Page 71 of The Drummer's Heart

My heart melted. How could he possibly still feel that after the way I’d treated him? Then again, this was all a show for my grandmother. Did he truly feel that way?

“I’m sad that I won’t be around to see your beautiful children,” Mimi cried.

I shut my eyes. That hurt my heart and soul. Atticus remained silent.

“I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me these past two weeks,” my grandmother added.

My heart couldn’t take any more of this, so I stepped into the room.

“Oh.” Atticus turned toward me. “Hey.”

“Hi.” I offered a weak smile.

“Hi, dear.” My grandmother held out a shaky hand.

I took it.

Atticus’s eyes met mine. “Is it time to say goodbye?”

I nodded. “Yeah, I think so. I should probably try to beat rush-hour traffic.”

His mouth curved into a frown.

Wrapping my arms around my grandmother, I whispered in her ear, “I love you, Mimi. I’ll come visit you soon. I promise.”

“I’ll be counting the days, my sweet granddaughter. Please take care of yourself and be careful driving.”

The plan was for Atticus to stay with her until Fiona arrived in about an hour.

He walked me to my car in the driveway. “So this is really it, huh?”

I wrapped my arms around myself. “Thank you again. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

“Yes, you could’ve. You’re stronger than you realize. But I’m damn glad you didn’t have to do it alone.”

“Are you going to Tina’s after Fiona gets here?”

“Yeah. I’m gonna hang out with her and the kids—I mean, the adults—and spend the night.”

I smiled. “Then you head back to L.A.?”

He nodded. “Tomorrow night. The guys are waiting on me to get started in the studio.” He looked down for a moment then back up at me. “When will I see you again?”

I took a deep breath. “Actually… I’ve been in touch with Emily a few times since that night we all hung out. We were talking about hairstyle ideas for her wedding, and she asked if I’d be willing to fly out and do her hair. And then stay for the ceremony.”

“Really?” His eyes widened. “That’s a couple months from now, right? What did you tell her?”

“Yeah, it’s in two months, and I told her I’d think about it. But I need to let her know by the end of the week so she can book someone else, if needed.”

“Ireallyhope you do it.”

“Noted,” I said, still not a hundred-percent sure I was on board. I hated weddings. They reminded me of a lot of things I didn’t want to remember. “If I don’t end up going, maybe we could grab coffee the next time you’re in New York.”

“I would love that.” He smiled. “That’d be the best coffee ever.”

“Okay.” I grinned. “Well, have a safe trip back.”

“Careful driving, Nicole.”

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