Page 164 of Always Be an Us

I shake my head.God only knows what the two are up to. "Amelia, I have to talk to you about something. But can you give your mother and me a minute, I want to talk to her first?"

"Okay," she says. "I'll go see Grandpa Tudor."

"You do that."

She runs to my father's room, and I turn to Rachel, who cocks her head at me like a curious puppy.

"What is it?"

"I..." I don't know how to start. "I’m sorry. About how distant and horrible I was during our marriage."

Rachel frowns. "Where is this coming from?"

"It's...I dunno. I just want you to know that I regret how I treated you. And it was never you. I was the damaged one."

"Okay."

"And this thing with Emma...I'm in love with her. And I’m going to ask her to marry me."

Rachel gives me an amused look. "Is that supposed to upset me?"

Relief floods me at her reaction. "I don’t know. I just wanted to make sure it doesn't."

She shakes her head and gives me a droll look. "You might think you’re God's gift to women, but I’ve been over you for the better part of a decade now. I wouldn't marry you again in a million years, no matter how much your dad begged for it. I’m glad you’re happy."

"Thanks," I say, then venture. "How about you? Are you happy too?"

"Is that your way of asking about my love life?"

I shrug. "I guess." I know, via Amelia, that Rachel has dated over the years but no one is serious enough to introduce to our daughter yet.

Rachel gives a secretive smile. "I’m finding happiness how I can. And that's all I'm saying about that."

Chapter Forty-Nine

Emma

The wind skitters over the river and sweeps through my hair, fluttering it around my face. I brush it back and take a deep breath, inhaling the fresh smell of the lake, and the comforting eggnog smell of Grandpa seated beside me, his Chinaman’s hat obscuring his eyes.

We're currently sailing in the middle of the lake, close to Litchie's cave. The soothing swish of the water and occasional bird call are the only sounds we hear, but the silence is comfortable. I can tell Grandpa is deep in thought.

I allow him to do that while brushing his shoulder with mine to let him know I'm here in case he needs to talk. It’s been a rough few weeks, for him especially.

He went to visit Rick in jail earlier today for the first time since he learned of everything that happened. I was initially against the visit. I didn’t want Grandpa to do anything that would trigger another heart attack, but he insisted that he was fine.

When I'd first told him the story of everything that happened, he got very quiet and was too shocked and maybe also too furious to visit Rick.

But today when he finally went to the station, it was Rick who was silent.

Rick sat in the jail cell, his head bowed, with his back to the wall. He couldn’t meet Grandpa’s eyes, not even when Grandpa told me, "Leave us alone."

I reluctantly obeyed. I took that opportunity to go grab us some lunch. I was gone for about thirty minutes. I don't know what they talked about but by the time I returned, there were tear streaks down both men’s cheeks.

"Grandpa?" I whispered as I approached them, with my throat tight. Seeing Grandpa cry made me want to cry too.

Grandpa shook his head and turned away from Rick. "Let's go, Emma Jane."

So we left and went fishing. He's been pensive ever since.

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