Saved by Grace

by TJ Rudolph

  I sat down on my bed and thought about what just happened. I knew that it would take Agatha and Chris a while to come to terms with what was happening. The fact that I was in love with the man who was involved in the car crash that killed Aaron was not going to be easy for them to understand, but at least they were trying.

  “I heard a soft knock on my door and then my dad walked in.

  “You doing alright, honey?”

  “Everything is perfect, Dad, I feel like everything is finally falling into place.”

  He nodded, “I’m glad to hear that you are happy.”

  “I am,” I told him. I was surrounded by everyone that I cared about and I couldn’t ask for anything more. “Which reminds me,” I said jumping up, I need to get a few things from the store for tomorrow’s lunch.”

  “Do you need me to prepare anything while you’re gone?”

  “Since when have you become a chef?” I asked quizzically. Unless they have been giving you lessons on the ship?”

  He laughed. “Okay you got me there, was just trying to be helpful.”

  I swooped past him and planted a kiss on his cheek, “just leave everything to me.”

  I bought so much food at the store, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to make everything. I even stopped to buy a Christmas tree and helped a guy lug it onto the roof of my car.

  When I got home my dad took the tree into the house and Chase chipped in with making the food.

  Chase got tired quickly and I chased him to bed again. After midnight, I finally jumped into a shower and into bed. I sighed as I looked out of the window, all the broken parts of my life were finally coming together. I hadn’t felt this happy in a long time.

  There was just one thing missing. Aaron was still not here and I still missed him and I was still not sure that I wanted to let go of seeing him in ghost form. I didn’t think that I knew how, even if I wanted to.

  ***

  The next morning, I was up early and Chase came in to help me. “Good morning, beautiful,” he said as he spun me around and kissed me on my lips.

  “Good morning,” I smiled. “Why are you out of bed so early?”

  “Why are you?” he lifted his brow.

  “I just needed to put the turkey in the oven, so please go back to bed.”

  “I will if you come with me,” he grinned.

  “Fine,” I laughed closing the oven and we tiptoed to the guest bedroom while giggling.

  I snuggled up in his arms and listened to him breathing as he held on tightly to me. Eventually his breathing evened out and he fell asleep. He was still being patient with me and I wondered how this could be the same man of a year ago. I closed my eyes and drifted away, as his breathing lulled me to sleep.

  A few hours later I stood up and left Chase to sleep. I set up the wooden table in the dining area and hoped that everyone would be able to squeeze in around it. I took all of the Christmas decorations from the attic, which was in a big brown box, and hauled it up the stairs. It wasn’t in as bad a condition as what I thought and I dusted it off and put it near the window.

  While I was draping the lights around the tree, Chase walked into the room and came up behind me wrapping his arms around me. I turned around and kissed his cheek and he in turn nuzzled my neck, causing me to giggle.

  “Do I really get to wake up to the sight of this every day?” he sighed.

  “You do, if you stay in bed and relax,” I warned him.

  “I’m fine,” he said walking toward the tree. “Let me help you with this.”

  I pushed the box over to him and we continued decorating. I shoved my hand down the box, when I felt something round and shiny and pulled out a green ball with my mother’s name on it and stopped to look at it. Tears sprung to my eyes at the last memory of her.

  “You okay?” Chase asked when he turned around and saw what I was holding.

  I nodded.

  “Do you miss her?” he asked as he came and sat down beside me on the rug.

  I turned the ball in my hand and stared at my skewed reflection in it. “I miss the idea of what she was. The way she was in the end… I needed that from her my whole life and when she tried to change, she died.”

  Chase pulled me against him and I rested my head on his chest.

  “I know that she was a bad person…” I said. “For as long as I can remember, she was a bad person and all that I could think of was how much I hated her. But her dying for me… It’s like it out rules all of that, everything she ever did to me. Like, it’s the only thing that my heart will allow me to remember from now on.”

  “And you deserve to hold on to that memory, she was there for you when you needed her most and in the end, it’s what counted,” Chase said.

  “I know,” I said, as the tears spilled over. I quickly wiped them away. “I should finish the food, everyone will be arriving soon.”

  “What do you need me to do?” Chase asked as he stood up and pulled me with him and straight into his arms.

  “Just get your handsome butt ready,” I said against his mouth.

  “I am one lucky guy,” he said kissing me.

  “Looks like I am not needed here,” we heard my dad saying and then the front door opening. “Just going out to get a few last-minute gifts,” my dad shouted from the doorway and Chase and I both laughed.

