Page 125 of Almost Not Quite Engaged

“We’ll be back in the morning. I love you.”

“Stop it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I love you too,” he says under his breath and I cock my head.

“You know I heard that,” I tell him.

“I intended for you to.”

Kat bends down and kisses him again. “Sleep tight, Jack. Don’t worry, I’ve got him.”

“I know you do.”

We emerge and Birdie’s waiting with hand sanitizer and permission to go back inside. Her posture is less than perfect for the first time I can remember but her lipstick is still immaculate. Of course it is.

“Mom, you need sleep. I can stay.” Kat nods.

Chapter 63

And Suddenly It’s Not

KAT

Boston

Zane shoots me a quick glance of relief that I’ve agreed to stay too. I squeeze his hand in response. But we’re both ragged and tired as hell.

Birdie waves him off with the hand sanitizer still in it. “Absolutely not. You just arrived. Go sleep. We have people here.”

Hand in hand we rejoin my parents in the waiting room. Zane crosses to Nan and takes her hand in both of his. He seems genuine in a way that catches me off guard even now. “Nan, I can’t tell you what a comfort it is to my family to have you here.”

“Where else would we be? Right, Rob?”

“Yeah, slugger, where else would we be?” I look at Zane and he’s biting the inside of his lip so he doesn’t burst out laughing. We are approximately forty seconds from slap-happy silly.

Mom straightens her jacket. “Curtie’s on her way in to sit with Birdie. We’ll head back to avoid a traffic jam up here.” I interpret what she’s actually saying. My mother wants her bed and to avoid Curtie Goodknow.

My dad hugs me properly before they go and I hold on too long so we do what he calls a ‘rehug.’ Where you think you’re done but you need just a little more.

“Get some sleep,” he says into the top of my head. Then he shakes Zane’s hand again, both hands. “Good man,” he says.

Attila the nurse catches us on our way out and hands us to-go boxes. We nod and move on. I assume there’s no mayonnaise.

Zane and I are alone again. I look at his war-worn face. “We should find a place to sleep.” He looks at me puzzled. I continue. “My parents usually stay at the Four Seasons, but I did some research and there’s this place called the Liberty Hotel that looks incredible. Former jailhouse, apparently. Very cool.”

Zane sits down, he’s laughing so hard. When he finally surfaces he says, “What are you talking about?” He’s so tired, he’s laughing at me trying to help.

“What?” I manage to say to him and he’s howling. I start laughing too, having no idea what we’re laughing about.

He sputters out. “We don’t need a hotel.” Still laughing, seriously howling at me now. “I live here.”

“Holy shit.” I laugh until tears pour down my face.

“Thank god you didn’t bring up a hotel inside.” I forgot I’m going to sleep in Zane’s bed. Our little daydream existence is about to take a freaky turn towards realism. He takes my camera bag as I stand dumbstruck.

He smiles. “Let’s go home.”