Brutal Heir (Court University 1)

I closed the door, nothing more I could do.

Chapter Thirteen

Knight

I pulled Greer up to her dorm later than anticipated. Fuck, I shouldn’t have even taken her to see my mom at all, but she’d pissed me off with all that shit she liked to talk about me being an idiot. I didn’t flash my school shit around, but that didn’t mean I didn’t know anything. Sure, I could take school more seriously, but who couldn’t? Didn’t mean I was a fucking idiot. Turning off my truck, I reached in the back to get her stuff. She actually put it back there herself this time instead of hugging it for the better part of two hours.

“Thanks.” Sitting by the door, she cradled her things, dead fucking silent since we’d left the nursing home. I’d drown some of it out with stuff I’d played though the speakers with my phone, but she’d kept that mouth of hers completely quiet since we left campus. Normally, I wouldn’t complain…

But considering recent circumstances.

I had no idea why I’d taken her to see my mom. Hell, I hadn’t seen my mom at least all term. That shit was hard enough on my best day, still was.

I tapped the steering wheel. “You get everything you need today?” I hadn’t stalked her, but did notice she took my advice and talked to some of the medical staff. They had all kinds of information she could use, most of which went well beyond a general education psych class, but I was sure would be helpful for her. I’d personally get more out of talking to an actual psychologist or medical doctor than studying shit in a book, but maybe that was me.

“Yeah, it was really helpful.” She played one of her petite, little fingers against the strap of her bag, filling my damn truck up with her little dove scent. She smelled like raspberries and vanilla, and I only knew because I’d been close enough to taste.

I tasted that shit now, trying not to. I unlocked her door. “Good. Glad you got something out of it.”

And now she could get out of my truck, no doubt happy to be rid of me for at least a night. My whole life wasn’t this girl despite how I was sure it came across to her most days. I had shit to do tonight, my life to reevaluate. I felt really guilty that I’d let so much time pass since seeing my mom, my buddy Royal right. She was around, and with what Janet said about my voice maybe actually helping? I mean, I wasn’t naive to believe much of that shit anymore, but it was the least I could do. I loved my mom, missed her.

My hand curled on the wheel, pulling her out of the hospital and moving her to a nursing home the hardest thing. The decision had been up to my grandpa at the time since I’d been a minor, but I could have gotten her out a while ago. I just hadn’t known what else I could do for her, and since I was away at school, not much. I’d just been happy Grandfather took care of all that, those decisions so long ago. He still continued to make decisions regarding her care now, and I was happy about that too. I was way too close to the issue, not sure I could do right by her. The easiest thing was letting Gramps do his thing.

Greer wet her lips. “Knight?”

And she was still here, my body lounging back and angling in her direction.

She shrugged. “I’m just wondering why you took me to see her.”

I’d told her why, to help her. I shrugged this time. “You said you failing and shit was my fault. Figured I’d be nice.”

“But why?”

Why?

I was about two seconds from tossing Greer and that mouth of hers out, but she saved me from that when she finally opened the door. I could breathe a little more when she f

inally did, no more of that sweet dove scent in my lungs.

She stood at the door. “Thanks. I’m sure it’ll be really helpful.”

And that’s all I wanted, not really knowing why. My hand fisted that steering wheel until she finally closed the door, and with a start, I was peeling out of that lot quicker than the day I’d originally dropped her at her dorm. Honestly, I didn’t know why I’d taken her to see my mom.

Honestly, it was stupid.

The frat was gratefully silent by the time I made it back that night, and sitting outside, I took a moment before heading in. I didn’t know why, some fresh air good for my head. I left the windows down and sat back, and fuck if I knew how long I’d actually sat out there before coming inside. I opened the door and got a few handshakes from a couple buddies inside, but not two seconds in was I told I had a visitor.

He’d been waiting for me, I guess.

Grandfather stood inside my room when I made it there, hand on his cane as he stared at a personal photo.

“I called you, son,” he said, truly this man’s son. He was basically the only father I ever had. I’d been a child when I lost Dad, his memory fading as well. I admit I hadn’t checked my phone today, with Greer all day.

I closed the door, coming over to my grandpa. He held a family photo of my mom, my dad, and me, his hand firm on the frame.

“I remember taking this photo of your guys,” he said, tilting his head at the family photo in the mountains. We all stood at the top of a rock. “Remember it?”

I did, though it was so long ago. We’d all gone hiking, no one to take a photo of us all out there. It’d been Grandfather to step up and take one of my parents and me, always the one sacrificing. Gramps handed it to me, and I smiled a little upon holding it. “I do. It was a fun day.”