Page 118 of The Apple Tree

“Eve?”

“Huh?” I glanced back at him.

He stood idle and expressionless.

“What?” I asked.

Still, nothing.

I smiled, stepping back into the house and lifting onto my toes to kiss him. He grinned in the middle of the kiss.

“I’m going to give you a sponge bath after Josh is in bed later,” I murmured over his mouth.

“Damn right you are.” He beamed.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

REO SPEEDWAGON, “KEEP ON LOVING YOU”

Eve

I went to work.

If I was going to prove to everyone that I was worthy of Kyle’s style of epic love, then I needed to be a grown-up. And since that didn’t involve college, I had to go to work.

But as soon as I clocked out, I headed to the nursing home.

“There’s my sweet Eve.” Grandma Bonnie glanced up from her yarn and crochet needle. “How was your day, dear? Your mom told me about Mr. Collins. Is he home?”

“He’s home,” I said, closing the door to her room, kicking off my sneakers, and sitting cross-legged on her bed. “And he loves me.” I laced my fingers together, squeezing tightly to control my excitement.

Grandma’s thinning eyebrows lifted.

I nodded a half-dozen times at her unspoken questions. Then I spilled every detail, every word that was exchanged that morning. I knew my parents would be furious.

Sarah and Gabby would be happy for me in a reserved way, knowing I’d be in trouble.

Erin would share my joy, but she’d share it as an eighteen-year-old with her questionable behavior and choices too.

But Grandma Bonnie loved me through and through. She knew all about love and life. She championed my desire to choose my path. Her opinion mattered the most. And when she smiled, it was genuine—it was everything.

“He’s a keeper,” she said with a soft smile and easy nod.

I beamed. “I think so too. Would you mind telling Mom and Dad for me?”

She barked a laugh. “Oh dear. No. I’m sorry. That is a very important experience you need to have in life. It’s necessary for personal growth. You want to be a strong woman, don’t you?”

I wrinkled my nose. “Well, it’s not a big deal to me. I had a terrible time starting Kyle’s boat. I’m a runner. My upper body strength isn’t the best.”

Grandma laughed. My mom would have rolled her eyes and told me to be serious.

With a slow sigh, my smile faded. “I know I need to tell them. I just have never forgotten listening to Sarah and my dad yelling at each other when he kicked her out of the house. My mom was crying, and it was awful. And I think Dad loves her more than he loves me. Sarah was always the golden girl. She could do no wrong. So imagine what he’ll do to me—the daughter who has been the biggest disappointment.”

“Love is a funny word, Eve. We use it indiscriminately. It can mean everything, like what you felt when Kyle said it this morning, or it can be very little when we try to use it as a measurement for favoritism. I promise your parents don’t love one of you girls more than the other. It’s just that you’re all three very different. And your parents’ tolerance for certain things feels like a measure of love, but it’s not.” She shook her head. “Your Uncle Andrew used to try my patience like no one else, but I’ve never loved him a single ounce less than I love your mom.”She held up a finger. “But if you ask either of them, they’ll say your mom was my favorite.”

I smiled. “Okay. I believe you. But I still think my dad is looking for any reason to kick me out.”

“Wherever would you go?” she asked, focusing on her needle and yarn.

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