Grace Taylor Hudson

Chapter 23

<Grace POV>

"Katheryn, did you cook all of this food?" My grandfather asked as soon as he saw the huge spread on the table.

"I cooked some of it, but John and Grace cooked a majority of it together. They wouldn't even let me into the kitchen. It's safe to say I was banished."

Everybody sitting around the table laughed and turned to John and I.

"So, what did Katy actually do?" David teased.

"Well, she put ice in the cups and set the table," I said causing another round of laughter. Katy gently shoved me then squinted, her eyes mischievous.

"You'll regret that later, Gray. Just you wait and see!"

After we finished our meal, Katy and Angela started washing dishes while the rest of the family, plus John and I, went outside.

-----

<Katy POV>

"So, Kate, I heard some rumors about last weekend?" Angela asked in the midst of drying one of the pans.

My heart stopped, but, somehow, I was able to play it smooth. "Which rumor, Ange? There's like a different one every hour, y'know, because I'm so fab."

"Oh, maybe the one where you had to go out and get your daughter in the middle of Seattle in the middle of winter with some help from the police chief?"

My eyes bugged and I dropped the dish I was working on back into the soapy water. "How the hell? Three people know about that!"

"Your boyfriend filled us all in. And, no offense, but when are you two going to tell the world? I truly do not think a whole lot of bad would come from it. It's harder hiding Grace now that you've got her than it was when she was with the Brants. Katy, you still have this burden of keeping her a secret. Get rid of that damned weight on your shoulders for God's sake."

I sighed. My big sister is right, she's always right. The burden has become too much for me to keep and now John has to deal with it too. It's a heavy burden to bear, though not as heavy as others. I hadn't really thought about why we hadn't come out until now.

"I'm selfish, Angela. That's what it comes down to, those skeezy people out there don't deserve to look at my daughter and put her under a fucking microscope. I'm already living under one! She's 16, how will that turn out? Enlighten me, please! I'd love to know, because I'm so scared. I'm fucking terrified..." The strength I had tapered off at the end, leaving me shaky and scared.

My pregnant sister wrapped her arms around me, "Don't be." She whispered and kissed the side of my head. Tears silently streamed down my face, leaving dark spots on Angela's shirt.

"Katy?" Grace's voice was close but sounded small.

"Hey, baby." I said as I pulled away from Angela. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you okay?" Her blue eyes were wide and looked genuinely concerned for my sanity.

I wiped the tears from my eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. But, I do have a big question for you...." Grace's ears perked up causing me to smile.

"Your aunt just knocked some sense into me, and I think it's time for us to tell the world. What do you say?"

Hello everyone! This chapter is ridiculously brief and I am terribly sorry that you guys had to wait so long for such a short thing! More updates will come soon, I pinky swear. Thank you so much for reading and waiting, bless you all.