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I paused. “They told you what I said, didn’t they?”
“Yeah, they did.” He released me and pulled back so he could grasp my face in his hands and drew my attention to him. “What do you need? Tell me what you need and I’ll get it for you. Do you want me to call Charlie? Are you sure you don’t want some sort of sugary dessert? I hear that helps.”
“I don’t need—I have everything I want right here.” I turned my head ever so slightly so I could kiss his palm.
He dropped his hands.
“Any news from the hospital?” I asked.
“Cam is out of surgery. He’s stable, but still unconscious. His leg was badly broken but they’re saying the surgery went well. He should be awake soon. They’re slowly weaning Lily off the drugs used to keep her in a coma, but she still hasn’t woken up yet. She had a punctured lung and they had to put her out until she could be stabilized.”
I churned over the information and nodded. “The club? The Old Ladies?”
“A fucking mess. Some of them aren’t even on speaking terms at the moment.”
“I said some pretty awful things to Logan and Rach,” I admitted. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re not speaking to me either.”
“They came and told me what went down. I think you underestimate them.”
“I guess I underestimate everyone,” I murmured.
“Tell me about your father,” he said.
“The biggest heart you can imagine. Always willing to lend a hand or stop for someone in need. His smile lit up his entire face.”
“I’m sorry I never got the chance to meet him.”
I looked up at him. “I’m sorry too.”
And I was. Bones might not have been the man I thought I’d want, but he was the man I needed. And the way he cared for me…my father cared for my mother the same way. Bones and my father were cut from the same cloth, even if they walked different paths in life.
“Some days, the grief is hardly there,” I said softly. “Like an annoying toothache that won’t bother you much if you don’t touch it. Other days, it’s like a heavy, wet blanket that makes it hard to get out of bed.”
“How many days is it the annoying toothache versus the wet blanket?”
I thought about his question. “Most days it’s like the toothache. Today it’s the wet blanket. The wedding was supposed to be this joyous, beautiful celebration. Darcy’s death turned it into a tragedy.”
“Hmm.”
“You don’t think it was a tragedy?”
“Of course it’s a tragedy. But it’s also a reminder. Live your life. Be happy. Because one day, it all ends.”
Be happy.
“If only it were that easy.” I waved him toward the living room. “We don’t have to keep standing here in the doorway having an existential crisis.”
“But it’s so fun,” he mocked.
I rolled my eyes. “Fun. Right. Sometimes it would be nice to be able to turn my brain off.”
“Good luck with that.”
I ran my hands up and down my arms. “I can’t get warm.”
“Take a hot shower,” Bones said. “I’ll make you tea and turn on the fireplace.”
“It’s fifty degrees outside,” I remarked.