  Chase went to take a shower while I put the roast in the oven and went to get ready. I put on a red flowing dress, with a pair of tan sandals. I let my hair hang loose in waves and put on a shade of light brown lipstick. I walked out of my room and into the dining room area where Chase was standing by the widow and sipping some coffee. He whistled loudly when he saw me and I laughed as I twirled for him.

  “You don’t look too bad yourself,” I said when I surveyed him. He wore blue shorts with a white shirt which hugged his muscles and a pair of light blue sailor shoes. He hadn’t cut his hair in a while and it was almost hanging over his eyes and I decided that I liked it like that.

  We heard a car door open and shut and I peeked through the window. “It’s Dean and Bobby,” I told Chase.

  “I’ll open for them,” he said.

  Dean and Chase walked into the dining room laughing, with their arms draped over each other. Bobby ran past them toward me in a tiny blue dress and her hair was a perfect mess of curls. “I missed you, chica, and you look amazing,” she said hugging me.

  “Thanks, Bob, I missed you too.”

  ‘We have a lot of catching up to do,” she said turning her head sideways to Chase. “I missed the part where you told me that you and Chase were shacking up together.”

  I nudged her, “it’s not like that.”

  “Night nurse?” she teased.

  “Just go sit down,” I said laughing and shaking my head.

  Sebastian arrived shortly after them and when he saw Chase, I was certain that he was about to burst into tears. Chase walked up to him and put his arm over his shoulder. “I’m okay, bro,” Chase told him.

  He nodded and there was no further interaction about it, they walked over to us at the table.

  “Hi, Grace,” Sebastian said hugging me.

  “Hey, please sit down,” I said.

  My Dad came back with a mountain of presents and Agatha and Chris walked in behind him. After I introduced everyone, I brought out the food and for a moment I stood and watched everyone, talking and laughing. I went from thinking I lost everything, to having this.

  There were so many conversations happening around the table, I couldn’t keep track. “This food is amazing, Grace,” Agatha told me and everyone agreed.

  I smiled shyly. “Thanks but I didn’t do it alone, Chase helped.”

  Chase shook his head; all I did was skin a few potatoes. This was all Grace,” he said leaning over to kiss me on the cheek.

  I blushed, looking down at my plate.

  After Chase and Sebastian cleared the table, I brought out the chocolate mousse pudding I made for dessert. When it started getting da
rk, I switched on the tree lights and we all went to sit on the sofas around the tree, to open gifts.

  Dad went first, he picked up a tiny box wrapped in silver wrapping paper and handed it to me. I opened it and found an airline ticket inside.

  “What’s this?” I asked waving it in my hand.

  He gave me a crooked smile. “I just missed you this past year and in the new year we’re going to be away for longer periods. We will be docking in most places for two, sometimes even three weeks. I thought if you wanted to fly over when you wanted to see me, I would love that. Bring Chase along if he wants,” he said looking at Chase. Chase smiled and nodded at my dad.

  “I would love to, Dad, thank you,” I said walking over to him and hugging him.

  I went to fetch his, which was wrapped in red wrapping paper with green miniature trees on it. When he opened it, his eyes lit up, it was a CD player with a collection of all his favorite CD’s, the one’s we used to listen to together when I was growing up.

  “So you can have something to listen to when you away and have a part of home with you,” I said timidly.

  “I love it, honey, thank you.”

  “Grace, Chris and I didn’t bring your present with you tonight,” Agatha told me. “I left it at home because I was hoping you would come around tomorrow to fetch it.”

  “Sure,” I said and in that case, I will bring yours and Chris’s present around tomorrow too.” I was secretly glad that we didn’t exchange gifts tonight with them, because I got them something that would remind them of Aaron.

  “That’s perfect, Pumpkin,” Chris said. “And if you don’t mind, we are going to head home. I am afraid I’ve had one too many glasses of that delicious punch that Sebastian made.”

  The room erupted in laughter. “Grace,” my dad said. “I will be staying over at Chris and Agatha’s so that there is enough room for your friends.”

  “Thanks, Mr. D,” Bobby said. “But you really didn’t have to, we could have booked into a hotel or something.”

  “Don’t even think on it,” my dad said, “you’re all family now.”

  I walked them to the door and when I kissed my dad goodbye, he whispered. “I like Chase, he is a good guy and I am glad that you found someone to love. I mean I know you loved Aaron and that you are in no way replacing him but I am glad that you found someone special to fill a different place in your heart.”

  I hugged him with tears in my eyes, he had no idea how much his words meant to me. “Thanks, Dad,” I said. He nodded and walked to the car. I watched him drive off as I dried my tears and then I felt an arm around me. I looked up at Chase and he kissed the top of my head.

