Falling Into Love with You (The Hate-Love Duet Book 2) by Rowe, Lauren (grave mercy .TXT) 📕

understand,” he says softly, resolve settling in his jawline. “I’ll make sure Mimi knows I’ll be okay.”

“Good. Thank you.” Sasha rises and extends her hand to her cousin. “Come on, sweetie. Maybe you can carry her around the house, so she can point out all the little nooks and crannies where she and Jasper fell in love.” She looks at me. “Did Adrian tell you this is where Mimi met her husband, Jasper—when Mimi’s mom worked here as a live-in housekeeper?”

“He told me a little bit,” I say. “But no details.”

Sasha says, “Mimi and Jasper were both sixteen when they fell in love here, in this house. She got pregnant with my father, so they ran off together to get married, against the wishes of Jasper’s family. In fact, Jasper’s family disowned him.”

“Oh, no. Did they ever come around and accept Mimi and their baby?”

Sasha shakes her head. “They never did. They acted like Jasper, and his family, were dead to them.”

“Oh my gosh.”

“Even after Jasper died, way too young, they didn’t help his young widow with her two young sons—my father and Adrian’s. They pretended Mimi and her two little boys didn’t even exist.”

“That’s terrible.” I look at Savage, suddenly understanding his motivation to purchase this sprawling house for Mimi, during the last weeks of her life. He wanted revenge against Jasper’s family, obviously. He wanted Mimi to get the last laugh against her cruel in-laws. He wanted Mimi to be the mistress of this grand home, if only briefly, and perhaps get to enjoy a torrent of memories, too, about the beginning days of her love story with Jasper.

“Jasper’s family tried to pay Mimi off to ditch Jasper,” Sasha says. “But when she refused, they tried to pay off Jasper to leave Mimi and deny the baby was his. Jasper was their first-born son, and, apparently, they’d had an heiress in mind for him, ever since birth. But Jasper and Mimi said they’d rather be poor, but happy together, and that’s precisely what they were.”

Savage motions to the grandeur around us. “And now, fuck ‘em all. Mimi owns their fancy fucking house. She sleeps in their fancy fucking bedroom. She’s queen of this entire fucking castle, and they can all rot in hell.”

Twenty-Four

Savage

“Mimi,” I whisper, plastering a smile on my face as I race to her bedside, past her caregiver, Stuart. How did I not realize how much my grandmother has been deteriorating during our recent phone calls? Now that I’m seeing Mimi in person, it’s clear how pale and whittled away she’s become. No wonder Sasha looked downright pained when I talked cluelessly last night about my plan to cook raviolis with Mimi in her fancy kitchen tonight. Based on the way Mimi looks right now, it’s clear I’ve been willfully blind these past few weeks. Seeing what I wanted to see.

“Ady,” Mimi breathes with an exhausted smile, as I lean down to hug her.

“Merry Christmas,” I whisper into her white hair. “I love you so much, Mimi.”

“I love you, too,” she whispers. “Forever and always, my sweet boy.”

When we disengage, Mimi’s dark eyes find Laila, who’s standing tentatively a few feet away, her body language suggesting she doesn’t want to intrude.

“Come,” Mimi says. “Sweet Laila. Welcome.”

Laila steps forward, swallowing hard. Somehow, she manages to squeak out a heartfelt little “Merry Christmas, Mimi,” before bending down and taking my beloved hummingbird into her warm embrace. “I’m so happy to be here,” Laila whispers. “I love you so much, Mimi. I already do.”

It’s more than my already beleaguered heart can take. I turn away and breathe deeply, determined to stuff my emotions down. But when I see the faces of Sasha and Mimi’s favorite caregiver, Stuart, reflecting my own heartbreak back to me, I lose it. With my back to Mimi, as Laila continues chatting with her, I put my hands over my face and try to regain control.

“Are you and Adrian happy?” Mimi says behind me.

“We’re so happy,” Laila replies. “We couldn’t be happier.”

Mimi exhales, like the weight of the world has been lifted from her tiny shoulders. “Ady?”

I take a deep breath and turn around. “I’m right here. And I’ve got great news for you.” I pull a second chair to Mimi’s bedside, next to the one Laila is now sitting in. “Mimi, I was able to get a copy of the first episode of Sing Your Heart Out, so we can watch it together.”

“Oh, how exciting.”

“Oh, come on, honey, tell Mimi our really good news,” Laila says, her eyebrows raised. And when I look at her blankly, she leans into my ear and whispers, “Tell her we’re engaged.”

My heart lurches. “Ooooh, yes. Of course.” I shoot Laila a grateful smile and she winks at me. And then, I take my grandmother’s hand in mine and say, “We were going to wait to tell you this on Christmas, but I think Laila’s right—we shouldn’t wait.” I smile broadly. “Laila and I are engaged, Mimi.”

Mimi gasps and her eyes prick with tears, as Sasha behind me whispers, “Oh my God.”

I continue, “I asked Laila to marry me three nights ago at our house. We were having a nice dinner and, suddenly, I realized I don’t want her to be my girlfriend. I want her to be my wife. So I asked, and she said yes.”

“Of course, I did,” Laila says, gripping my free hand. “And it was the easiest decision I’ve made in my life.”

Tears flood Mimi’s dark eyes. “Praise God,” she whispers. Her eyes drift to Laila’s hand, presumably looking for a ring, so I say, “We don’t have a ring yet. We’re going to get one when we get back home.”

“Adrian figured I’d want to help pick the ring out,” Laila explains.

“Well, that and I asked Laila, spur of the moment, without a plan. You know me, Mimi.”

The skin around Mimi’s eyes crinkles, letting me know she’s thinking, Yes, I do.

And just like that, it hits me like a ton of bricks I wish