Dallas smiled in spite of himself and shook his head. “No. You gave me important things to think about, and as much as I’m just so damn tired, I know I needed it. It’s why I came here.”
Words were already burrowing in his brain, setting down roots there, and he wouldn’t be able to pull them out until he explored every inch of himself to see if he should allow something to grow. He leaned forward and kissed Lane on the cheek before stretching his back and turning toward the door. He missed his baby. He liked having time for himself on his days off, but she was growing so fast, and before he knew it, she’d be walking out the door with car keys in her hand.
“See you later?” he asked.
Lane nodded. “You know it.”
He had no answers, no comfort, and more questions than he’d started with. But he wasn’t out to sea. He had a family here that kept him anchored, and that would make a difference in the end.
Chapter Seven
KYLEN
“Mom wants to speak with you.”
Kylen looked up from where he was brushing his gran’s hair. His sister stood in the doorway, holding a phone out toward him. He shook his head. “No, thank you.”
“You can’t keep avoiding her.”
Kylen rolled his eyes and looked back down at his gran, who was smiling up at him. “Your daughter is on my last nerve.”
“I have two daughters,” Gran said softly. “Sharon and…and.” She blinked, then went quiet.
Kylen set her hair gently back away from her forehead. There were still pieces that were rich black in with the pure white in spite of her age. He could still see the young woman from the photos on her walls in parts of her face. “Shelly.”
“No, it’s Sammy,” Gran said.
“It’s Shelly, Gran,” Grace said far too loudly.
His gran shrunk back on the bed, and he scowled at his sister. “Stop. I don’t know why you talk to her like that.”
“Letting her live in these delusions…”
“Isn’t going to make a difference. Especially at this stage,” Kylen reminded her. “Now, do you want something?”
“Mom—”
“Isn’t going to get her way. Do you want something?” he repeated.
She scoffed. “Can you fly her and Dad out for the reunion?”
“No.” Kylen turned away and waited for the sound of his sister’s shoes to disappear. When she was gone, his gran was back asleep, and he sat back in the chair, putting her grooming kit away. The stress was killing his stomach.
He wouldn’t be surprised if he developed an ulcer.
He glanced over when his gran made a distressed noise, but it didn’t last. She went still again, and he felt his stomach unclench a fraction. He’d known this was going to be difficult. He knew his sister would put her nose where it didn’t belong. He knew his mom would use every opportunity to meddle. He knew that he’d have to face the reality that his gran wasn’t going to get better. She was going to get worse.
And then she was going to die.
But he hadn’t realized how it was all going to feel.
“Coffee.”
Kylen jumped in his seat, then turned to see the nurse, Frey, leaning in the doorway, holding two cups that most definitely didn’t come from the hospital canteen. Kylen offered him a relieved smile and held his hand out. He got his fingers around the cup just before he remembered who Frey was.
And that there was a damn good chance Dallas had told his friend all about what Kylen had done. His face bloomed pink as Frey grabbed the second chair in the room, dragged it over, and sat.
“Drink that,” Frey ordered. “I don’t give this coffee to just anyone.”