  “Everything okay?” he asked.

  “Everything is perfect,” I told him.

  “Grace!” Bobby shouted from inside, “there are still more gifts to open you know.”

  I laughed as I walked inside and Bobby handed me mine. When I opened it, there was a pair of silver diamond earrings, which I assumed were very expensive. “Bobby this is beautiful, you shouldn’t have.”

  She waved her hand. “I never see you wearing jewelry and the store I bought it from has a no return policy, so don’t think about telling me to take it back.”

  I shook my head. “It’s gorgeous, thank you.”

  Bobby excitedly gave everyone else their gifts and then we all gave each other the rest of the gifts, until it was only Chase and I left.

  I went to fetch his present. It was a large gift so I had to use all the gold wrapping paper I had to wrap it. From the shape of it, everyone probably knew that it was a painting.

  “I think I have an idea what this is,” Chase said with a smile. He opened it and his eyes were immediately filled with tears when he saw what I painted. He was quiet for a long time and then Dean broke the silence.

  “What is it?” Dean asked.

  “It’s… a painting. A replica, from a photo from the first time my grandfather and I played a song together.”

  In the painting, they were sitting on a wooden bench both holding guitars and I tried to replicate it exactly the same, down to the acorn on the floor that had fallen off of the trees behind them.

  “Grace, this is… Where did you find this picture?”

  “I asked officer O’ Neil if he had anything and he said that he had this one which you left behind the day you left,” I said handing him the photograph. “He said that he wanted to give it to you when you came around to visit.”

  “I love it,” he said as he came to me and lifted me an inch from the ground, planting a kiss on my lips. “You are amazing, Grace Delaney,” he whispered to me.

  “Now for yours,” he said.

  “I’ll get it,” Sebastian said as he ran outside.

  I frowned at Chase, confused. “Where is he going?”

  “You’ll see.” Chase grinned.

  Sebastian came back empty handed and whispered something in Chase’s ear.

  Chase stood up and walked around the corner, he came back with a long box which was covered in red and green wrapping. I opened it and found that it was a long brown box on the inside, I opened the box and my eyes went wide when I saw what the box was holding. A Stromberg Master, which looked almost exactly like Chase’s, in fact I thought it was his.

  “You’re giving me your guitar?” I asked.

  “It’s not mine, I got this one for you.”

  “But how? This must have cost you an arm and a leg.”

  “I know a few people,” he told me.

  “This is beyond too much, Chase.”

  “Don’t feel bad, Grace, I think Chase bought that so that he could spend more time with it than you,” Sebastian joked.

  “Or maybe he wants to pass down his guitar skills,” Dean said.

  Chase started to laugh and I gave him a stern look not to say anything about me playing but he totally ignored me.

  “Trust me guys, she plays better than anyone we have ever heard.”

  Sebastian’s mouth literally fell open. “You play?”

  I didn’t answer him, but I am sure my red face gave me away.

  “Did you know?” he turned his attention to Bobby.

  I watched her shake her head slowly, eyes wide.

  “I should have tried harder to win you over from Chase,” he teased. Chase shot him a deadly stare. He threw his hand up in the air, “just kidding. But on a serious note we should go to the bar down the road, so that Grace can show us just how amazing she is.”

  “I don’t think so,” I said as my body went cold at the thought.

  “Okay, fine,” Sebastian said, “But can we at least go get a drink there, I kind of told a blonde beauty that bleeding hearts would make an appearance.” Everyone laughed as he made a puppy face to plead his case further.

  “It’s Grace’s party, so it’s up to her,” Chase said.

  He stuck his lip out for dramatic effect and I burst out laughing. “Sure, it’s fine.”

  We all put on our coats and decided to take a walk to the bar, which was ten minutes away. Although it was a chilly night, the air was clear and smelled like fresh rain. When we arrived at the bar, I realized that I had never been there before, even though it was so close to my house. It was right next to the pier and had a wooden beach style to it. It had wooden tables, with a wooden bar and was very colorful. Blonde Beauty ran to us as soon as we walked into the door and I could see why Sebastian would like someone like her. She was tall and thin and everything about her was perfect.

  “I can’t believe you actually came,” she told Sebastian, shuffling her feet excitedly. He subsequently disappeared with her and Chase put his arm around my waist as we walked to the bar. Bobby and I hoisted ourselves onto the gray bar chairs and Chase and Dean stood behind us. Bobby ordered us a round of drinks and a Coke for Chase which she found amusing.