Secrets & Lies

28| Devastating Truth

Debilitating. Crippling. And fucking painful. That's how it felt. Betrayal.

I knew that I should have called my parents. I knew that. But that should have been on my own terms—when I was ready. I had my own reasons for wanting to wait. It was my business. My life. Even though I fucked up, so did he. This was the first time since I've known Grant, that it felt like I was looking at a stranger.

"Mind telling me what that was all about? Or are you just going to keep doing shit behind my back?"

Grant met my stare, eyes narrowed with anger of his own. "You fucking lied to me. You told me you called your family. Do you have any idea how worried your mom is?"

"No." I gestured toward Grant. "But I guess you do, don't you?"

"Why didn't you call them?" he asked—purposely ignoring my last question.

"Why are you talking to my ex in secret?" When he didn't answer, I continued to press. "Come on, tell me. You and her had a nice chat at the bar, now this? I never even heard your phone ring. That means you called her. Didn't you?" 

Fuck this hurt. It fucking felt like someone was stabbing me in the heart with a knife. And twisting. Maybe rubbing a little salt in the wound, too. I couldn't explain why it felt like that—it just did. 

"Well?" 

Grant crossed his arms over his chest. "Yes, I called her." I turned to leave the room. "Aren't you going to let me explain myself? Or are you just going to walk away like the first day I found you hammered on that fucking porch?"

I stopped in the doorway, but I didn't turn around. Looking at him just made it harder. It seemed to make everything harder. Shit. If I could, I would go back to when I first got here and call my parents. I should have. But I wasn't ready. I still didn't know if I was ready.

Somehow, I found the strength to face him. "You shouldn't have meddled in my life like that."

Grant splayed his hands out in front of him. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to...to hurt you. I was just trying to help."

I scoffed. "You gotta funny way of showing it." 

Deep down, I knew that Grant meant well. But the fact that he was talking to Amelia behind by back about me? Yeah, that wasn't fucking cool. I knew that we said we wanted to try out this real relationship thing, but I would never go behind his back to Vanessa or his parents. It wouldn't be right. 

"Why did you lie to me?" he asked and my eyes fell to the floor. I didn't like that question and I didn't want to answer it. "Tell me, Logan. Why did you lie to me?"

I shrugged a shoulder and kept my gaze averted. "I wasn't ready."

Grant's voice was softer now. "Why didn't you just tell me that then?"

Again, I didn't answer him. My mind was too disoriented. My thoughts were jumbled. My brain felt like scrambled eggs right now. My thoughts were a snowstorm that wouldn't let up. I couldn't find my words. I could barely fucking breathe. 

Grant's disappointed sigh, however, cut through all of that. "You need to accept the truth about yourself, Logan. You need to be honest with you're family. It's the only way you're going to be happy." 

My eyebrows rose so high, I'm surprised they didn't get lost in my hair. "I need to be honest? What about you?"

The blood drained from Grant's face. "Don't go there, Logan. Don't you fucking dare." 

"Why not? It's the truth." I took a step towards him, my voice coming out rough and edgy. "Have you talked to your parents about who you are? You've been hiding in your relationship with Vanessa." I put my hand to my chest. "I'm not the only one who needs to accept the facts."