Page 71 of Cowboy of Convenience
Even if her nethers might never recover.
Grady's eyes fixed on her face. "You ready?"
This is what Larry didn't understand. There was no reason for her to run away. Even if she had doubts, even if she changed her mind, the man in front of her would never hold that against her. He would never get upset. He would never expect her to do anything she wasn't ready for or positive she wanted to do.
He'd proven it last night. If he thought she wasn't one hundred percent on board, he wouldn't hesitate to stop this wedding or anything else they faced.
Evelyn nodded without hesitation. "Areyouready?"
Grady grinned. "I'm ready for you to uphold my end of the prenup."
Evelyn laughed, her head falling back. She'd been a little upset when her grandmother showed up at the eleventh hour with a prenup that would have given war and peace a run for its money, but Grady hadn’t batted an eye. He signed it willingly without reading a single line.
Right as soon as they put an addendum on the bottom that said he would never have to sleep on her mattress again.
Evelyn reached out to adjust the flower pinned to his jacket. "That means we won't be staying at my place anymore."
Grady winked. "Guess Gram-Gram and Bernard will have to entertain themselves."
She wrinkled her nose. "Eew."
Grady grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. "Not for long. Soon you're gonna be Evelyn Elizabeth Haynes."
She tipped her head to one side, lifting her shoulder to meet it. "Eeh."
Grady's laugh was loud and long as he tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. He turned to face the group still snapping pictures, giving them a few seconds before motioning to the automatic doors. "Shall we?"
Evelyn smiled. "We shall."
The next fifteen minutes were bittersweet. Grady teared up when they walked into his mother’s room. Gram-Gram had filled it with flowers and a balloon arch that stood at one side of the bed. Darla had a pretty blouse that looked really familiar layered over her hospital gown and her hair was brushed out and fluffed up. It was impossible to know how much of what was going on Darla understood, but hopefully a little part of her recognized what was happening.
Grady nearly broke her heart when he reached to hold one of his mother's hands partway through the short ceremony, keeping it in his as they said their vows.
Once it was all over, they shared cake and champagne. Darla was included every step of the way. At any given time, someone was standing next to her, having a one-sided conversation about everything from the flavor of the cake to how many times Gertrude farted during yoga class that morning.
When it was all over and everyone had cleared out, they were left in the quiet of the hospital room. Grady excused himself to make a call, leaving her alone with her new mother-in-law.
Evelyn sat in the silence for a minute, feeling a little awkward. Darla hadn't said a word since waking up from surgery, and she didn't appear to have much awareness of what was going on, but it still didn't feel right not to say something.
"I know you don't really know me." She smiled, but the expression quickly slipped away. "I just want you to know how much I appreciate what a good mom you were." Squeezing her eyes shut, she cringed a little inside. "Are." A few guilty-heavy seconds passed before she continued. "Grady is such a good man and I’m sure a big part of that is because of you.” She pressed her lips together, hit by a sudden wave of grief. “I’m really sad I didn’t get to know you before…” She swallowed at the lump tightening her throat. “Before.”
“She would have loved you.” Grady’s voice sent her eyes snapping to the doorway where he stood looking like everything she never knew she wanted.
And more.
“I hope so.” Evelyn managed a smile. “I’m sure I would have loved her back.”
Was it possible to miss something you never actually had? To grieve what might have been? Because that’s what this felt like.
Her relationship with her own mother was fractured long before her grandmother’s arrival. Actually, fractured wasn’t the right word—something had to exist to be broken. Losing out on a second chance to have someone like a mother was a stab to the heart she hadn’t anticipated.
“I’m sure you would have too.” Grady moved into the room, his steps unhurried as he came her way. “She loved to play practical jokes.” He smiled, the expression sad and wistful. “Once, when I was seven or eight, she took all the underwear out of my drawer and replaced it with my dad’s. Tried to convince me I’d shrunk.” He stopped at the end of the bed. “Another time she put plastic wrap between the toilet seat and the bowl.”
Evelyn snorted. “That’s a little vicious.”
Grady tipped his head. “She was expecting it to just feel funny when I sat down.” His grin widened. “What she didn’t expect was my dad to be havin’ a bad reaction to an extra spicy jalapeno and come running into the house in the middle of the day.”
She laughed so hard she started to wheeze and her stomach muscles ached. “I’m sure I would have loved her.” She pressed one hand to the side of her head as another thought occurred to her. “Can you imagine if she hung out with the girls?”
