Page 141 of Before You Can Blink
Daisy said, “You’re Grampa. You get to sit back and wait for your princess to come over and complain about the injustice of her daddy embarrassing her in front of the entire town. Then later you can high-five Tripp for running the boy off.”
Eyes wild and searching, our granddaughter’s gaze landed on where we stood, and she stomped over, chest heaving and face flushed. “Did you see what he did?!”
“Uh . . .” I blinked at her until Daisy discreetly elbowed me in the ribs, and I found my voice. “Yeah, yep.”
“He’s totally overreacting. We were just dancing!” Paisley’s voice took on such a high pitch that I winced.
If I opened my mouth, I knew I’d land myself in the doghouse because I wholeheartedly agreed with her father’s actions. The safest course of action was to smile and nod. “Mm-hmm.”
“Ugh!” She stomped her foot. “All my friends from school saw!”
After a quick scan of the area, I found that far more of them were locked in on her public tantrum than had seen Tripp scare off her dance partner. Not that I would ever point that out to her, especially when it could help deter a few extra boys from getting too close for my liking.
Like a switch was flipped, she deflated before our very eyes, and her lower lip began to tremble.
Uh oh.
“I just—” The first tear fell down her cheek, and when she opened her mouth again, only a broken sob came out.
Within seconds, I gathered her into my arms, murmuring words of comfort against the top of her head.
When I peeked at Daisy, she wore a look that saidtold ya so.
While I would happily take the role of the hero over the villain, it still killed me to see her cry. Upset Sullivan women would forever be my kryptonite.
Sniffling, Paisley peeked up at me with glassy eyes. “Can I stay at your house tonight?”
“Sure, darlin’. Whatever you want.” I smoothed a hand down the length of her long blonde hair.
She squeezed me so tight I could barely breathe. “You’re the best, Grampa.”
Daisy rubbed our granddaughter’s back, her gaze firmly fixed on me as she winked and said, “He really is.”
All these years later, she still saw something in me I didn’t see in myself. And I still considered myself the luckiest son of a bitch on earth that she’d chosen to build a life with me.
Chapter 35
Jett
Age 73
June
Withroughlytwentykidsper graduating class, Rust Canyon commencement ceremonies were small, usually held within the school gymnasium. I hadn’t been to one of these things in decades—not since Tripp graduated almost thirty years ago—but today, the whole Sullivan clan took up two rows of chairs as we awaited the moment when Reagan would walk across the stage up front and accept her diploma.
Daisy leaned into my side. “As quickly as they came on each other’s heels, they’ll leave the nest just as fast.”
She wasn’t wrong. Six grandkids born in five years meant we’d find ourselves sitting here watching at least one of them reach this milestone over the next several years.
There was no part of me that was looking forward to the second round of silence when the gaggle of kids-turned-teens went off to start their own lives.
And there was no guarantee I’d be around long enough to see the next generation come along to liven up the ranch again, especially with the trouble my ticker had been giving me. The double bypass I’d had last year came with a warning from my doctors that my coronary artery disease was progressing, and another cardiac event could be fatal.
My time was running out.
But instead of letting it get me down, I focused on all the things I got to experience that my own father missed out on when his life had been cut short.
I got to watch my kids graduate, get married, and have babies.
