Page 125 of Nothing But It All
Jack tucks me against his side and lowers his mouth to my ear. “You are unbelievable. Do you know that? I love you so fucking much, Lauren.”
He rests his head against mine. I love this man.So fucking much.
“Are you going to fight me on this?” I ask Harvey.
He sags against the tree. “I wanted one last summer. One last chance to make memories with you kids and the grandkids. I just wanted to give everyone a last bunch of memories to remember me by in case there’s not another summer for me.”
Harvey runs his hand over Snaps’s head and looks at Jack. My bottom lip quivers, and the tears begin to fall again.
“I’ve sat around for a few weeks now, maybe months, and wondered what I could do to make up for some of my misgivings,” Harvey says. “Then the kids called and told me about the two of you, so I thought that was it.” He nods. “I could help the two of you come back together.”
“So, was this little missing-in-action thing a part of your stunt?” Jack asks, teasing.
“Why do you care? It worked, didn’t it?”
I watch two of the three men I adore more than any others in the world exchange something between them that words could never say. It’s an emotion, a respect. An agreement. An understanding.
And I think they’ve both needed this moment equally.
Maybe I’ve needed it too.
“I have one caveat,” Harvey says, turning his attention to me.
“What’s that?”
“Make it two.”
I roll my eyes. “Go for it.”
“First, you can’t coddle me,” he says. “I’m only moving in to help you out. To make it easier on you. There won’t be any babying me or that kind of bullshit. Got it?”
I nod. “Mostly.”
“Second, if I bring chicks home, you have to pretend not to hear a thing. If the door is rocking, don’t come knocking.”
I burst out laughing, much to Harvey’s amusement.
Jack chuckles beside me. “Dad, you’re a fucking fool.”
Harvey’s chest bounces with laughter. “Now help me get off this ground. It’s cold, and my ass is soaked.”
Jack takes one of Harvey’s arms, and I take the other. Snaps bounces around like a rabbit as we help Harvey to his feet.
“Oof,” Harvey says, taking a second to straighten himself out. “I’m not as young as I used to be.”
“Let’s try to remember that when you’re wanting to play Lewis and Clark,” Jack says, picking up Snaps. “And you, little guy, are the real winner today. Good job, Snapsy. Good boy.”
“Hand me that bandanna,” Harvey says, holding his hand out.
I fork it over.
He ties it around Snaps’s neck. “There you go. You can show off now. You saved Grandpa.”
Snaps barks, wagging his tail. I swear the dog smiles.
But that’s fitting. Because we’re all smiling too.
“All right,” Harvey says. “How in the hell do we get out of here?”
