Page 25 of The Last Gargoyle’s Christmas Wish (An MM Monster Christmas #3)

CHAPTER 25

G rady was cornered in the bakery the moment Ordelia took one look at him.

“You look miserable!” Ordelia whispered so the others couldn’t hear. “I spoke to Trent and Lacy earlier. They told me how you freaked out over forgetting to put a protection spell on her apartment. And now look at the sight of you.”

She gestured to him. “Your eyes are red. The bags under your eyes have bags. And what’s going on there?” She pointed at the twitching muscle beneath his left eye. “And have you been eating?”

“I’m fine.” Grady tried to step past her.

But she wasn’t having it. “And what’s this I hear about Uzoth not being around? Or being around but on the rooftop?” Ordelia gestured vaguely in the direction Uzoth usually sat. “They say he hasn’t moved the last couple of days and hasn’t come inside. What happened?”

Grady glanced past Ordelia. Most of his siblings worked or played with Ruthie and Michael. Ordelia had brought them with her to the bakery. No one was paying Ordelia and Grady any attention.

“I just don’t have time to be with him,” Grady said. “I can’t do it all.”

“Then don’t!”

“What?” Grady frowned.

“We don’t want to see you miserable,” Ordelia said. “We love you and want you to be happy. Uzoth makes you happy. Don’t give up on happiness and love to sacrifice yourself on some made-up bullshit family altar.”

Grady scoffed. “Who’s meant to run the bakery, then? Who’s meant to fix things when they go wrong? Who?”

“Witch’s tits! You’re such a fucking arrogant piece of shit sometimes, Grady,” she snapped.

Grady reared back. “What?”

She let out a breath. “Look, I get it,” she said, voice softer now. “You were seventeen. You were the oldest. We’re all very grateful you took charge, ran the bakery, kept a roof over our heads, and kept us all together. I will never be able to express how grateful I am for that.” She paused. “But I was thirteen when Mother and Father died. I am not thirteen anymore.”

“I know that!”

Ordelia raised an eyebrow. “Do you? You act like you’re the only one who can run anything. You never ask for help or let us take over things. Sometimes I feel like you think you are the only capable person in this family.”

“That’s not true.” Grady frowned.

“When was the last time something went wrong and you asked someone else to handle it? Why are you the only one who does the books, sorts supplies, and keeps track of the work roster? Why do you have to do everything all the time?” She shook her head. “I’ve offered to help. I know the others have too. But you always just brush us off. Why does it have to be you?”

“Because it has to be done right!” Grady snapped.

She stared at him blankly. She pursed her lips. “I know you are having a hard time at the moment, so I am going to be generous and not be pissed at you for saying that.” Then she shoved a finger in the middle of his chest. “Do you actually think you’re the only one who can do anything right in this family?”

Grady swallowed, trying to sort his thoughts. “You’re busy enough working here and looking after the children. You can’t take on more!”

“I can decide for myself what I can and cannot take on. I don’t need you to do that for me.” Ordelia crossed her arms over her chest. “And in case you’ve forgotten, we also have eight other siblings who can also take on more.”

“Most of them are too young!”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “You’re as stubborn and dumb as a bloody rock sometimes. Even Trent is eighteen now. Older than you were when Mother and Father died. We’re all adults. You need to learn to let go and stop being in control all the time. You need to trust us that we won’t fuck up everything.”

Grady tried to argue. He tried to think of some comeback. But he kept coming up with nothing. She just didn’t understand!

“And maybe you could also stop charging all the protection charms every single time. You know they don’t need to be charged so often.”

“I like them to be fully charged,” Grady said, voice tight.

“But it drains you. And maybe you should focus on taking care of yourself for a bit.” She sighed, giving him a pitying look. “I know it’s hard. You’ve looked after us for so long. You learnt to be responsible. You held yourself together through all our struggles with pure determination and an unwillingness to bend. I, and everyone else, will always be thankful you got us through.”

“I just did what was needed,” Grady muttered.

“I know.” Ordelia placed a hand on his shoulder. “But it isn’t needed anymore. You don’t need to push so hard. You don’t need to carry every burden on your shoulders. You’ve always shown us how to be responsible. How to be strong. Maybe it’s time you show us how to be happy. Mother and Father would have wanted that for all of us, you included.”

“You don’t understand.” It was his job to look after everyone. It was his responsibility. He couldn’t just give that up now.

“I probably don’t. But I know I want you happy.” Then Ordelia reached out and pulled him close. “And to do that, I think you need to let go of some of that responsibility you’ve clutched onto for so many years.”

After a moment, Grady hugged her back. “I’ll think about it,” Grady muttered.

“That’s all I ask.”