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“One bedroom, huh?”
I smile, dipping my head toward my bowl. “Yeah, one bedroom.”
“When did that start?” She reaches for my hand and holds it. “You’ve had feelings for him for a while, haven’t you?”
I lift my gaze to hers, finding acceptance and sympathy.
“How did you know that?”
She cocks her head. “Sweetheart, you think I can’t tell when my boy has feelings for someone? He was all you talked about for a long time.”
A knot clogs my throat, and I lift my water to my lips to force it down.
“Are you disappointed?” I can’t meet her eyes as I wait for her answer. It might crush me.
“That you found a partner who loves you? That you’re happy?” She shakes my hand and waits for me to look up at her. “No, Pauly, I’m not disappointed.”
Tears well in my eyes, and I cover them with my hand, dropping my head again. She gets up and wraps her arms around me, pulling my head against her chest.
“Any good parent figure just wants their kids to be happy. Who you are happy with shouldn’t matter.”
Seymour lifts his front paws onto the seat of my chair and nuzzles my leg while wagging his tail. I pet his head and scoot back enough to pick him up.
“I’m not making this a habit, little dude,” I tell him. “Dogs don’t belong at the table.”
Brendon scoffs. “He’s gonna have a seat at the table.”
“Absolutely not! You are not feeding the dog at the table.”
Brendon drops his head back on his shoulders and groans like a petulant teenager. Grandma snickers and whispers in my ear, “It’s like looking at Grandpa at the same age.”
That is a mental picture I did not need since I know what we were just doing in the bedroom upstairs.
I snuggle our pup for a minute, then put him down and stand to hug my grandma. I’m so glad I have her and Grandpa. I don’t know what would have happened to me or where I would be if they hadn’t stepped up. I barely know my dad’s parents, so after Mom died, I was left alone until these two figured out what was happening and took me in. I don’t think Dad ever noticed I was gone too.
“So,” I take a deep breath before I continue. “We actually got married when we were in Vegas for a game.”
Grandma pauses for a second, then looks at Brendon who looks like a deer caught in the headlights. Grandpa starts laughing, and Grandma smacks me upside the back of my head.
“Hey!”
“I know! I had to read about it in a news article like everybody else!”
I rub at the spot on my head.
“I was waiting to see how long it would take you to fess up to it.” She puts her hands on her hips and stares at me. “Congratulations, but why didn’t you tell us? We would have flown out.”
“It was spur of the moment.” Brendon comes around the table, pulls my chair back, and sits on my lap. “We didn’t plan it.”
I wrap my arms around his waist and lean my face against his strong back, breathing in the scent that’s just him.
“Pain in my ass,” she mumbles and starts to clear the table. Brendon pops up and grabs dishes too. I take the food in and set it on the counter, then help get it put away. Brendon takes the dishes from her and loads the dishwasher, shooing her from the kitchen.
We work together to get it cleaned up, and I remind him to close cabinet doors. He babbles, sings random song lyrics, and flicks water at me. Even this mundane task isn’t boring with him around.
We’re laughing and fucking around when Grandma comes in with a smile lighting up her face.
“You two are having way too much fun in here.” She looks between us and the wet spots on our shirts. “Make sure you get the water cleaned up so no one falls.”
