Derek scratched his fingers down Bradley Cooper’s back, much to his approval. “What will Grace think?”
“She’ll be over the moon.” I grinned. “She’ll probably also think I’ve lost my mind. I can’t even keep a cactus alive.”
“You’ve kept a whole person alive. I think you’ll be okay.”
My phone pinged with a notification, and I plucked it from my purse to see a text from Grace.
Grace: busy first day, but i love england already!!! i may never come back. ;)
Grace: jk mom. sorry i didn’t call today, but things are nuts. talk tomorrow? love you!!!!!
I smiled down at my phone and sent her several pink heart emojis.
Ella: I’ll drag your ass back here myself if I have to. Love you too. Talk tomorrow.
“That was Grace.” I slid my phone back in my purse. “She’s loving England so far.”
“She’s a lucky girl,” Derek said.
I nodded. “Yeah, this is such a great opportunity for her. I miss her like crazy, but I’m glad she’s happy.”
“She’s lucky because she has a mom like you. Anyone can see she’s your whole world.”
I shrugged. “That’s just what parents do.”
“Not all parents.” Derek’s smile faltered. “My relationship with my parents is… complicated.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I always wished I had that Diane Keaton mom, you know?” He shook his head. “It’s silly, but every time I see Diane Keaton play a mom in a movie, she’s the perfect mother. Sometimes she’s a little overbearing or overly involved, but she’s always on her kids’ side. She’s the parent that’s always proud of her kids, no matter what they do. I didn’t think moms like that existed in real life until I met you.”
I suddenly had the urge to reach out and hug him. “You don’t think your parents are proud of you?”
The pained expression that flickered across his face was all the answer I needed. In all the time I’d known Derek, I’d never seen him look so sad.
“That’s not important.” The corners of his mouth tugged into a smile. “What’s important is how excited Grace is going to be when she finds out Bradley Cooper is at home waiting for her.”
“Can I ask you something?” I blurted. Maybe it was the fact that Derek had confessed something so personal, or maybe it was simply that I was bursting at the seams to talk to someone that made me want to confide in him.
He nodded. “Of course.”
“Have you ever felt like you’ve spent so much time building your life around other people that you forgot to build one for yourself?” I asked the question I hadn’t been able to fully articulate till now.
Derek sucked in a deep breath through his teeth. “You have no idea.”
“After my husband died, I devoted my life to Grace and Liv.” I rubbed my hands down Bradley Cooper’s back. “Now that they’re both doing their own things, I’ve realized how much of my life revolved around them. As sad as it is, I think I liked it that way because as long as I was focused on their lives, I didn’t have to think about what was missing in mine. Now I’ve had a taste of what I think I’ve been missing, and it’sallI can think about.”
He raised his brow at me. “And what’s that?”
“I’ve met someone—more like I’veknownsomeone, but I’m just now seeing what we could be. ” I pressed my lips together. “But he’s kind of a big part of the lives of everyone I know, and if it didn’t work ou—”
“It’s Cash, isn’t it?” Derek cut me off.
“So much for a guessing game.”
“It’s not hard to guess,” he admitted. “You guys have good chemistry together, and I’m pretty sure he’s kinda had a thing for you for a while now.”
“You think so?”
