The only thing I could do was smile at her and nod like I understood.
And I guess, in a way, I did.
And if that comment about settling down with anything and anyone wasn’t my cue to get the hell out of there, I didn’t know what was. “If it’s okay, let me give Paw-Paw a hug, and I’ll get out of here before you get in trouble for having too many people hanging around.”
Ms. Travis nodded.
I made my way over to the bed as Zac and Paw-Paw continued talking to each other. As soon as the older man spotted me though, he stopped talking and gave me a tired but somehow bright smile. His deep, sweet voice was weak. “You came all this way to check on me?”
“You know I did.” I smiled at him before eyeing Zac and feeling a small part of my expression drop off. I glanced back at the older man. “Did you like the present I brought you, Paw? He was pretty hard to find.”
Mr. Travis’s hand, connected to tubes, slid across the bed and patted his grandson’s denim-covered hip. “Best gift anyone has ever found for me. Bless you, sweetheart.”
I leaned forward and kissed the older man on the cheek. He still had the faintest hint of cologne clinging to him. I liked it. “Do you need anything?”
“To get out of here.”
I grinned. “I’ll put in a good word for you with the doctor, okay? Maybe he’ll let you out of here sooner. We’ll smuggle you out if not.”
“That’d be real nice, sweetheart. How’s work?” he asked on a sudden yawn.
That was my second sign to bounce. “I’ve got a new boss, and he’s a jerk, but I’m hanging in there.” I reached down and combed his hair to the side with my fingers as he yawned again. “I’m going to get out of here before they kick me out. They don’t want your fan club taking over the whole floor. If you need anything, give me a call or have someone else give me a call, okay?”
His smile turned soft, and I did my best to keep ignoring the set of eyes that had been aimed at me from the moment I’d approached the bed. “I will,” he assured me.
I stroked Mr. Travis’s hand, his veins big and blue and purple, as Zac sat up a bit.
Right. Time to say bye. And I was going to do it right, because Mamá Lupe would haunt me in my dreams tonight if I didn’t.
And also, life was fucking short, and I wasn’t harboring any resentment. Just some melancholy and bittersweetness in there. That was it.
Zac was sitting up by the time I got around to his side, and I didn’t hesitate to put my arms around the parts of him I could reach, hugging him too—not very tight but just enough.
Those long arms that I knew had to be so strong went around my back instantly.
I wasn’t going to lie to myself; I almost sighed. I really had missed this guy, despite everything. But there was a reason why amputees survived and thrived; you learned how to live without.
I pulled away and smiled a little as I told the handsome man looking at me, “I have to head home. You’ll be fine getting back?”
“You’re goin’ back right now?” the man I hadn’t seen in nearly a decade asked, startling me. Yet again.
I nodded.
“You can’t spend the night?”
He was on a freaking roll with the surprises, huh?
It was nice to know I could cherish the friendship we’d had for the rest of my life and keep being proud of it. My friend was a good man to the people he loved. Being famous and wealthy were just the cherry topping on the sundae. That knowledge lifted me up and kept me there, just far enough away to not be sad.
Things happened for a reason.
“No, I’m sorry. I have to get back home. I’ll get Boogie to get your bag from my car though so you can stay up here,” I told him quickly before going up to my toes and kissing him on the cheek, just like I’d done to his grandfather. Then I gave him another small smile as my eyes took in his face one last time.
Tenderness and nostalgia filled my stomach for a second as I took in those suntanned features that were aging so gracefully, and I couldn’t help myself. I really couldn’t as I touched his thigh with my fingertips for a second and busted out the nickname I hadn’t used in forever and ever. “Take care of yourself, Snack Pack. I’m super proud of you.”
A slight, slow smile took over the lower half of Zac’s face as his gaze locked on to mine, but it was Paw-Paw who chuckled at what I’d called him.
Before he’d been “Big Texas,” he’d been “Zac the Snack Pack.”
Right.
Time to go.
I took a step back and waved at the three of them. “Do whatever the doctor tells you, Paw-Paw Travis. Bye!”
“Bye, Bianca,” three different voices called out. Or it might have just been two of them. I wasn’t going to wonder about that too much. Zac had seemed genuinely happy to see me at first, and that was good enough.
I was out of there, opening the door and closing it behind me, and then instantly stopping.
Because directly across from Paw-Paw’s room were what seemed like ten people.
And they were all watching the door like hawks.
Yep, that lady had recognized Zac.
I decided to tell Boogie to warn them about the crowd outside the door—though that might work in their favor. Maybe they would be nicer to Paw-Paw if they knew who his grandson was. They should be nice to him because he was wonderful, but whatever worked.
I found my cousin in the waiting room beside his girlfriend. They were both hunched over typing on their phones. “Boogie Baggins, I’m leaving.”
My
