When Max looks at me in sympathy, I run my fingers over his furrowed brow. “I don’t want this to come between us.”
“I just hate that you had to do this,” he says. “Thank you doesn’t even start to cover how grateful I am. Will you be okay?”
“Sure. Have you forgotten that I now have a superfine boyfriend for emotional support?” I shudder a little. “Wow, it feels bizarre to say that.”
He makes a noise in his chest and pulls me tighter against him. “Maybe you need to say it again, just to get used to it.”
“Hmmm. My superfine boyfriend seems to like it when I call him that.”
“Fuck yes, he does.”
He pulls me in for a kiss, and it’s just what I need before I leave our love-bubble to face the real world. Maybe everything will be okay with him by my side. If anyone can make me believe that, Max can.
TWENTY-TWO
Reality Bites
“Well, that’s about all the news today, Nan,” I say as I close the paper. “Some big dudes played some other big dudes in sports involving balls, but I know that bores the hell out of you, so I’ll sum it all up by saying someone lost, someone won, and lots of people were happy and sad over it.”
I fold up the paper and put it on the floor. There’s zero space on her nightstand, since they moved her out of the ICU and into her own room a few days ago. If I ever doubted that other people loved Nan as much as Ash and I do, the plethora of vases filling every inch of spare space would prove me wrong.
There’s even a bunch of roses from Derek. When they arrived, they reminded me how much I’m not looking forward to telling him I’m shelving my article. After how kind he’s been about giving me more time, it almost feels like I’m betraying him.
I grab my phone and look at the text he sent me earlier: <Hey, Tate. Hope your grandma’s doing okay. Looking forward to reading your FINISHED article when I get back. Don’t let me down. I’m expecting big things from you. Our bottom line needs this.>
I know that Pulse has been struggling financially, and my article would have generated some much-needed income, so thinking about delivering the bad news makes me break out in a cold sweat.
Still, it has to be done. What choice do I have?
I put my phone away and stow my guilt as I rub some moisturizer into Nan’s arms.
“In other news, Asha called last night to tell me she’s met a man in France and is taking some of her vacation time to spend it with him before she comes home, so, phew.”
Even though Nan stays completely still, I can feel her implied judgement. “Nan, you didn’t hear how happy she was. If I’d ruined her euphoric mood with tragic news about you, it would have been like smashing a butterfly with a tennis racquet. Plus, she was so over the moon to hear about me and Max she squealed ‘I knew it!’ at least five times, and I didn’t want her to then turn around and yell at me. There’ll be plenty of time for that when she gets home.”
As I finish up and rub the excess lotion on my own arms, my phone buzzes with a text from Max.
<On my way. See you soon.>
My whole body lights up in anticipation. With me spending the past two days at Nan’s bedside and him working at night, our quality time has been minimal, so I’m hankering for a good, hard dose of Mr. Riley. We’re going to grab dinner tonight and, if there is a God, get naked together. Honestly, the food isn’t the star in this scenario. I’d go hungry if it means more time with Max between my legs.
I quickly check my appearance in the bathroom then grab Nan’s hairbrush, so I can pretty her up for our visitor. She loves all of the new-age braid styles, and when I do her hair in an intricate way, she looks more like herself.
“So,” I say as I pull her hair to the side and detangle it. “I’ve officially been dating Max for two days now, but ...” I divide her hair into three sections and start braiding. “We’re already facing a major hurdle. I mean, can you imagine dating a man who melts panties for a living? Because I’m not going to lie, it’s a struggle. I know I should be able to separate fantasy from reality, but when the fantasy includes him making out with other women on the regular, it’s tough. I just hope it gets easier to deal with over time, because otherwise ...” Dammit, I don’t want to dwell on ‘otherwise’ It hurts too much.
I curl the braid up to the top of her head and secure it with some pins, then pop in a couple of her favorite daisy clips.
“There,” I say as I step back to assess my work. “You’re the prettiest elderly teenager in this place.” I lean over and kiss her forehead. “Of course, you’d tell me a man as amazing as Max is worth any amount of angst, wouldn’t you?” I sit and take her hand. “And you’d probably be right.”
I hear a noise, and when I look up, I see Max is in the doorway, watching me with a contemplative smile. “What would Nan be right about?”
My chest lights up with tingles, and I wonder if that’s a normal thing. “Everything. As usual.”
I stand and wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans. “Look, Nan. Max is here.” Even saying his name makes butterflies take flight in my stomach.
He smiles. “Happy to report that Moby and I watched a couple of hours of Animal Planet together today. You know, he loves seeing how the common animals live.”
Max has been visiting Moby every morning to make sure he doesn’t get depressed, and Moby has taken to him like a duck to ... well, you know.
He looks at me and shakes his head. “I’m not saying that you’ve gotten even more beautiful since I saw you last, but ...” He takes a deep breath and lets it out. “God, I’ve missed you.”
“It’s been forty-eight hours.”
“And that’s forty-eight hours too long.” He comes over and pulls me into a hug, and these days I don’t tense up. I hug him back fiercely and let him take away some of my tension.
He pulls pack to look at me. “Would it be disrespectful to kiss you in front of your Nan?”
“No. In fact, the shock of me being affectionate with a man might actually wake her up. Go for your life.”
He kisses me, and within seconds we’re deeply invested in each other’s mouths. Lord, this is strange. Feeling all of this. Letting myself enjoy it. Having a heart so full it seems too big for my body.
We pull apart and step away from each other when a black nurse with unicorns on her scrubs comes in to check on Nan. Her name is Shirley, and she’s my favorite.
“Don’t let me stop you,” she says. “I never bought the story that you two were brother and sister anyway.”
Max wipes my lip gloss off his mouth and hides a smile. Then he grabs another chair, and we both sit beside the bed.
“So,” Max says as Shirley takes Nan’s readings and straps on a blood-pressure cuff. “I know we had plans tonight, but I have to work.”
“Another date?” I say, unable to hide my disappointment. “That’s the fourth one this week.”
Shirley finishes up notating Nan’s vitals and shoots us a look. “Oh, Lord. I’m outta here. You two have things to sort out.”