Speak To Me
Chapter 81 –

(Gabriella)

It's been three days since Grant showed up at the cabin and I think I was finally ready to speak with him.

I had a lot of questions but of course it would be hard to get them out, so Jamie said he would ask them for me.

I can just see my speech therapist now and the disapproving look she would probably have on her face..

She told me to always try at least, and then if it was too much I would then resort to sign language or writing things down.

Even Jamie was hesitant about taking over..he is such a rule follower I swear..he never lets me slack on my practicing.

That was a part of my punishment the other night..he made me practice a few lines from my "homework" the speech therapist gave me..and the better I got, the faster Jamie let me cum..surprisingly it works pretty dang well though. But the fact that I am able to open my mouth and speak without hesitation is such a huge accomplishment.

Before meeting Jamie..just the thought of speaking would make me break out into hives..now I do it without a second thought. I still might not be perfect..but my stutter has definitely improved.

"Are you ready princess?" Jamie asked before snaking his arms around my waist and pulling my back flush against his chest.

I nodded my head in response, the feel of his palms gliding along my stomach made me shiver before they splayed out and held me gently.

"You are starting to show a little." He whispered, my eyes watching him carefully in the reflection of the mirror.

I looked down at my stomach, my blue shirt slightly raised on my abdomen as a warm feeling rushed through me.

He was right, I definitely had more of a bump this morning..but that might be from all the chocolate cake I was eating..I swear it happened overnight though.

"I can't wait until you are big and swollen..sometimes I even dream about it." He added sweetly, causing my gaze to snap to his.

"Y-you do?" I asked, surprised by this confession. He says he dreamed about our kids before too.

"Every night..you are the only thing that ever fills my dreams." He whispered against my ear, causing me to smile widely before turning in his arms.

"I love y-you Jamie." I said happily while lifting on my toes and kissing his soft lips.

"Let's go..before I drag you back to that bed." He grumbled, causing me to laugh.

We made our way through the house and Ray informed us that Jolie went to town with Rylan to get a few more groceries. Now that Grant is here...there is nothing we are really hiding from any longer. Jamie helped me pull on my coat before stepping into some boots as we made our way to the guest house.

I swear my heart was about to beat out of my chest..I was kind of nervous to see him again, especially how we left things..

"Come this way." Jamie whispered and that's when we turned and went towards the kitchen instead.

I was surprised that Jamie allowed him to leave the bedroom.

That's when a surprising scene unfolded right before me. Grant was wearing an apron and standing in front of the stove. He had on some oven mitts and was taking something out of the oven. That's when the most amazing smell wafted towards me..chocolate chip cookies..

Grant placed the tray on the counter before turning and freezing in place.

"Oh.....I didn't realize you were here already." He stated, making me blink at him in surprise.

"I told you ten minutes." Jamie added cooly, his hand pressing on my lower back and guiding me towards the counter. The way he seemed much more relaxed around Grant surprised me..even more than the cookies. "Seems like time isn't relevant when you have been a prisoner for three days." Grant quipped back, making me confused even more..

"W-wait..a-are you t-two f-friends now?" I blurted out, unable to hold in how baffled I felt.

Grant and Jamie looked between each other awkwardly before Jamie spoke first.

"Not exactly..we have just come to an understanding." He said while clearing his throat and helping me sit in the chair.

"I..I also made you some cookies, you like chocolate chip right?" Grant added randomly, his eyes burning into me eagerly as I nodded my head once..

Damn..how did he know those were my favorite? I will just chalk it up to coincidence..Jamie wouldn't tell him that, would he?

"S-so..you like t-to b-bake?" I asked, seeing Grant shrug before going over to the sheet of cookies.

"It's something I discovered along the way..it seems to be a stress reliever for me." He explained, and I found myself dropping that wall just a little. Seeing my brother standing there and gently taking a cookie off of the pan..something inside of me melted a little. It showed me another side to him. Like the ruthless mafia lord I had painted in my mind was slowly morphing...also..why wasn't Jamie doing his usual cold glare to him?

In fact..he was being warmer to Grant than he had been to Rylan..had they grown to like each other during their meetings? Is that a good sign?

"Here you go, careful, it's hot." Grant warned and stepped back before running his fingers through his hair nervously.

"Gabriella..I know this is a lot..and what I did, it wasn't smart..in fact, I feel like a complete idiot with how I handled all of this.." He began, shifting on his feet awkwardly before glancing between Jamie and me.

"I thought you needed saving..and..I thought I would be the one to do it..my brother, Grayson, he said it was a stupid idea..but I just went with it for whatever dumb ass reason I could justify it for." He continued as I bit my lip anxiously before glancing at my husband. He was sitting next to me and holding my hand tightly.

"I-I un-understand how it all l-looked..b-but how y-you went about it.." I trailed off, struggling to get a few things out.

I know he was aware now of what he did, I'm just a little worried about how he might act in the future...and with my dad..I'm scared they might not get along. Which isn't the end of the world of course..I just have this deep urge inside of me to make sure everyone is happy..that might be an issue I need to deal with.

"Gabriella has a few questions and she asked me to relay them to you. It would be easier for now considering this is a lot for her." Jamie explained, making Grant nod once in agreement as I wriggled in my seat, trying to get comfortable.

"I will answer anything..I have nothing left to hide, I promise." Grant assured me, before looking at Jamie expectantly.

"First off, she wants to make sure Katrina is safe and knows what condition she is in currently." Jamie stated, making Grant look back towards me.

"Katrina is now awake, she has had the best care possible and is being monitored 24/7. She currently believes she is in a healing center and doesn't know about..well..being taken. But I assure you that she is safe and hasn't been harmed in any way." Grant explained and I couldn't help but let out a breath I had been holding.

I know Katrina and I didn't get along necessarily..but out of the two of my sisters, she was the one I felt closer to..if you can even say that. Cecelia just put me through so much hell and Katrina seemed to not really care much..which was better than being bullied all the time. Plus I know she and my dad were closer than Cecelia as well.

"She also wanted to ask how many brothers you had." Jamie said, making me blush slightly as I realized how embarrassing that question was out loud. That should probably be the last thing on my mind but I was curious.

Grant began to smile, a vulnerability I hadn't seen yet touching his eyes as he began to tell me all about his three brothers.

The more he talked, the more comfortable I felt and I found myself completely enraptured by the end of it. I felt deep down that Grant really wasn't a bad person..I could see it in his eyes and the way he spoke to me. He actually reminded me a lot of Jamie in the way he spoke and handled things..which was weird..but by the end of it all I came to realize one thing.

I wanted to try this..I wanted to give Grant a chance and even though my Dad will probably be way more than upset..I think I deserve this right? I deserve to have a family member who actually wants to be in my life..

And my brother Grant does..my brother..I can't believe I really have a brother.

Also, he makes amazing cookies..so that's a plus..