“I remember those days all too well,” I said, and then I pictured the way Grace looked at Sam the last few days. It didn’t seem possible that the sweet, little baby who had once kept me up for hours on end at night was now a young woman with love of her own. “I’ll let you go take care of her.”
“Okay. I’ll check on you soon.”
“Hey, Liv?”
“Yeah?” she asked.
“Hold her a little longer than you need to each day… a little longer than you think you should,” I said, a wistful smile on my face. “These days… they go by so fast.”
“Yeah,” she said softly. “Yeah, they do.” We signed off, and I dropped the phone beside me on the bed.
Bradley Cooper nudged my cheek with his nose.
“Are you ready to get up, you little monster?” I asked, turning to face him.
He responded by licking my cheek and nuzzling his snout in my neck.
“I know, I know. I was just saying how fast these days go.” I pulled his warm, fuzzy body into mine and rested my chin atop his soft head. “Fifteen more minutes.”
* * *
By the timeSam was discharged, it was nearly six p.m. Cash had gone to get some rest soon after we got to the hospital, but somehow he looked even more exhausted when he returned later that afternoon and asked if I wanted to go grab a coffee from the cart downstairs.
“So, I was thinking,” I said on the way back to the room. “Maybe Sam would be more comfortable at your place. He knows you better than he does me, and he might be more willing to let you help him.”
“Actually, I think he may be better off at your house.” When he looked at me, I noticed the crinkles around his eyes were more prominent. “That way he and Grace would have each other.”
I shrugged. “Oh… okay.”
“You’re a good mom, Ella.” He said the words with such sincerity it made my heart ache. “The best. And Sam deserves that right now.”
“You’re pretty great too, you know? You don’t give yourself enough credit,” I said, but he wouldn’t meet my gaze. I wasn’t sure if he’d even heard me, but it didn’t matter because he quickly changed the subject and told me he was going to leave the hospital early to pick up some extra groceries and a few things to help make Sam more comfortable. Sam had given him the keys to his house, and he had a list of things to retrieve and bring back to my place.
After Sam, Grace, and I made it home, I got them settled inside before unpacking the rest of the car. They both tried to sneak out to help me, but I shooed them back inside. “You two are still recovering,” I’d playfully scolded them. “Get your butts back in the house.”
Bradley Cooper rolled out the red carpet for Sam, immediately bringing him a plush lamb chop as a sacrifice.
Once I’d unloaded the car, I joined them in the living room where they had already cued up Netflix and were scrolling through the romantic comedies.Ah, to be young and in love.I felt a twinge of hope that Cash and I might be able to regain a sense of normalcy with Sam and Grace both recovering out of the hospital.
Liv’s words from earlier that morning had continued to bounce through my mind all day. She was right. A lothadhappened in a short amount of time. It made sense that he would be a bit overwhelmed. I mean,Iwas overwhelmed. This week hadn’t exactly been easy on me either, but I was thankful to have Grace home, and I hoped that with Sam out of the hospital, we might all find our footing again.
“So, I was thinking that Sam could sleep in my room, and I’ll sleep on the couch,” Grace said, interrupting my thoughts as she flipped through the movie selection.
“In the words of our dear friend Antoni, ‘hot damn, no ma’am.’” I narrowed my eyes at her. “You’re still recovering too, little miss. You can bunk with me, or I’ll take the couch.”
“Okay. Oh! What aboutLove Actually?” Grace asked, pausing to point at the TV with the remote in her hand. “Do you think Cash would like that one?”
I chuckled. “You do know it’s August, right?”
“So?” She grinned. “It can be Christmas anytime. Besides, it's got Andy Lincoln in it. He’s so dreamy.” She made a big show of clutching her hand to her chest and closing her eyes.
“Oh, I see how it is.” Sam feigned offense. “Already got your eye on another British bloke.”
Grace laughed and then clutched her side. “Crap, that hurts.”
“I’m sorry, love,” Sam said, putting an arm around her and kissing her cheek. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “It just hurts to laugh still.”
