“Sure. Yes!” she says cheerily. “He’s going to be fine. He’ll be back on his feet in no time.”
I lean over and touch her hand. “Hey, I’m not Isabelle. You don’t have to pretend to be okay.”
Setting the foam box on the table next to her, Grace covers her face with her hands and cries. And cries. And cries. I place my palm on her shoulder just so she knows I’m here. When the tears have slowed, she looks over at me. “I’m so thankful he’s alive, Nash. I prayed so hard.”
I nod. I just want to listen if she needs to talk.
“I can’t picture our lives wi-without him.” She releases a sob.
“I know.” I do. “But he’s going to make it. It’ll take some time, but he’ll be back at it.”
I hand Grace her dinner. “You need to eat, Grace. Keep your strength up.”
Nodding, she reaches for the box. “Did Izzy eat?”
“Some.”
There’s silence for a moment or two as Grace takes a bite of her food. While she does that, I search the table for a magazine that doesn’t have a thing to do with fashion or home decorating.
“You love her.”
I’m startled by her words. My head jerks up until I’m looking into Grace’s eyes. “Isabelle?”
Grace nods. “You love Isabelle.”
“Grace. I….”
“Nashville James Watson.” She sighs. “I’ve known you since you were a baby. Iknowyou, honey. Don’t lie to me. You love Isabelle. I also know about the crap you pulled at Sisters. But, deep down, you did it because you love her. You want to marry her. Am I right?”
I stare at the woman who gave me Isabelle. Hell, this is what she’s going to look like when she gets older, and even with this stressful shit with Bruce, Grace Harmon is still beautiful. But it’s her tired, red eyes that give me the strength to say something aloud that I’ve been afraid to admit even to myself. “I do. I love her, but I’m not good enough for her.”
“That’s bullshit. There’s no better man for my daughter than you.”
“Grace—”
“No.” She scoots closer to me. “I know that Ivy did a number on you and Andi. I also know losing your dad was devastating.”
“Yeah.” I can’t think of anything to rebut. It’s all true.
“But, honey, when you realize you love someone and they love you back, you have to see it through. Give it a chance. And don’t just half-ass it, Nash. Go for it with everything you’ve got.”
“I’m not good enough for her.”
“Will you stop with that?” She slaps me on the arm. “Nobody is good enough for Isabelle.”
I laugh at that. She’s right.
“As long as you always remember you’re not worthy of her, you’ll be the kind of husband I’d want for my sweet girl.” Sitting back in her seat, she picks up her sandwich, but before she bites, she adds, “She doesn’t think she’s good enough for you either, Nash. So, it’s up to you to make her see how wrong she is.”
Grace finishes her sandwich and returns to Bruce’s room. When Isabelle emerges, she looks tired. That’s also when all of Grace’s words come flowing back to me. Without thinking, I stand and open my arms. “Come ’ere, babe.” Isabelle moves into me as I wrap my arms around her. Holding her close, I kiss the top of her head. “You okay?”
“Tired,” she says into my shirt, her voice muffled.
“Come on. I know where you can get a little sleep.” I take her down the hallway to another waiting area made up of pods. Each pod has a sofa bed, small dining table, a recliner, and a wall-mounted television. “We can also control our lights in here.”
“Wow. This is nice. How did you find out about this place?”
“One of the nurses told me about it.” I point to the chair. “Sit. I’ll get your bed made up.” While Isabelle sits, I make my way to a shelf that holds sheets, blankets, and pillows.
