Chasing Olivia (Trace + Olivia #2) (38 page)

Louise joined us once again, wheeling in another rack of dresses. A seamstress breezed in behind her and over to me. I stood on the platform and let her measure me and begin to place pins where adjustments needed to be made.

“Olivia?” Lily asked, shuffling through the dresses on the new rack. “What color were you thinking for Avery’s dress?”

“I don’t really have anything specific in mind…something light colored though.”

“I think this will be perfect.” Lily pulled a dress out and held it up. “Do you like this one?”

It was a short blush colored dress with flower detailing on the side and a black ribbon around the waist. “That’s perfect!”

Louise took the dress from Lily and helped Avery into it.

I thought the dress looked absolutely gorgeous on Avery. It hugged all of her curves and the color looked pretty with her pale skin and red hair.

“What do you think?” I asked her, hoping she didn’t turn into a total diva.

“It’s perfect…as long as you like it,” she replied, looking at her reflection wistfully.

“I do love it. We’ll take it,” I told Louise.

The seamstress finished marking the alterations and informed me I needed to change. Once I was out of the dress, she took it and hurried from the room. “I’ll have the alterations done in an hour or so,” she called before the door closed behind her.

Since we’d found a dress for Avery and me, that left Lily and my mom. I hoped they had something my mom would like and still be comfortable in.

Louise pulled a few dresses for Lily. The first two were horrible and so I decided to intervene.

“Do you have anything that isn’t so…frumpy?” I asked. “Lily isn’t old, and even if she was, she doesn’t need to dress like it,” I explained, hoping I didn’t hurt anyone’s feelings. But honestly, the current dress she had on looked like a box. I never knew fabric could look so…square.

Lily laughed. “Oh, Olivia, I love you so much.”

I blushed. “It’s the truth.”

Louise left the room and returned with a floor length amethyst colored gown. I knew as soon as it was zipped that it was the one.

“What do you think, Olivia?” Lily asked as she assessed her appearance in the mirror.

“I think we’ve found a winner.”

Finding a dress for my mom took a longer amount of time, but Louise finally found a maternity gown that fit and looked good on her. The Kelly green color looked amazing with her glowing complexion and the Grecian style fit her growing belly.

I was so relieved that in a matter of hours we’d managed to find dresses for everyone. I’d been really worried that planning something so last minute would result in less than satisfactory dresses. Thank goodness for Lily and her connections.

By the time we’d left, all the alterations had already been made and we were able to take the dresses with us. We all stopped to eat a late lunch together before heading our separate ways.

When Avery dropped me off at the apartment, I left my dress with her so that Trace wouldn’t see it, and headed inside.

I called out for him but there was no answer. It didn’t look like he’d been home to shower or anything. I hated to think he’d been stuck in the depressing hospital all night and day.

I tended to Ace and grabbed my car keys.

Twenty minutes later, I walked into the hospital and up to Gramps’ room.

Gramps wasn’t lying in his bed. Instead, he was sitting in a chair and they were using the bed as a table.

“What are you two doing?” I laughed as the door clicked closed behind me.

“Playing chess,” Trace chuckled. “I’m going to win.”

“Not a chance,” Gramps warned.

I pulled up a chair and sat down to watch them finish their game. I wasn’t surprised when Gramps won.

“What are you doing here?” Gramps asked me as Trace helped him back in the bed. “Surely you’re not just here to see me. I’m not that handsome to look at anymore.”

“I think you’re very handsome. I know where Trace gets all his looks from,” I poked my husband’s cheek.

“Yeah, well, he certainly didn’t get his smart mouth from me,” he chortled.

“Oh, please, Gramps. Don’t act like you aren’t a smartass,” Trace chuckled, adjusting the blankets around Warren.

“Can you believe my grandson talks to me like this? I don’t know why you married this fool,” he shook his head. “You could do so much better.”

“Thanks, Gramps. Way to make me feel loved,” Trace put a hand to his heart.

Ignoring them, I gripped the footboard of the bed in my hands and leaned forward. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

“Oh,” Warren cleared his throat. “Of course.”

Trace eyed me, wondering what was going on.

“I know you’re sick and probably aren’t up to it but…” I took a deep breath. “I don’t have a dad to walk me down the aisle and I was wondering if you would…?” I bit my lip nervously as I waited for him to reply.

He pushed himself up in the bed. “I don’t care if it takes me ten whole minutes, I
will
walk you down that aisle, sweet Olivia.” There was a determination in his eyes that had been missing before.

“Thank you,” I swallowed thickly,

Having Gramps walk me down the aisle meant the world to me. It was a memory I would be able to hold close to my heart and cherish for the rest of my life. Looking at him now, it was difficult to believe that the doctors didn’t think he’d live past the end of the week. I didn’t want to say goodbye. In fact, I refused to. Saying goodbye implied that something was ending, and I knew that Gramps’ life was really just beginning.

“Don’t cry,” Gramps frowned at me.

