“Such a sweet girl,” Nanna says. “Shame everything she’s going through.”
“What do you mean?”
“The divorce,” she says like it’s obvious. “I always knew that man she married wasn’t any good for her. I never met him, but from the way he kept her from everyone all these years, a woman my age gets a feeling. At least he agreed to give her primary custody of that sweet little boy. She’s been looking for a job but is having trouble finding one.”
“Wait, what?” I say, my head spinning with all of this information. “Layla got a divorce?”
“Yes. I’ve spent some time with Felix while Patricia has watched him so she can look for a job. Such a good boy. Reminds me of you when you were little. Polite and funny. And he loves my French toast.” She winks playfully, and I can’t help but smile.
“I always thought it would be you two that ended up together. Then she met him…” She scrunches up her nose in disgust. “But he’s gone now. Who knows? This could be your second chance.”
“Maybe…”
“I heard the song.” She smiles. “‘Shattered.’ Your mom always plays them for me on her phone. I’m so proud of you. Of whom you’ve become. But that song… it made me sad for you. I remember when your parents got together. Your mom found out she was pregnant with you, and she was so scared but strong. She had a wall built thirty feet high, but your dad busted it down piece by piece. And once he did… well, their love was a beautiful sight to behold.”
She takes her hand in mine and gently squeezes. “That boy… David… he hurt her, and I imagine her wall will be really high, but I have no doubt you’ll be able to knock it down.” She winks playfully. “And once you do, I bet your love will be just as beautiful.”
I nod, unsure what to say in response. I came in here expecting to see her in bad shape, but instead, she’s giving me relationship advice.
With a yawn, she removes her hand from mine and pats the top of it. “Thank you for coming. You’ll be staying, right?”
“I’m not going anywhere, Nanna. Not until you’re better.”
She frowns. “Didn’t you just hear me? You have a wall to take down, and you can’t do that from across the country.” Another yawn. “I’m feeling a little tired. It’s been a helluva day. I think I’m going to rest my eyes for a few minutes.” She closes her eyes. “I’ll see you when I wake up, and we can come up with a plan of attack to tear down that wall and woo the hell out of your woman.”
“I’ll be here,” I say with a laugh. Growing up, my grandpa and my dad always talked about how men have to woo the women they love. I always laughed at them, but now that I’m older, I get it.
I watch Nanna sleep for several minutes, trying to wrap my head around everything I’ve learned about her—about Layla. Once I know she’s in a deep sleep, I head outside to see where my family is.
I find them in the waiting room with the guys… and Layla. Declan has his arm around her, and she’s smiling up at him. He must say something funny because she throws her head back in a laugh, exposing her slim neck.
Declan lets go of her, and then Gage pulls her into his side, kissing her temple. It’s been five and a half years since we’ve left, since they’ve spent any real time with her, so it should be awkward, but they’re acting like no time has passed… and that’s because despite her saying we’re strangers, we’re not. We never could be because those three years together—through good times and bad—cemented our friendships. Those guys care about her almost as much as I do. She became a part of us, and even though we had to walk away, we never stopped thinking about her. We just couldn’t be with her. We had to let her go. And fuck if it wasn’t the hardest thing we’d ever done.
Layla is the first to notice me. She dips out from under Gage’s arm and walks over to me. “How is she?”
“She’s sleeping. Thank you for coming. I’m sorry you didn’t get to see her. Tomorrow—”
“Oh, no. I saw her. I’ve been here all morning. Felix insisted we make her a card. They won’t let him visit because he’s not family, and kids have tons of germs, so I brought it to her.”
We stare at each other for several beats. There’s so much I want to ask her, but then Declan comes over. “How’s she doing?”
“She’s okay. Aside from looking fatigued, you wouldn’t know her body is giving up on her.” I look at my dad. “There’s nothing we can do?”