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Chapter seventeen
This Is the End of Something
Rae
“So,whatareyourintentions with my granddaughter, Aaron Cooper?” Grandpa Pete asks.
We’re at Grandma and Grandpa’s house for a goodbye lunch, since we’re all leaving for college in two days. I’m wavering between nervous and excited about that. Anyway, Grandpa insisted I bring Aaron today. Now I know why.
Mom swats his arm and says, “Dad, knock it off.” At the same time, Grandma Bea swats his back and says, “Peter Abbott, you leave them alone.”
Dad laughs. “I’d actually like to hear this answer.”
Grandpa looks pleased and nods at him as they clink their beers together.
Sarah and I are watching all of this with wide eyes.
But Aaron, never easily rustled by my grandfather, meets his eyes.
“Pete, I think you know I love her.”
My grandfather narrows his eyes. “Loving someone is one thing. Doing something about it is another.”
“Grandpa! We’ve been together for all of three months. You cannot seriously be suggesting we get married.”
He gives me a grin. “You either know it’s right or you don’t.” He looks at Aaron again. “She the right one?”
I squeeze his hand, trying to tell him he does not need to answer this, but he smiles at me.
“Of course, she is. But we’re young. I hope we have forever, but that doesn’t mean I’m getting down on one knee right now.”
Grandpa’s eyes soften, but he shakes his head.
“Pete, isn’t it possible to love someone, want forever, but to take our time? I want forever with her.” He looks at me tenderly. “Some part of me always has. But I don’t want to rush this and screw it up. If we have forever, what’s the rush?”
Grandpa nods his head slowly. “Life is shorter than you think it is. That’s all I’ll say.”
“Grandpa,” I say, “were you always sure? It’s easy for you to look back from here and act like forever is simple, but were you always certain that you and Grandma would be okay? Even when you were young?”
“Of course, I was. And even if I wasn’t, I trusted that we’d be strong enough to come back from anything that tried to break us. It was always her. Love at first sight.”
Grandma narrows her eyes at him.
“Don’t let him fool you. It was love at first sight forhim. It was more like annoyance at first sight for me.”
We all laugh as Grandpa rolls his eyes.
“Say what you like, you’ve loved me from the beginning,” Grandpa sasses.
Grandma winks at us and says, “You drove me nuts, always following me around but never saying anything. Of course, once you did, you were so funny and charming and I could hear the love in your voice. That’s when I fell in love with you.”
He grins at her and she leans in and kisses him.
My heart swells and I squeeze Aaron’s hand again. Because it makes me think of us. How our love flows between us. It fills my heart with hope that we’ll have a happily ever after, a forever like theirs.
I look at Grandma.
“Did you ever worry about being ready? If you two would make it?”
