“I’ll leave that up to you, Mike. You know her best.”
“I won’t ask if you’re alright again, since you’ve told me twice that you are. Just know that if you need to talk about your parents or anything else, I’m here.”
She laid her hand over my heart, and I feared she’d feel how erratically it was beating.
“I know. When you told my parents that you wanted to give me a safe place to be myself,” she said, scanning my eyes as if searching for the words, “it touched me deeply. Thank you for that. I’ve had to rely on myself for so many years. I think you’re going to have to help me let go of some of the reins a little. Just be patient with me.”
Before I could respond, her long fingers slowly lifted and brushed my unruly waves away from my forehead. I didn’t think it was possible for my heart to beat any faster, but her gesture proved otherwise.
“Sorry,” she whispered. “I’ve wanted to do that from the day you picked me up at the airport.” Her blush was adorable.
I looked up as she brushed it again, trying to get it to stay in place. “It has a mind of its own,” I answered, my throat tightening. Because she had gone up on her toes to reach it, all I had to do was lean down a few inches, and I could finally kissher like I’d been imagining since I saw her in the airport, but the hospital was not the right place for something so special.
I cleared my throat as her heels touched the ground again. “I, uh, I guess I’ll go in and see her now.”
“Yes, of course.” She took a step back and headed for the waiting room.
Get it together. Don’t spook her, man.
When I passed the nurses’ station, they smiled as I waved, hoping that meant Grammy was having a good day.
Sliding the glass door open, she turned away from the TV and grinned. She had been watching her beloved game shows, and the familiarity gave me some peace.
“Mikey. Did you bring me some of those tacos I love? The food here is worse than Gemma’s cooking,” she said, looking at my hands for contraband.
“Are you trying to get me kicked out of here, Grammy? No tacos for you unless I make them myself so I can control the salt. And don’t eventhinkof asking the Granny Squad either.” She rolled her eyes as I took a seat next to her.
“Who brought you ice cream when your parents weren’t looking when you sprained your ankle in fourth grade?” she asked, glaring at me. “And as far as the squad goes, I told those old coots not to dare come here with their shenanigans. Bad enough they call and text me all day and night.”
“You know you miss them. And just so you know, ice cream wasn’t going to make my arteries clog, and my pressure rise. You had a heart attack, not a stubbed toe, woman,” I teased. Her bedazzled cane leaned against the small table next to her bed, and I had no doubt she’d use it on me if needed.
She scoffed and pretended to watch Wheel of Fortune. “Where’s Renata?” she asked, her silent treatment lasting all of twenty seconds.
“Waiting room. They won’t let more than one person in at a time. What’s the doctor saying today?” I held her hand, forcing her to look at me.
“Just that my vitals all looked good. The new medication will take a few weeks to work, but for now, all is normal. He thinks I can leave in three days, maybe, since Willowgrove has a nursing staff.” Her color had returned, but I could see how tired she still was by the way her eyes struggled to stay open.
“Good. So, I have some news for you.” She turned to face me, a grin on her face.
I squinted at her. “What’s that look for?”
“First, tell me your news.”
“Okay. Well, things with Ren and me have…progressed, I guess you’d say.” She pursed her lips and nodded. “I, ah, I asked her to marry me, and she said yes.” Just repeating those words made me smile.
Grammy’s eyes brimmed with tears, a wide smile on her face. I stood suddenly, pushing the awful plastic chair away with a screech.
“Hey, why are you crying?” I asked, wondering if I’d done the wrong thing.
She sniffed and gestured for me to sit down. I grabbed a few tissues I found near her bed, then picked up the chair and scooted it close to her bed again. If this upset her, I had no idea what to do next.
“I’m crying because I love when God answers my prayers so quickly.” She reached out and put her hand on my cheek. “Mikey, you’ve found her.”
I bit the inside of my lip to hold back the tears at her words. I had no idea when I’d become such a ball of emotions, but I figured it happened about the time the beautiful Italian woman landed in my city.
“Yes, I did. Just like Grandpa said it would, my heart felt it. She’s the one.” We looked at one another, joy evident on both our faces.
“She’s a beautiful woman, Mikey. Strong enough to keep you in line, but soft enough to let you be her strength when she needs it, although that might take some time. That’s a rare woman to find.” The steady beeping of the machines filled the silence as her words swirled in my heart.
