Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 78329 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78329 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 392(@200wpm)___ 313(@250wpm)___ 261(@300wpm)
He nods slowly. “And that’s exactly why I’m talking.”
The room feels too small suddenly. “Having you missing scared me,” he says. “I’ve been shot at. I’ve been beat up. I’ve buried friends. But that fear? That was worse.”
His voice breaks. “I can’t live like that, knowing you’re giving up your life to keep me comfortable.”
“I’m not giving it up,” I protest weakly.
“Aren’t you?” he asks softly.
The floor creaks again, and this time I know Miles is just outside the entryway to this room, hearing everything.
Grandpa continues.
“Josie is here,” he states. “She’s found her place. A place you can find too. Your heart is there with him when he’s away. I’ve seen it.”
Heat rushes to my face.
“You glow different when you have him,” he adds, smiling faintly. “You laugh easier.”
I wipe at my cheeks. “That doesn’t mean I move states.”
“Why not?” he asks.
The question hits me square in the chest.
“Because you’re here,” I state frankly. “Because this is our home. Because your doctors are here. Because your routine is here.”
He shakes his head slowly. “This house is wood and nails,” he says. “It ain’t sacred ground.”
My stomach drops.
“We can sell this house,” he continues calmly. “You can get you something nice in North Carolina. Somewhere with space. Somewhere close to him. And we are blessed because that means close to Josie Mosie too.”
My breath catches.
“And I can go in a nursing home.”
The words hit like a slap. “No,” I choke out immediately. “Absolutely not.”
“Danae—”
“No.” My voice cracks, louder now. “I’m not putting you in a home.”
Tears spill fast and hard, blurring everything. “I can’t do that,” I sob. “You think I could sleep at night knowing you’re in some room with strangers?”
He reaches out and cups my hand gently. “I don’t need you to sacrifice your life for me,” he says.
“It’s not a sacrifice,” I insist, shaking.
I feel the shift. I know Miles is closer now.
Grandpa sighs. “I liked that boy from the beginning,” he says. “But I respect him now.”
I blink up at him. “Respect him?” I repeat.
He nods. “He was ready to give everything up for you.”
My heart thunders.
“I heard enough last night,” he continues. “He’s stepping down. Moving here.”
The weight of it hits me all over again. “And that’s exactly why I’m talking,” Grandpa states firmly.
Miles steps up into the living room now beside me.
His hair is damp, t-shirt tight against his chiseled chest and shorts hanging low, expression serious but not defensive. He doesn’t look at me first.
He looks at Grandpa. “Sir,” he says respectfully.
Grandpa nods at him. “You were listening.”
“Didn’t mean to,” Miles admits. “But I did.”
The room goes still. Miles steps closer, hands relaxed at his sides. “Can I ask you something?” he says gently.
Grandpa gestures for him to continue. “If Nanny had asked you to leave everything,” Miles says carefully, “would you have?”
Grandpa doesn’t hesitate. “Of course.”
Miles nods once, jaw tight. “Then I don’t see the burden,” he says. “Or the problem with me coming here.”
My breath catches. Miles glances at me then, and there’s no hesitation in his eyes.
“I’m not being forced,” he says quietly. “I’m choosing.”
Grandpa studies him a long moment. “I understand what you’re saying,” Grandpa replies. “And I don’t doubt you.”
Miles holds his gaze steady.
“But,” Grandpa continues, “I talked this over with Josie.”
Josie steps forward from the kitchen, drying her hands. “I didn’t want to say anything until we had a plan,” she says softly.
My stomach drops.
“What plan?” I whisper.
Grandpa smiles faintly. “Dean’s got the house next door,” he says. “He’s been wanting to rent it out. We’re gonna set me up there.”
I stare at him.
“What?”
“I’ll have the caregivers the insurance pays for,” he continues. “And I’ll use the money from selling this house to pay for the rest until I die.”
The words hit hard.
“Don’t say it like that,” I whisper.
“Like what?” he asks gently. “Like it’s true?”
My vision blurs.
“I don’t have much time left,” he says calmly. “You know that better than anyone.”
I do. I’ve watched his oxygen levels drop. I’ve watched his hands shake with uncontrollable tremors that advance more every day. I’ve watched the way exhaustion steals more from him every month. But hearing him say it feels like losing him all over again.
“I want to see my granddaughters having happiness before I die,” he states.
His voice breaks slightly. “Can you give me that?”
The room is silent except for my breathing, ragged and uneven. I look at Josie. She nods, tears in her eyes. “We can manage,” she tells me. “Between Dean’s place and caregivers. I’ll be there. Raff’s there. We’ll make it work. Then Miles stays with the Hellions and we get even more support too.”
I look at Miles. He doesn’t speak. He just stands there, steady and sure.
“I don’t want you in a home,” I whisper again.
“I won’t be,” Grandpa says. “Not like you’re picturing. I’ll be next door. You can visit whenever you want. Call every day if you need to. North Carolina has good weather. I can’t go fishin’ anymore. Dean’s gonna make sure I have a big window to look out. I can watch Justice and Journey growing up. And not to put any pressure on you and Miles, here, but if you give me another little blessing, I’ll be there to see that one too. With everyone so close and the caregivers, I won’t be a burden to your life anymore either.”