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“How did you know?” Payton asks.
“What in the world are they talking about?” Jaime leans over and asks me.
“No clue,” I tell her honestly.
“Grandma knows everything, Payters,” she says with a coy little smile. “Everything.” They share a look, and even though I have no idea what they’re really talking about, understanding and love passes across their faces.
“Yeah,” Payton whispers sweetly.
“Everything,” Emma says loudly. “I even know about Lexi’s motorcycle ride, Abby’s trip to the preacher’s house, AJ’s extra innings in the dugout, Meghan sneaking in through the bathroom window when I locked her out of the house, and Jaime’s stargazing down by the Bay.”
Gasps are heard from all directions, as the girls’ eyes all bounce from person to person. Shock is written all over their faces, as Grandma just grins and gazes down lovingly at my daughter beside her.
“What is she talking about? What stargazing?” Ryan asks.
“We’ll discuss it later,” Jaime mutters, glaring back at the elder woman.
I’m sure they will. By the way all of the girls are casting their eyes downward, I imagine those instances are probably pretty juicy. And Grandma with juicy details probably isn’t the best situation for all involved.
Catching movement out of the corner of my eye, I glance over and see Meghan arriving to the gathering. Even though we’ve all been here for three hours, she’s just now getting here.
“She went back to work this week,” Jaime says, still sitting on Ryan’s lap beside us.
“Dr. Adams has been wonderful through this whole ordeal,” Abby adds.
Everyone watches Meghan, trying their best not to be noticed, as she busies herself at the food table, getting things ready to go once Brian takes the burgers off the grill. The sisters all glance at each other, their worry and heartbreak written all over their faces.
I found out from Payton that Meghan works as a dental assistant at a small practice in town. Dr. Adams gave her as much time off as she needed after Josh’s death, and has been very supportive and sensitive to her situation. She took just over three months off, and according to Payton, is bored at home and tired of staring at the walls. She’s still in the house that she and Josh rented before he passed away, and I’m not sure she’ll ever be ready to relocate.
Time will tell.
* * *
At the end of the evening, Payton, Bri, and I set out to head home. Those that are left at the gathering all give hugs, and before we can make it to my car, Grandma Emma stops me.
“Here,” she says, stuffing a white gift bag into my hands.
“What’s this?” I ask, moving the tissue paper aside.
“Not yet,” she chastises, smacking my hand. “Wait until you get home and can open it with Payters. Alone,” she adds with a wink.
Why am I afraid of this gift bag?
Before I can turn away, I’m engulfed in a bear hug from a pint sized little ol’ lady. She’s freakishly strong. And in true Emma fashion, it’s only a few seconds later when I feel her hand on my ass. She gives it a quick little squeeze before releasing me. I get another wink before she walks over to Payton to say goodbye.
Not giving it anymore thought, I help Bri get loaded into my car and head towards my place. There are not many cars on the road, even though it’s barely eight o’clock. Unless you’re down at the beach or in downtown, the rest of the town seems to close up when the sun goes down.
Reaching over, I grab Payton’s hand. “You staying with us tonight?” I ask, bringing her hand to my lips.
“Mmmmm,” she purrs like a kitten.
“Yeah, stay with us tonight, Payton. Daddy can make us cheesy eggs and toast for breakfast,” Bri chimes in from the backseat.
“Who am I to pass up cheesy eggs and toast?” she asks, giving my daughter a smile over her shoulder, which makes Bri cheer.
“You know,” I say casually, though my throat is lodged in my throat. “You could just stay with us. All the time.”
I’m testing the Payton waters right now, not really sure how this is going to play out. Sure we’ve mentioned forever in conversation, but never really sat down and talked about moving in together or anything beyond that. I wasn’t planning on broaching the subject tonight, however. It just kinda slipped out, and now there’s no way I’m taking it back.
