it happened, so she said she should have been with her grandpa, that she could have done something to prevent it. And then she dumped me.”
“Ah, I see. It’s a natural response to a crisis. She felt guilty because she wasn’t with him. Give her some time to come around.”
“I don’t think so, Mom. She said a lot of things about how we shouldn’t have been together in the first place, and how I made her lose her focus and all she had time for was her job and taking care of her grandpa.”
“Uh-huh. And this was right after her grandfather had his stroke, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Can you imagine how upset she was then? How much that scared her? He’s her only living relative, right?”
He nodded.
“Honey, she panicked. And I’m sure you’re hurt by the things she said. But you’re going to have to find a way to forgive her if you want her in your life.” She studied him. “Do you?”
He took a long swallow of tea before answering. “I told her I loved her and that I’d always be there for her. And then she got out of my truck and left me.”
“Oh, my sweet boy.” She squeezed his hand. “I’m sure that hurt. Do you think she loves you?”
“Yes.”
Mom smiled. “No hesitation. That’s good. Give her time, Rafe. She’s got a lot to process, and her grandfather’s health crisis frightened her in a big way. She is probably missing you like crazy right now.”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. If she didn’t see that I could be by her side and help her through all this, what kind of future do we have?”
“Everyone processes a major event like this differently. Carmen’s been on her own, just her and her grandfather, for a long time. She’s never known any other way. It’ll take her a while to realize that she can lean on you when times are tough.”
“Or, maybe I can show her that I’m always going to be there for her, no matter what.”
His mother nodded. “You could do that. Without pressuring her, of course.”
“Well, yeah. I’d never do that.”
“Do what you think is best. You know your relationship with her better than I do.”
He had a thought in mind. He didn’t want Carmen to think he was going to walk away and forget her.
And he wasn’t going to give up without a fight. He cared about her too much for that.
So now he had a plan. He just hoped it worked.
CHAPTER 31
CARMEN HAD A MILLION THINGS TO DO TODAY AFTER SHE got off work. She stopped at the store, her grocery list in her hand so she could zoom through the aisles and get what she needed.
Fortunately, Felice had been staying at the house with Grandpa the past week, so she didn’t need to worry about him being alone. Though he’d been acting grumpy as hell lately and saying both the women in his life were fussing way too much over him. He said he felt fine, his new meds were working great and he’d like everyone to leave him the hell alone so everything could go back to normal.
As she drove home, she realized her grandfather had no idea how much that night had scared her. Losing him just wasn’t an option for her. He was all she had left, and she intended to do everything she could to keep him healthy.
She and Felice had already come up with a new diet plan for him. Fortunately, he didn’t mind the changes too much, though he said he was going to really miss the fried foods. But he liked vegetables and fish and chicken, and so far he wasn’t complaining about that.
She took the bags inside and laid them on the counter.
“Grandpa?”
No answer.
“Felice?”
Still no answer.
She walked down the hall toward his bedroom, but the door was open. She peeked inside and didn’t see them.
But by the time she made her way back into the kitchen, the front door opened and they both came inside.
“Hi, Carmen,” Felice said. “We went for a walk.”
Felice was a godsend. Carmen didn’t know what she would have done without her this past week.
“How was the walk?”
“Hot,” her grandfather said. “And I’m slow.”
“Which just means you get to see all the beauty in the neighborhood,” Felice said with a smile.
“I guess so.”
“But you’re right about it being hot,” Felice said. “I’m very sweaty, so I’m going to rinse off in the shower. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay, honey.” Grandpa took a seat at the kitchen table