“I haven’t lost hope for my daughter or her children. They’re spoiled, but sometimes, I see a glimmer of hope there. They just need to get out in the world and experience some life for themselves. They need to grow—build some character.”
He sighs and continues, “Now my son was the complete opposite. He couldn’t be bought. He taught me some very valuable life lessons, and I wish it hadn’t taken me so long to learn them. I was so stubborn that I missed out on eight years of that kid’s life.” He points over my shoulder at Nash, who’s looking solemn now. “And now I want to do my best to keep the family together before money tears us apart. But you’re not hereto hear me philosophize about my past mistakes, are you?”
“Well…no,” I tell him with a soft smile. “I couldn’t get much conversation out of you last night. You owe me some stories about Nash when he was young.”
“Oh, I’m sure Natalie has told you plenty already.”
I glance briefly at Nash, who jumps in. “I’ve been trying to keep Mom quiet about too many of my embarrassing stories.”
“It’s a crying shame,” I tsk.
“Then let me tell you one…” Alexander says, and proceeds to tell me about Nash’s high school antics.
CHAPTER 11
Nash
Grandpa loves her.He absolutely loves her.
And she’s not my fiancée.
Magnolia is sitting on the edge of the bed, telling him about a time that she tried to plant an herb garden. Grandpa might have moved on from landscaping, but he still has a love for things that grow.
“And then I had one plant that was doing so well. I was so proud of it! My mom is a gardener, so I asked if I could do it all on my own without any of her help. So, finally, after about eight weeks, Mom came out to look at my little garden I had started in the greenhouse. When she saw it, she started laughing so hard that she couldn’t breathe.” Magnolia sighs. “Apparently, the plant I’d been watering and nurturing was nightshade.”
“How old were you?” I ask with a laugh.
I can just imagine a little kid, so excited to show off their work to their parents before finding out they were growing a poisonous plant.
Magnolia turns to give me a sheepish grin. “Nineteen.”
Grandpa and I laugh at that together.
“Well, maybe we’d better not let you pick which plants to grow around here, but I have a big garden space in the backyard if you’d like to try your hand at it again.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet of you,” Magnolia says. “I could make you a special tea garden.”
Grandpa shakes his head. “Please don’t. You might kill me.”
Magnolia folds her hands together and grins. “Maybe I’d better stick to flowers then. It’d be safer for all of us.”
Grandpa smiles happily, but his eyes are drooping.
Before I can say anything to Magnolia, she jumps up from the bed and pats his hand. “You need your rest. Because I’m going to need you back to tip-top shape to go plant shopping with me.”
Grandpa nods enthusiastically. “Promise you’ll be here when I wake up?”
Magnolia glances at me, a question in her eyes.
I give her a single nod.
“Of course. It’s not often I get a chance to annoy someone with my boring stories.”
Her stories are anything but boring. And I’m a little nervous; I’m liking her just as much as Grandpa is.
“I’m holding you to that promise, Miss Magnolia.”
Grandpa keeps calling her that…and I think it’s adorable. He already has a nickname for her. Too bad she’s not my actual fiancée. He would love to have her in the family.
