Sam stood, stunned. Anger, pain, concern seemed to cross his face in an instant. He sat next to Grace and she took her sister from his arms. He put his hands in face and started shaking it back and forth. "No, no, no," he repeated like a mantra. Cassie sat on the other side of her husband and pulled him to her side, her arm wrapped around his. "I remember when you said you never told him because you said it would be hard on him, but his is an adult. He will work through it, Sam."
Sam looked at Cassie and managed to crack a smile. "I believe I said it would kill him to find out."
"That you did. Though, even back then, I thought you were exaggerating just a bit," she teased by making a small gesture with her thumb and fore-finger. Sam gave her the look she knew so well, showing her he knew she teased him. "Maybe a bit," he admitted. "Grace, how did he seem?"
"Upset." Grace said getting that look in her eyes. "Grace?" Her mother asked. "Don't worry, Mom. This is big, but I'm wondering…" Grace got up giving her sister back to Sam and kissed her mom on the cheek. Cassie and Sam smiled at each other. "Well, she is her mother's daughter so I trust her instincts, but I still want to see if Nick will tell me the long story," he said getting off the couch. "You take Lizzie?"
"Of course," she said taking her youngest daughter from Sam. "Hello, my sweet girl." Elizabeth squealed happily as Sam handed her to Cassie and went towards Nick's room. "Your older brother is having a hard day. Maybe you can cheer him up later, eh girlie?" Knowing she couldn't do anything else at the moment, Cassie left a note for her family that she and Lizzie had gone to Grey House to check on guests, and perhaps visit with Grandpa George and Abigail.
Sam stopped at Nick's door before knocking, wondering if he could really help his son. He knocked, deciding his son needed to hear the story: the truth. "Nick, can I come in?" Nick answered, shushing his Dad, pointing his sleeping brother.
"Hey Dad," he said quietly.
"Hey," Sam replied walking into the room glancing at his other son, sleeping soundly. "Grace told us what happened, well a short version. You wanna talk?" Nick stayed silent. "Ok, you want to get mad at me? Yell?"
"No," he smiled. "I did that to Geoffrey and Mom. Besides Alex is asleep."
"Ah, Geoffrey," Sam answered with a knowing look.
"Yep. He let a skeleton out of the closet."
"Right. Anything I can tell you?"
"The truth. Did Mom really give me up, let you have me, not even try for custody?"
Sam's heart broke. His son asked him the question he had always dreaded answering. Even though Nick was in university, for Sam, he could have been 10. "I'm sorry son. The truth is she didn't counter me on custody. I wanted you full time and would have gone to the mat for you, but she decided to take the job in London in the end. No custody issues."
"So she did lie. You did too, kind of," Nick stated plainly. "You didn't come to the agreement together, and you certainly didn't steal me from her, like she said"
"Well, no I guess it really wasn't decided on together; it just was. And I certainly didn't steal you, like she claimed. I am glad, at least, you know that. I'm sorry, I just wanted to protect you from…feeling like this." Sam said, hand on Nick's shoulder. "What else can I do? How can I help you through this?"
"There's nothing else to say or do, Dad. I want nothing to do with her."
"Now Nick," Sam countered. "You don't mean that. She's your Mom. Your family."
Nick looked at his sleeping brother and motioned for them both to leave the room, shutting the door. "Yes I do Dad," he said, gradually getting angrier. "My family is here. In Middleton. I don't want to see her anymore. She didn't want me then, I don't need her now!" With those final words, he grabbed the basketball and headed to the familiar basketball hoop, now situated outside Grey House.
Grace walked into the Bistro looking for a familiar face, but not finding it she took a seat at the counter as Stephanie walked up to greet her.
"Hey there college gal," Stephanie said cheerfully. "How's the future Dr. Russell?"
Grace smiled. She had recently declared her pre-medicine major at the university, but was keeping her future ambitions quiet for the moment. She was sure, however, both her mother and stepfather would approve. "Pretty good."
"Well then, what can I get ya?"
"Er," she glanced about again, "how about tea and pie."
"Looking for someone?" Stephanie asked handing her the pie and a cup of tea.
"Yeah, my old friend from high school. You remember Anthony?" Stephanie nodded as Grace continued. "We lost touch after his parents divorced. I've always regretted it and I hope this is an opportunity to fix it a bit."
"Well, your chance just arrived," she responded, gesturing towards Anthony who had just walked in and was heading to sit down in the plush leather couches of the Bistro.
