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He nods, swallowing the last bite of his sandwich. “You remember?”
“Of course. It felt like important information.”
He takes a drink from his cup, sucking on the straw.
“Was it his last wish?” I ask.
Putting the cup down, he cocks an eyebrow at me.
“To take care of your family. Was that his last wish?”
“How do you know?” he confirms with another question.
“Because I see the way you do it. Like the world would fall apart if you failed. You do the same with me.”
His silence tells me I’m right.
“The world won’t fall apart if you decide to care of yourself too. You don’t have to protect everyone. You can’t.” My eyes start to burn.
“That’s what he did.” The seriousness in his voice breaks my heart.
“I would love to take care of you,” I say softly. I cough and swallow past the swelling in my throat. “I think you’re very brave, but you’re allowed to rest too.”
Tears well in my eyes, and I cough again.
“Are you crying?” he asks, confused as to the reason why.
“This sandwich is so spicy,” I squeak. I really tried to pretend I could eat it, but I’ve come to the end of what I can handle.
“Cupcake,” he chuckles. “Were you eating this to make me happy?”
“You just love your dad so much,” I choke as I put it down.
He gives me the smallest, closed-lip smile, and my heart thunders in my chest. I know how to tell when he’s happy.
And God, I love seeing this man happy.
“Let’s get you a milkshake.”
21
XI
Eyes Off You – PRETTYMUCH
By the time we leave the diner, Alex is still on her milkshake. She’s holding my hand as I close the door behind us. She begged me to pay for lunch, but I forbade her to, and she’s too much of a good girl to insist. She did manage to convince me to take me for dessert in Stoneview so she could gift me something.
“Oh my god,” she gasps. “How did I not see these earlier?” She drops my hand to run to the two vending machines next to the diner. They’re the old kind from my childhood, with round storage at the top showing what they sell and a space for a quarter. One is a gumball machine that’s not been used in God knows how long, and the other has capsules with little trinkets.
Alex splays her free hand on the round top of the capsule machine, her eyes shining with excitement. “I’ve not seen these in forever. I used to love them as a kid. Please, tell me you have a quarter?”
My heart flutters with happiness when I dig through my pocket and pull out three quarters. She focuses on them, then back on the machine.
“Okay,” she says with the seriousness of a CEO about to lead a merger meeting. “I really want some bubblegum, so we’re keeping one for that. That means we have two chances to get this.” She puts a demanding finger at the sticker on the machine that shows everything one could get. Her manicured nail is pointing at a little pink heart.
“A pink heart?” I ask, doing my best to hide the excitement at seeing her so eager.
“A pink heart,” she scoffs. “That is a small box offuchsiaheart-shaped beads, my friend.”
