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Kiran looked from Nadia to Reuben. “An ex, huh?”
“Yeah. The girls took a liking to him.”
“Is that what we call it?” Reuben asked. “He was like a candle, and they were the moths. It was weird.”
“What does that mean?” Kiran asked.
Reuben shrugged.
“He reminds the girls of Rafe,” Nadia said. “Which makes zero sense because they look nothing alike.”
“Zero similarities, and yet they acted like they’ve known him their entire lives,” Reuben added.
“Huh” was all Kiran could say, and he went back to grilling.
As the girls set the table, Nadia made a salad to go with the chips Kiran had brought for dinner. They sat down, made idle chitchat, and laughed together. The days were getting better for Nadia, but the nights were still hard. She hated going to bed alone, and she truly loathed being in her bedroom. She needed to make a change in there, but each time she thought about it, she wanted to break down and cry. The bedroom had been their sanctuary, a place for them to be with each other without interruption. In there, they could be Nadia and Rafe, two people madly in love with each other from the day they’d met. Their love hadn’t died when he’d died, and at times, she wished it had. Loving Rafe had been the easiest and hardest thing she’d ever done.
After dinner and after the girls had gone to bed, Nadia sat outside and stared at the darkened sky. Very few stars shone; thanks to being in the city, stargazing wasn’t really a thing. They would need to drive out to the Cape or head inland, away from the bright lights.
The sliding glass door opened, and the chair next to her scraped against the decking. “It’s a nice night,” Kiran said as he sat next to her.
“It is.”
They sat in silence for a long while until she said, “Do you think he’s up there, watching us?”
“Yes, but I hope not,” he told her.
“You hope not? Why?” She looked over at him and found him staring at her.
Kiran reached for her hand. “Because if he was, then he’d see me holding his wife’s hand, and he’d hear me tell his wife that I think she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and when she’s ready, I’d really like to take her out for dinner.”
Her quick intake of breath couldn’t be missed. “Kiran.”
“I know, Nadia,” he said. “People think it’s wrong, the best friend and the widow, but I don’t care. Around November, I started having these feelings. I thought they’d stop, but they haven’t. I suppose if you tell me you’re not interested or we never have a chance, then I’ll have to figure something out. I’m willing to wait, Nadia. Until you’re ready. That’s if you’re interested in me.”
Nadia absorbed his words. His kindness. She smiled. “I’m interested.”
THIRTY-TWO
GRAYSON
Ever since he’d had his heart transplant and returned to work, all Grayson had to do was tell his boss he was stressed and needed a week or so off, and he’d get the time off, no questions asked. It was a ploy, one Reid hated but also encouraged because she knew what would happen if Grayson became too run-down. He really had to coast through life, stress-free. Flying to Boston to spend time with Gemma and Lynnea, under the guise of being there for them, was about as stress-free as he could get. They were like natural endorphins for him.
Grayson booked a hotel as close to Nadia’s place as possible. Ideally, staying downtown would’ve been fun for him, but he wasn’t there to be a tourist. He was there to do something Rafe would’ve done himself, and that was take his daughter to the annual father-daughter dance. The idea of getting dressed up, slipping a corsage on Lynnea’s tiny wrist, and setting her feet on his while he twirled them around the room filled him with such pride that he had a perpetual knot in his throat. To make things even better, Reid had been very accepting of him going, but he had an ultimatum from her—tell Nadia the truth, or she would. His gut told him that if Reid was the one to spill the secret, things would be over for him. He couldn’t do anything to jeopardize the trust he had with either woman. He also didn’t want to hurt the girls.
He showered, then dressed in a black suit with matching blue tie to coordinate with Lynnea’s dress. With one last look in the mirror, he picked up the corsage and headed out to his rental. He would drive Reuben and Gemma as well, and the plan was for the men to take their dates out to dinner. The girls had chosen their favorite fast-food place, because apparently no one could go to the dance without a tummy full of nuggies.
Grayson pulled up to the curb, shut his car off, and got out. He took the stairs two at a time and could hear giggling on the other side of the door before he even knocked. His knuckles rapped twice against the wood, and the door opened.
He smiled at Nadia.
“Hello, Mrs. Karlsson. I’m Grayson Caballero. I’m here to escort Miss Lynnea Karlsson to the dance this evening.”
Nadia beamed, and more giggles erupted from behind the door. “I do believe she’s expecting you. Won’t you come in.”
None of this was rehearsed, which pleased Grayson. He was happy Nadia was playing along. He stepped in, held the corsage box in front of him, and waited for Nadia to close the door. Lynnea stepped out from behind her mother in a navy blue dress, with sparkles and layers of tulle. Thanks to Reid, he knew what it was. Her blonde hair had been curled and pinned to the top of her head, with ringlets framing her face. From the pictures he’d seen of Rafe, Lynnea was his twin.
“Lynnea, you look beautiful,” he told her as he dropped down to one knee and opened the box, which contained two white roses wrapped in navy ribbon. “This is for you,” he said as he slipped it onto her wrist. “Reid picked it out for you.”
