stairs to the basement and Austin's expression becomes pained. But even with that, he doesn't change his mind. He looks back at me and I see determination in his eyes.

These kids have gone through different phases, some more than others. Well, Nova more than the others. They've wanted things that have been reasonable, for the most part. That's fine with Grace and me, and we've cheered them on in a number of their phases.