Page 92

I shook my head, buried my face into my hands, and sobbed. Mrs. Yates hugged me harder. “If you don’t believe her, then she’s not going anywhere with you,” she told my mom.

“That’s for sure,” his dad agreed.

Mom pulled herself upright with indignation. But she never told the Yates to mind their own business. Instead, she set her jaw and finally turned to me, looking me straight in the eye. “Grace?”

It hurt that she even had to ask me.

“What happened between you and Barry?”

“Just tell her,” Ryder encouraged, his gaze silently saying, ‘Don’t be the glove in the snow. Fight for what you know is right. Be the coat.’ “You’re not lost and alone on this.” He motioned to his parents physically standing behind us, backing us up.

No one had ever asked me to be brave and defiant and stand up to an adult before.

But the thought of having to live in the same house with him until I could legally escape spurred me to wipe at my wet face and stare my mom straight in the eye.

“He kissed me.”

“What! That lying little—”

“Don’t even finish that thought,” Ryder’s dad warned as he stepped in front of me to face off with Barry.

Barry shied away from the other man, but he still turned to my mom with a pleading look. “Kate, don’t believe her. For God’s sake, she’s been with two different boys in the past week. It’s like she’s in heat or something.”

“Oh, that’s it,” Ryder exploded, charging toward Barry, and right into his father’s restraining arm. “Don’t you dare talk about Grace like that.”

“Ryder,” his father growled, grunting as he put his entire body into keeping his son from physically rushing Barry. “Just shut up.”

“No. I don’t know who this jerk wad thinks he is, or which two guys he thinks she’s been with, but I can tell you I never touched her. And neither did Todd; he complained to me about it every day.”

“Stop!” I screamed, covering my ears as if there were a million more voices in my head. “Please stop.”

Barry pulled my mom around to face her. “Kate?”

Mom jerked her arm away from him. “How could you?” she hissed.

He actually looked shocked she didn’t believe him. “I didn’t,” he said, but Mom came at him as if she was going to hit him.

He retreated away from her.

“You touched my daughter, you sick, sick—” If Mrs. Yates hadn’t let go of me to catch her around the waist, she probably would’ve attacked.

“Whoa,” she said in a steadying voice. “Please try not to kill anyone in my house. It tends to leave nasty stains on the carpet.”

“How could you?” Mom repeated, straining against Mrs. Yates.

“It’s her fault,” Barry accused, pointing at me. “She was begging for it. Every time she walked around the house in those tight little—”

“Get out!” Mom boomed. “Get out right now.”

Barry gaped. “You can’t throw me out; this isn’t your house.”

“I’d listen to the lady if I were you,” Mr. Yates advised. “Before I let my son loose on you.”

Barry eyed Ryder and promptly surged toward the door, slamming it as he fled. For a moment following his departure, no one moved. Then my mother wilted, slumping against Mrs. Yates with these great, heaving sobs.

“Mom?” I said, my voice all wobbly and hoarse. I hurried to her and she let go of Mrs. Yates long enough to reach for me and clutch me hard.

“Oh, Grace. Grace,” she moaned, rocking me back and forth, making my own tears start up again. “My baby. Why didn’t you tell me?”