Humphrey clears his throat, looking guilty. “I mean, Mrs. Lannister.”
I try to keep a straight face.
Both he and Martha have come out of their shells this weekend, talking, laughing and nibbling on the cheeses and deli meats as we work. It’s been nice, getting to know them a little bit better.
Great-Grandma emits a little huff. “You know me. I’m stuck in my ways. I enjoy my routines. It’s all familiar to me.” She sighs. “I’m just glad that Julissa was able to convince me to come along.”
Martha reaches for the dried herbs in the middle of our table, sprinkling them atop the dough. A little smile works its way across her lips. Clearly, she’s eavesdropping, too.
“That’s Jules,” Lincoln says with a chuckle. His voice drops lower and I have to strain to hear him. “My wife is very hard to say no to. Trust me. I learned that the hard way.”
Now, I’m the one quietly smiling to myself.
“You’re a lucky man, Lincoln. Do you realize how special my great-granddaughter is?” My heart thumps at the pride I hear in her voice. All I’ve ever wanted was for my family to be proud of me instead of casting me off to the side.
“Gosh—I definitely know how special she is. Never met anyone like her.” When Lincoln says that, my heart thumps yet again.
Great-Grandma huffs out a laugh. “I’ve definitely never seen a bride walk down the aisle in a leather jacket before. That’sfor sure,” she whispers. “But that’s the thing about Julissa. She marches to her own beat, no matter what anyone thinks about it. I’d say that’s pretty courageous, don’t you think?”
“I agree,” Lincoln responds without hesitation. “Jules is the bravest woman I know. Her courage inspires me to be braver myself. Whether she realizes it or not, she inspires the people around her to be better in every way.”
I swallow, not sure how much longer I can keep my shit together as I listen to the two of them talking about me.
My eyes flick upward to keep a tear from spilling. Martha’s gaze hooks with mine. She smiles. I smile back.
My great-grandmother is silent for a moment. “I know that you’re good for my great-granddaughter,” the elderly woman speaks quietly again. “But promise me one thing?”
“What’s that?” Lincoln asks.
“Far too many men are careless with the women they’re blessed with. A man will handle his wife irresponsibly until it’s too late. Until she loses the fire that captivated him in the first place. Then he’ll wonder why she’s no longer the woman he fell in love with.” Great-Grandma pauses. “Be good to my girl, please. Don’t take her spunk away. Don’t be the reason the fire inside her dies.”
Those PMS hormones strike again. I lean down, wiping at my tears with the sleeve of my T-shirt. Damn. I’m such an emotional wreck these days.
Lincoln clears his throat, the sound weighed down by emotion. His voice cracks when he says, “I would never tame Julissa’s fire, Mrs. Lannister. I promise to cherish her for as long as she’ll have me.”
For as long as she’ll have me. Not forever. Not till his dying day. Because we are both aware of the timer counting down to the end of our marriage.
My chest squeezes tight and it doesn’t release until later when we’re all sitting together at a big rectangular table, eating our fresh-out-the-oven pizzas.
Great-grandma peaks across the table. “Humphrey, what is it you’re eating over there?”
“They call this recipe Hawaiian pizza,” he says, his mouth full. “It’s delicious.”
“Ham and pineapples?” Cameron asks, his nose turned up with skepticism.
“I’m pretty sure those ingredients don’t belong together.” Great-Grandma throws the child a horrified side-glance. “It’s criminal, don’t you agree?”
Cameron giggles, nodding away.
“You really need to try new things, Jo Jo,” Humphrey says on a hearty chuckle. This time, when he calls her that nickname, he doesn’t bother to correct himself.
The old man holds out his cheesy slice, stretching it across the table to my great-grandmother.
She turns up her nose at the unconventional mix of toppings. “Oh, no. I’m sure I wouldn’t enjoy that.”
“Come on. Try it,” Humphrey insists. His voice lowers. “For me.”
Their eyes lock together.
