Page 15 of A Very Miller-Cooper Life

Nana rolled her eyes at me as if she thought I was purposely avoiding her question. “I’m not stupid. I know you girls have weed.”

I chuckled while Charlie coughed beside me. “Oh! Thatgood stuff.We don’t have that much, so I packed most of what we have, but there are a few gummies in the nightstand by our bed.”

“Which you willnotbe taking.” Charlie glared at me. “Why would you pack that? What if they search our luggage and find it?”

Nana waved a finger at Charlie, but kept her eyes on me. “I remember when this one used to be fun. Old ball and chain now, huh?”

My body shook slightly as I tried my best to hold in my laughter. I winked at Nana then focused my attention on Charlie. “No one is going to find it. Plus, we’re going on vacation withyour mother.Did you really think I was going to make it through the whole week completely sober?”

“Touché. Come to think of it, maybe we should take some now.”

“I’m not at the point of wanting to claw your mom’s eyes out yet, so I think I’ll hold off for now.”

“You’re not?” Charlie asked with a laugh. “That makes one of us.”

“Hey,” I wrapped my arms around Charlie and pulled her close to me. “Don’t let her get to you. This is going to be an amazing trip. We’ve been dreaming about this ever since ourfirst date. Nothing or no one is going to ruin it for us.”

“You’re right.” Charlie rested her head against my chest. “I still can’t believe this is real. We’re going to Disney with the family we made together. It seemed like such a pipe dream just a few years ago. Now it’s actually happening. Sometimes, I still have to pinch myself.”

Happy tears burned at the corners of my eyes. I opened my mouth to tell Charlie that I couldn’t agree more, but I was cut off by the sound of Nana scoffing.

“You’re lucky I love you two, because all this lovey dovey shit is going to make me throw up my breakfast.”

“Sorry, Nana.” I let go of Charlie and put my arm around Nana instead. “I just can’t help it that I love your great granddaughter so much.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. I’m really happy for both of you.” Even though her tone was sarcastic, I knew she meant it. Nana had been our biggest supporter since day one.

I pulled her even tighter up against me. “Don’t worry. No matter what, you’ll always be my favorite Miller.”

“I better be. It’s not like there’s much competition.”

“Nana!” Charlie’s mouth fell open, but it quickly turned up into a smile. “That’s not very nice. We’re notallbad, you know.”

“That’s true. I’m sorry. You’re right. Jamie has grown into a wonderful man.”

Both Charlie and I burst into laughter. Even though I was really excited for this trip, there was a part of me that longed to stay back with Nana. Her fragile frame reminded me that she wasn’t getting any younger, and I wanted to soak up all the time we had left with her.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us on the trip?” We had asked her multiple times and her answer was always a resounding no, but I figured I might as well give it one more try.

“And leave Patch here by himself to destroy your whole house? I don’t think so. Plus, if I miss a week of my soaps, I’ll never catch up. Do you know how many people will die, cheat, or turn gay in that time? I might as well stop watching if I miss a week.”

“You’re right. I could never ask you to miss out on all of that excitement. We’re just going to miss you.”

“Pft.” Nana furrowed her eyebrows and waved a hand at me. “Enough with the sappy shit.”

I laughed as I pulled her into my arms for one more hug. “Sorry, Nana. Take care of Patch. Don’t let him boss you around.”

Nana pulled away from me and lifted both eyebrows as she stared at me, face stone cold serious. “I’malwaysthe boss. You should know that by now. I’ll have this pup whipped into shape by the time you get home. No more biting or chewing once I’m done with him.”

I appreciated her enthusiasm, but I knew there was no chance of that happening. Patch’s anxiety had anxiety. There was no way that was going to be cured in a week.

“Girls! All three children are in the car. We’re just waiting on you.” When Mrs. Miller came into the room, she was out of breath and her hair was completely disheveled as if she had just run a marathon. “If we don’t leave now, we could miss our flight.”

Charlie looked down at the watch on her wrist then rolled her eyes at her mom. “Our flight doesn’t leave for four hours and the airport is around an hour away. We’ll be fine.”

Mrs. Miller shook her head and threw her hands in the air. “Fine. If we get stuck in traffic and then there is a line for security, you can explain to your children why they aren’t going to Disney World.”

I squeezed my lips together to hold in my laughter at how ridiculous that statement was, but Nana apparently didn’t have the same reservations. She looked at Mrs. Miller directly and literally laughed in her face. “That is the most asinine thing I’ve ever heard, which is saying a lot when I’ve been living with you for the last ten years.”

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