Because of His Future (For His Pleasure, Book 26) by Kelly Favor Read Free Book Online

you love me.
    Don’t
let them break us, Liam.

 
    ***

 
    The next morning, Grace got dressed for
the funeral.  
    Liam had made sure that the proper dark
dress was delivered to their suite and luckily it fit almost perfectly.
    He was wearing a black suit that was
somber and yet, seeing him in it, Grace couldn’t believe how handsome he was.
    Even in grief, Liam was
beautiful—perhaps more so.
    They didn’t speak much as they got
dressed and neither of them ate.   As
they left the hotel together, Liam gripped her hand, while the paparazzi
converged and snapped pictures and shouted their questions.
    But moments later, they were safe and
secure in the limousine that was taking them to St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where
the funeral mass would be conducted.
    It was intimidating to walk into the
famous church lined outside with gawkers and reporters and cameras.   Inside, the church was absolutely packed
with people—many of them celebrities, politicians.
    And they were all staring at Liam and
Grace as the two of them made their way down to the pew in front that had been
reserved for family.
    When they arrived at the front, Exley and
Vera and Liam’s father were there, and at first Grace was certain that they’d
be ignored.   Shunned.
    But then Liam’s father stood up and
embraced his son and that seemed to break the ice.   Exley and Vera stood as well, as if
they’d been shamed into being better siblings than they might otherwise have
been.
    Liam hugged his sister and brother, but
Grace just hung back, feeling uncertain of what she should do.   They all hated her and she knew it.
    I
don’t belong here.   I don’t belong
with any of these people.
    Scott
was right.
    And then, Liam’s dad was embracing her as
well, wrapping his bearlike arms around her.   “Thanks for taking care of my son,” he
whispered in her ear.
    When the hug ended and she looked at him,
the older man’s eyes were glimmering with unshed tears.
    “I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispered.
    Liam’s father smiled at her.   “Ditto.”
    And then they took their seats.   Liam grabbed her hand again and she
turned and gave him a comforting smile.   Liam’s face was ashen and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.
    Grace wondered if perhaps she hadn’t been
a little harsh in judging Liam’s father.   He’d initially struck her as somehow sleazy, not quite right.   She’d immediately mistrusted him, but
now he was showing her the error of her ways.
    Liam’s father was the only one being
halfway decent to them in this time of crisis.
    The service itself was moving and
beautiful.
    One of the world’s most renowned opera
singers sang a gorgeous hymn that brought everyone in the church to tears.
    Vera gave her mother’s eulogy and talked
about what it was like to grow up in the shadow of a powerful woman, a
matriarch who could rival the fearsomeness of Margaret Thatcher or Hillary
Clinton.
    But Vera mentioned that in the end, what
she would most remember and miss about her mother was the fountain of love and
commitment to family that she’d always displayed.
    “No matter what,” Vera said, “My mother
taught me that family is the most
important thing.   And it will always
be there, as long as you don’t forget it’s there.”  
    And it was surely no coincidence, Grace
thought, that at this last line, Vera’s eyes were locked on Liam.
    For the rest of the service, Grace was
lost in thoughts, her mind spinning as she thought about the little tea party
with Liam’s sister yesterday.   It
was difficult to sit in enemy territory, knowing that all of the powerful
people in that old and famous church thought she was an interloper.
    But as long as Liam kept his hand on her
hand, she felt that it was all worth it.
    Finally, mercifully, the mass was over
and they were leaving to drive to the cemetery.
    The procession of cars took seemingly
forever to get to the Ferncliff Cemetery.  
    In the limousine, Liam was calm and
subdued,