Page 83 of An Engagement for Erica

“It has. In a lot of ways.” He took a large swig of his beer. “You know Grandpa has been confused on and off.”

“You’ve told me that, but you’ve also said he’s getting better.”

“He is with some things.” Not this though because his grandfather had asked twice more to see Erica.

“We’ll get to that in a minute. Go back to Erica,” his mother said.

“Well, it kind of all goes together,” he said.

He took another sip of beer. “Tucker, you’ve got a look on your face as if you were caught stealing beer out of the fridge at fifteen and were afraid to confess it.”

He snorted. “I’d never have to confess it. Dad wouldn’t know because he was drunk half the time and probably thought he drank it.”

“We are getting off track. What are you not telling me?”

“Grandpa thinks I’m engaged to Erica.”

“Excuse me?” his mother asked. “How is that?”

“I kind of let him believe it,” he said sheepishly. “Then Erica showed up to meet him with a fake engagement ring on.”

“Tucker,” his mother said, her shoulders dropping. “Are you serious?”

“Everything happened so fast,” he said. “I didn’t think.”

“Which isn’t like you in the least. Tell me what happened so fast. Explain it so I can understand this.”

She wasn’t yelling so she was handling it better than he thought.

For now.

“Erica came to the hospital the day of Grandpa’s stroke. She was holding my hand and Grandpa must have woken up and saw it. I hadn’t realized it. The next time I talked to him, he wasconfused and hadn’t even remembered that I moved here. He thought I was still in New York and he hadn’t seen me in a year or so.”

“I can see where that might happen,” his mother said. “Didn’t you correct him?”

“I tried. Then he asked where my fiancée was. Didn’t even ask if I had a girlfriend. He just assumed. He started talking about how excited he was and couldn’t wait for the wedding and he’d be back on his feet for it and would be working hard.”

His mother squinted one eye at him. “And you didn’t want to let him down, right?”

“Sort of,” he said. “I was thinking more along the lines that I wanted him to have something to fight for.”

“Your grandfather is a stubborn man who rarely gives up any fight. I think half the time he looks to find one.”

Which he should have remembered himself, but he wasn’t thinking clearly.

“I know,” he said. “But as I said, it just came out of my mouth. I tried to bring it up or explain a few more times, but he never let me. You know how he is when he gets his teeth into something.”

“I do,” his mother said. “Sometimes it’s for the better. Like when he bought the house without my knowledge for us to move to. I didn’t want him to have to save me.”

Which meant it was something his grandfather had been trying to fix and wasn’t getting his way and did what he felt was right.

There was no talking TC Nelay out of anything when his mind was set to it.

When he thought it was the right thing to do.

TC didn’t like to be told he was wrong either.

“I know,” he said. “And I didn’t want to work him up. I thought it was better to play along.”

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