Rush walked up to her. I hadn’t expected him or even noticed him waiting for her. Damn, my head wasn’t in the game. I had just assumed her car would be waiting for her. I scanned the rest of the area for any other details I had missed. Rush’s Range Rover was parked behind the fence that ran along the perimeter of the jetway area. I hadn’t looked there.
She hugged him tightly, and he held her in his arms. I couldn’t see his face, but she nodded at something he said. He pulled back, wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and walked her toward his vehicle.
I hoped this didn’t mean she was going home with him. I needed to see her alone.
Once they took off, I gave them a few moments before slowly following them. Rush didn’t turn toward her house but instead headed toward his. Motherfucker. This was going to suck.
Nan
Rush pulled his car into the garage and cut the engine, then reached over and squeezed my hand. “Blaire has smoked salmon, some fancy-ass salad she makes with cranberries and goat cheese, and creamed spinach. It’s all healthy and shit. You’ll like it. Come on, she’s expecting us.”
Blaire wasn’t a fan of mine. I’d not done much to make her like me. Once she’d pulled a gun on me, but in all honesty, I’d deserved it. My anger and bitterness toward the life I’d been given had needed an outlet. I’d needed someone to blame, and I’d chosen Blaire. Maybe because she was the perfect little blond girl I thought my father had chosen over me when I was a child. I’d been wrong, since she and I did not, in fact, share the same father. I’d been lied to by my mother about that.
Maybe it was the fact that my brother, who had loved me most in the world, had fallen in love with her, and she’d become his number one. I had always found comfort in the fact that Rush loved me. Even when my mother didn’t act like it and my real father didn’t claim me, I knew my brother loved me. Blaire had stolen him from me—or at least that was how I saw it.
Seeing Rush with his family—the way he loved his son, the way he gave his wife and child the life he’d never had—made me proud of him, though. He wasn’t taught how to be a good parent, yet he was a fantastic one. I had finally come to grips with his love for his wife. It didn’t mean he didn’t love me, too. He loved us differently, and I was OK sharing him. That didn’t mean I was going to start hugging Blaire and being buddies and shit, though.
“Nate is looking forward to seeing Aunt Nan. He’s been talking about it ever since I told him you’d be coming for dinner. He expects you to sleep in his room.”
Having Nate’s love also helped me accept Blaire. She’d given life to a little boy who loved me. I didn’t have a lot of love in my world. My nephew was special. He loved me without fail, and I, in return, couldn’t hate his mother. I adored that kid.
“I’m sure whatever Nate asks me to do, I’ll do,” I replied honestly. He owned me.
Rush chuckled. “I know the feeling. Come on inside. I’ll grab your bags.”
I climbed out of the Range Rover, and we headed into the house. The smell of dinner was in the air, and it made my stomach growl. I hadn’t eaten all day, and I hadn’t been sure I’d be able to stomach anything tonight, though the delicious smells from the kitchen were giving me second thoughts.
“Aunt Nan!” Nate called out with pure joy in his voice as he ran toward me. He looked like he’d grown three inches since I’d seen him last. That made me sad. He wasn’t a baby anymore. He didn’t smell like a baby but like a sweaty little boy. I bent down and wrapped him in my arms as he held on tight.
“I got two new crabs today!” he told me gleefully.
Rush groaned behind me. “We’re going to turn into a crab farm if you keep bringing home new ones.”
Nate nodded vigorously, like that was the best idea he’d ever heard. “Yeah!” he agreed.
Giggling, I kissed his forehead. “I missed you.”
He kissed my forehead with a crooked grin so much like his father’s. “I missed you, too.”
“I missed you more,” I told him.
“I missed you to the moon and back” was his quick response.
Laughing, I squeezed him tighter.
“We got fish to eat,” he informed me. “And mac and cheese.”
“Momma caved and made you mac and cheese, huh?” Rush asked, sounding amused.
“Yeah. I like it better than that spinch stuff.” He replied with a wrinkle in his small nose.
“You’re still eating some of that ‘spinch’ stuff,” Blaire said as she walked into the room. I lifted my head to see her smiling at her son. Then she met my gaze, and her smile remained just as sincere. “Hello, Nan. I’m glad you’ve come to visit. He’s been asking about you. You’ve been missed.”
Not one word she said sounded forced or fake. Blaire was genuine. She had a huge heart, and she forgave without fault. I understood why my brother loved her. I was glad he’d fallen in love with a woman like her. Even if I had hated her.
“She’s gonna make you eat the spinch stuff, too,” Nate warned me.
The small laugh that came from inside me felt good. I hadn’t felt like laughing today, and I’d been sure it would be a while before I laughed again. Being near Nate tonight was exactly what I needed. I could forget my failures and inadequacies. I wished I could say I could forget Gannon, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to do that anytime soon. He’d made a mark I would feel for a long time.