Anthony was surprised to receive Grace's email. They had not spoken since their freshman year in high school when Nick Radford had moved in next door and, for Anthony that was the moment he had lost his friend. He was curious as to why she had contacted him particularly since he had learned through the Middleton grapevine of Sam and Cassie's marriage. The person he considered a cretin was now a permanent fixture in Grace's life. To say that he was jealous would have been an understatement, so he avoided the Bistro when he and Grace lost touch. Now he found it to be so different that he almost didn't recognise it!
Grace let him settle and ordered another slice of pie and coffee, then sliding of the stool, moved to join her childhood friend.
"Hey," she said nervously.
"Hey," Anthony answered non-committedly, barely looking up from his textbook.
She sat across her old friend, unsure how to begin. They both sat in an uncomfortably thick silence until Stephanie brought over the pie and coffee that Grace had ordered for him.
"Tea, coffee and two desserts," Stephanie announced. "Good to see you again, Anthony. It's been a while."
"Thanks Stephanie. The Bistro looks…nice."
"Well, thank you." And, looking at Grace as if to wish her good luck, she left the two of them alone.
Grace took her chance to jump right in. "Anthony, thanks for agreeing to meet me. I know it's been a long time and that we haven't really spoken much since high school," she explained, as if needing to justify their meeting. "And, well, I am sorry that we drifted apart."
Silence lingered between them again, but this time it was a little lighter. Anthony sighed, "Apology accepted." Grace smiled back. "Thank you."
"I forgave you a long time ago. I know things changed, for both of us, friends drift apart," Anthony admitted.
"They do, but they shouldn't."
"Well, life happens."
"That it does," Grace thought about the past few years since Anthony had left her life. Brandon and Lori continuing to live their lives as adults (most of the time without her), her tumultuous friendship with Nick and then becoming the closest of step siblings, her Mom and Sam dating followed by their marriage and the birth of her newest little brother and sister. Her mother had often told her fate and the universe played a lot with what could happen in a person's life and Grace could certainly believe it.
"Life sure changed for you," Anthony continued, pulling her out of her reverie. "Your Mom and Nick's Dad getting married. That must have been…interesting."
"It was actually wonderful," she smiled, "Mom and Sam are amazing together. Sam is a great stepfather, I have a stepbrother and another brother and sister, only we share our mother rather than our father. And, I am the older sister this time." The pride and love for her family written all over her face as she talked about them.
"Well, then you got lucky," said Anthony less jovially. "I got to go through a rough, lengthy and sometimes mean custody battle. It was finally decided on joint custody, but the majority of time was spent with my dad. My mom got remarried, but my stepdad, well he's not like yours." Grace listened to her old friend; sad for him and what he went through without their friendship. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah. Thanks."
"That sounds like it was an awful time for you. I am sorry I wasn't there for you," she said sincerely.
"Look Grace what happened, happened. You shouldn't feel bad for not being there. Yes, it was an awful time, but I lived through it. Now I spend more time at school than either of my parents' place," he explained. Grace decided this was her moment. "You know, that would sure help Nick to hear."
Anthony scoffed. "Yeah, sure. Just what I want to do. Tell my sob story to help my ol' buddy Nick. Come on, Grace."
Grace sighed. "Anthony…"
He stopped her immediately, shaking his head back and forth. "Grace, when was your stepbrother ever civil, much less eager to talk to me," he argued. "The one time I did try to connect with him, he blew me off!"
She knew he had a point. The winter storm and being stranded in the library with the both of them was something she would never forget. Anthony knew a Nick that was not the one she knew.
"You're right, but he's changed. Grown up," she tried to convince him. "Just do me a small favour and try to talk to him. Tell him about your experience. It may help him see his situation…more clearly." Anthony laughed. "Sorry, Grace. I…just can't." Grace closed her eyes in disappointment and he continued, "Look, I appreciate your apology and I forgive you. I know he's your stepbrother now and you are trying to help him, but to me he will always be…a cretin." He smiled at the word they both agreed on as freshman, but he knew Grace didn't feel the same anymore. She clearly loved her brother.
"Right," she whispered before getting up. "I get it, but if you could forgive me for letting our friendship go, maybe you might forgive him for not ever letting one start. Well, I do hope you don't stay away too long. Keep in touch, ok?"
"Sure, Grace," he answered, and looked down at his books knowing how he had disappointed her.
"I'll let you get back to your…" she paused. "Studying," he clarified. "Studying," she said, waving goodbye. Once again, her attempt to help had been for naught. As Anthony watched her leave, he immediately began to regret how he treated her. Her final words hung in the air, and in the back of his mind.