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“So, uh, what do you want to know?”
I sat forward in my seat, trying to narrow down my questions. I had so many, but I didn’t want him to think I was beingtoonosy. “Well, for starters, how did she pass?”
“Her parents told me it was a lower aortic aneurysm. She was apparently gone before she hit the floor.” He winced, taking a sip of his beer. “Sorry, that was blunt. Hazards of the job, I think.”
I couldn’t imagine the horrors he faced on a regular basis at work, so I nodded in understanding, even though it was only on a surface level.
“I guess they can happen to anyone at any age, regardless of how healthy or active you are,” he continued. “And it wasn’t detected because she hadn’t had any symptoms ahead of time that would warrant a scan or anything.”
“That’s so horrible. I’m sorry.”
“I’m just sorry for Grayson.”
“Of course. He wasn’t … you know, in the room when it happened, was he?”
Zac blew out a long breath and shuddered. “No, thankfully, he wasn’t. He was taking a nap. His grandma happened to be over for lunch that day and was with Candice when it happened. She said they were just talking and then …”
My chest squeezed as he trailed off, noting the way his eyes took on a glassy, faraway look. “Oh, no. I can’t even imagine what that must have been like for her.”
“I can’t even think about it. I couldn’t bear … ah, no. Anyway, so that’s what happened.”
I took a sip of my own beer as Zac went back to his food, but with much less enthusiasm than before. I didn’t want to ruin our date by talking about this, but it felt like I should know about Grayson’s past and to know how it related to our present. Not to mention our potential future.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“Of course.”
“So, after she passed, did the grandparents keep Grayson for a little while before they went looking for you?”
“Not really, no.” He wiped the corners of his mouth with his napkin before returning it to his lap. “They weren’t well, and they were worried they wouldn’t be able to raise him properly. I agreenow, but at the time it blew my mind. I think that was just the fear talking, though.”
“That makes sense. How are they now? Are they doing okay?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. And before you ask, it’s not because I cut them out of Grayson’s life or anything. They haven’t kept in touch, and I stopped trying when they made it clear they didn’t want me to reach out. I think it was too painful.”
Again, I had no way to grasp how deep their grief went, so I only nodded.
“What freaks me out about the whole thing is how unexpected it was. As an MP, I see a lot of dark stuff. And because of that, I can’t help but bring home that protective energy when I’m not at work. My sister hates it. She gives me a hard time a lot, but I can’t help it.”
“I’m sure she appreciates it.”
“Yeah, maybe.” He picked at his steamed vegetables with his fork. “Anyway, when it comes to Grayson, all I want to do is protect him from all the bad stuff out there. You know? But how can I protect him from something I can’t see coming, like what happened with his mom? It’s … well, it’s terrifying.”
Since I wasn’t a parent myself, I didn’t have firsthand experience with this. But I’d had great, loving, attentive parents, and if anything, I figured I could draw from that. Plus, I’d dealt with enough parents during my time as a teacher to speak confidently on this part.
“I think it’s normal for you to be afraid of your child getting hurt. From what I can tell, it’s part of being a good parent.”
His face brightened. “Thanks, Layla.”
“You’re welcome. And you know, it makes sense that the whole protective thing shouldn’t be something you can turn on and off. It’s part of who you are. It’s something I really love about you,” I said, pausing and wagging my brows at him, “even though you may have taken it a little too far trying to protect him from me.”
His expression went from warmth to shock, then he let out a hearty laugh. “Okay, wow, so we’re joking about this now?”
“Apparently, yeah,” I replied with a giggle, covering my face with my hands.
“How’s your chicken parm, by the way?”
Biting my lip, I decided not to tease him about yet another thing. “I’m sure yours will be better.”
