Crazy (The Gibson Boys 4)

“What part?”

She smiles. “All of it. One of these days, I’m not going to be around. I haven’t told the boys yet because they’ll just worry themselves crazy, but I had some tests come back not too good. I meet with a specialist next week.”

“Nana,” I say, mouth agape. “You have to tell them.”

“I will. I promise. But I’ve been sitting on this information for a month, just waiting on the right time to tell them.” She looks at me intently. “I’m fine with whatever happens. I’ve had a great life. I’m ready to go if the good lord calls me home. All I have left are Peck and Vincent, and Vin has Sawyer. Peck has no one. And I’ve sat here praying for God to send him someone …”

I swallow. Hard. “Oh, Nana. I’m not sure that …” I laugh nervously. “I mean, Peck and I aren’t … together. We aren’t serious.”

“You’ll see.”

As though that says it all, she stands up. A satisfied look is on her face, but I don’t feel like this can be over. I can’t have that thrown on me. Is she nuts?

“Nana, with all respect, I promise you that I’ll always … be there for Peck if he needs me, but …”

How do you tell a woman that you can’t promise your everlasting love to her grandson?

I stand in her kitchen, mid-shrug, when she laughs.

“You’ve failed me already,” she says.

“How’s that?”

“You forgot what I said.”

My brain clouds with what feels like a thousand things she just said. “What part, exactly?”

She stands in front of me, taking both of my hands in hers. They’re cool to the touch. The veins sit at the top of her skin as she squeezes me with the grip of a baby.

“You can’t start or stop love, honey,” she says. “It’s just there, or it’s not, and it’s present between you and Peck. Everyone can see it. Maybe not you yet because it’s a scary thing to finally see. It took Walker forever.” She laughs. “But you will. You can’t deny it forever.”

“Okay …”

“Just … love him. Like you, he’s never really had someone love him unconditionally but me, and I don’t count.” She smiles like she’s won a prize. “I promise you that he’ll be patient with you. He’ll be kind. He’ll drive you crazy with his incessant need to make sure you’re all right.” She laughs. “Please just be the same to him. For me.”

I stand, bewildered, as she squeezes my hands again. Before I have to figure out how to respond to that, the back door opens.

And there he is as bewildered as me.

“Um, what are y’all doing?” Peck asks.

Nana winks and drops my hands. “We were saying a prayer before Dylan starts remodeling my cabinets. Never hurt to ask the lord to be in the midst of a kitchen.”

I bite my bottom lip to quell the laughter that shakes my chest.

Peck walks my way. “Okay …” He makes a face like he’s as confused as I am.

I hold my breath as he reaches me. He smells of sweat and diesel fuel, and there’s something entirely hot about that.

My fingers itch to touch him, but I’m still not sure where we stand with all that. It depends on the day, he said. But every day would be a touching day if it were up to me.

He leans forward, his lips hovering over the shell of my ear. “You look so damn good that it’s hard not to put you on that island and bury myself inside you.”

“Stop it,” I whisper.

He plants a kiss behind my ear. “I think today is a fun today.”

“What’s that mean?” I bend away from him so I can see his face.

“That means when you’re done doing whatever it is here, we have plans.”

“Doing what?”

“It’s a surprise.”

I’m not sure how I feel about a surprise, but I know how I feel about that look on his face. And that second, much longer kiss behind my ear? Almost has me salivating.

“So what are we doing here, ladies?” he asks, walking around me. “Did I hear cabinet reconstruction?”

“I got these things at the hardware store. I thought I could put them in the bottom of her cabinets so she can just slide them out when she needs something. That way she doesn’t have to bend over,” I say.

Peck gives me the sweetest smile. “I like that.” He looks at Nana. “You good with that?”

“I’m great with it,” she says.

I pick up his drill. His eyes go wide.

“Is that my drill?” he asks.

I hit the trigger, making it spin. “Yup.”

“We need some boundaries, woman,” he says. “You never take a man’s drill.”

I turn my back so Nana can’t see my face. “I’ll make it up to you later.”

He grins, and all is right in my world.

Twenty-Five

Peck

“What are you doing?” Dylan squeals as I take the corner a little sharp. “Peck!”