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But Brennan couldn’t stop the flood. It overwhelmed him, sucked him into fear so intense and relief so sweet. Judy’s arms wound around him and this woman who loved his grandfather held him as he cried the tears he’d stored for years upon years.
Finally, Brennan reined things in and wiped his face with the sleeve of his tuxedo, feeling exactly what his grandfather claimed he should embrace—vulnerability.
“Sorry,” was all he could manage to say.
“Why?” his grandfather whispered, his voice hoarse and gravelly. “For caring? For loving? Don’t be. It’s a gift.”
Brennan shook his head. He didn’t know what he apologized for. Maybe for being weak.
“Come here.”
Judy gently pushed him toward Malcolm. Brennan went because this was his grandfather…and he’d nearly died. Again.
Brennan bent toward his grandfather to catch the faint words.
“You’re a complete idiot.”
Brennan drew back. “Why? Because I—”
“No, not because you cried, but because you made that woman cry. That woman who loves you.”
“Mary Paige?”
“No, the friggin’ Virgin Mary.”
Judy gasped. “Malcolm, that’s—”
“Sorry.” Malcolm cleared his throat. “Shouldn’t have said that. But Brennan is obtuse as a da— Uh, darned, moron.”
“Asher—”
“Is an ass. He looks to undermine you at every turn, something you refuse to see because you think he’s better than you. But he’s not. You’re ten times the man he is, and Mary Paige doesn’t deserve to fall victim to his selfishness. And neither do you. Wake up, boy.”
Brennan couldn’t say a thing. His mind jumbled around those words, at the thought of his cousin intentionally ruining his relationships. Why? Jealousy? He couldn’t grasp the concept.
“Bren,” his grandfather croaked, his eyes sharp as stone. “Remember the spirits in the book.”
“What book?”
“InA Christmas Carol?” Judy asked, smoothing the sheet beneath Malcolm’s chin.
“Yes.” Malcolm coughed, his neck muscles straining. Judy patted him, her eyes worried. Finally, his grandfather quieted. “Remember the children beneath the robes?”
“Ignorance and Want,” Brennan said to himself, his mind clicking as he grasped the implications.
“Don’t let them win.”
* * *
MARYPAIGEFOLDEDher favorite Christmas sweater and put it in the suitcase.
“When will you be back?” Mitzi asked from her perch on the bed.
“I took the whole week off. Ivan the Terrible wasn’t happy, but then again, when is he ever happy?” Mary Paige placed a stack of underwear into the suitcase and secured them with the strap. Never knew how many undies a girl might need.
“What about Brennan?”
“What about him?”
