But in the center of my chest, tucked up under my heart, was the faintest spark of something I wasn’t even brave enough to call hope yet.
I had some thinking to do.
* * *
“Hey, Dad,”I said as soon as he answered the phone.
“Nice to hear from you. How’s the weather?”
I looked out at the overcast sky, and sighed. “I miss the sun.”
“You hate the sun,” Dad pointed out.
“I used to,” I said, chewing on my lip.
I knew what I wanted to ask, and I was afraid to hear the answer—whatever the answer was going to be. My life was changing whether I liked it or not—the question now washow.
And I was thinking about making a huge, scary change. But I needed some advice first.
“Listen, Dad, I… I was wondering, uh… how did you know Mom was the one?”
On the other end of the line, Dad burst into laughter.
“What?” I asked, confused. The last thing I’d expected was to belaughedat.
“I’m not laughing at you,” he said. “It’s just that I made the same phone call tomydad to ask exactly that.”
“Oh.”
I hadn’t known my grandpa all that well—he’d died when I was eight—but I could imagine asking him about something like this, too. He always seemed wise.
“What did he say?”
“He told me what I’m gonna tell you: whoever you’re thinking of when you ask that, grab them with both hands and don’t let go.”
“Oh,” I repeated, stomach twisting.
He was right. Ofcoursehe was right.
And if I didn’t grab Wes with both hands and never let go of him right now, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.
The changes I was thinking about were scary, but the thought of losing Wes was much, much worse.
He wouldn’t wait for me forever, and I wouldn’t expect him to.
So the choice was obvious, really.
“Wes is a lucky man to have you,” Dad said.
What?
“You knew?” I asked, blood rushing in my ears. How long had he known? Did Wes tell him? Did someone else?
“Kiddo, I’m old, not stupid,” he said. “I’m sure you thought you were being subtle, but I knew from the first moment I saw you in the same room. And I’ve got my spies in town, and you did invite him to stay with you in your one-bed apartment.”
Right.
I should’ve known Dad had it figured out. That was why he didn’t ask any questions.