I reached up and felt my cheek. My fingers came away damp. I hadn’t realized I was crying. Maybe my body had become so used to the emotion that it didn’t even register it anymore.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, taking the tissue Trace handed to me. “I don’t mean to cry. I want you to know that it means a lot to me that you’re going to do this.”

“I’m
honored
that you’d ask me, Olivia.” His words ended in a cough and when he pulled his hand away from his mouth, blood stained his lips.

“Gramps!” Trace exclaimed, jumping up and cleaning his mouth free of the red stain. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Gramps waved his concern away. “That happens sometimes. It’s normal.”

“That doesn’t seem normal,” Trace said.

“What’s normal about cancer?” Gramps countered.

Neither of us could argue with that, but Trace still told me to find a nurse.

The nurse I found was quick to come and check on Gramps. She assured us that he was fine and we had nothing to worry about. I wanted to argue that the man was dying so we had plenty to worry about, but that would’ve been rude.

“Trace,” I rubbed his arm, “you should really go home and get some rest.”

He took a deep breath and let his head fall forward into his hands. “I can’t.”

“How about this, go home and shower, eat, take a nap, and then come back in a few hours? I’ll be here. You know I’ll take care of him,” I assured him.

Trace looked between Gramps and me. “I don’t know.”

“Trace, the last twenty-four hours have been extremely stressful. Go home and relax for a little bit. You’re no good to anyone if you’re dead on your feet,” I eyed the dark circles under his eyes. I hated seeing him this tired and stressed.

“Fine,” he reluctantly agreed. “I’ll be back tonight.”

He hugged Gramps goodbye and gave me a soft kiss. I handed him my car keys and he chuckled. “I get to drive the purple chick car?”

“Don’t diss my car. It’s cute,” I laughed.

“Kittens are cute. Cars are meant to be sexy.”

“Whatever,” I laughed, taking the seat he had vacated so I’d be closer to Gramps.

“See you guys soon,” he called as he left.

Once the door was closed, Gramps let out a pent up breath, and said, “Good, he’s gone. I thought he’d
never
leave.”

I snorted at that. “Was he driving you nuts?”

“Are you kidding me? He was like a silly little nursemaid.” Miming Trace’s voice, he continued, “Gramps, are you thirsty? Are you hungry? Can I fluff your pillow? Do you need anything? I was tempted to ask the nurse if she could give him a tranquilizer so he’d shut up.”

“Gramps,” I laughed, “that’s not very nice.”

“At least you’re pretty to look at!” He exclaimed.

“I’m glad I can be of some service to you,” I leaned forward. “Are you thirsty?” I asked to mess with him.

He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t start now.”

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” I giggled. Crossing my legs, I asked, “Are you really okay walking me down the aisle? If it’s too much just say so.”

“I’m walking you down that aisle, sweetheart. Don’t even try to talk me out of it now that you’ve asked. I don’t even know why they still have me in here,” he pointed to the bare white walls of the hospital room. “There’s nothing more they can do for me,” he looked at me sadly.

“We can hope,” I reached for his hand. “When you think there’s nothing left, there’s always hope.”

“I wish that was the case, Olivia. But my time has come to an end. I’m not ready, but I’ve accepted it. I
am
going to see you and Trace get married, though. I
will
make it through that.”

I scooted the chair closer to the bed, so that I didn’t have to reach so far for him.

“How can you be so sure?” I asked, my eyes roaming over all of the wires hooked up to him.

“Because I’m a Wentworth, and we’re a stubborn breed of male. I may be dying, but I’ll go when I say I’m ready.”

“You’re something else,” I shook my head.

“My grandson is a lot like me,” he chuckled. “Are you prepared to handle that for the rest of your life?”

“Yes,” I answered without hesitation.

“Good…I do have one request of you…okay, actually two,” he coughed.

“What is it?” I asked.

“First off, I’d really appreciate it if you
wouldn’t
name your firstborn son after me. Warren is a really bad name and I’d hate for the poor fellow to be stuck with it just because I had to go and die before my time. Don’t name him Trey either. Give the kid his own name,” he said gruffly, shaking a finger warningly at me. “Trace will want to be sentimental and that isn’t fair to the kid.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at him. “What name would you suggest for this future firstborn son?”

He pondered that for a moment. “Dean,” he finally said. “Dean Wentworth has a nice ring to it.”

“I like that,” I smiled. “Dean is a good name.”

“Glad you like it,” he smiled and there was a twinkle in his eye that had been missing earlier. “The second thing I need you to do, is take these,” he reached over to the opposite nightstand and grabbed two letters in envelopes. He handed them to me and I saw that one had my name on it while the other had Trace’s. “I want you to read these when…when I’m gone,” tears pooled in his eyes. “I’m giving them to you, because I knew Trace would rip them up if I gave them to him.”

I stared down at the letters in my hands and my heart felt even heavier than it had before.

“Gramps,” I choked, overcome by emotion.

“I don’t mean to make you cry.” He pressed a shaky hand against my cheek. “But I had to give them to you.”

I nodded my head in understanding. I tucked the letters away in my purse and wiped my eyes. “No more talk about dying or babies,” I cracked a smile. “Let’s do something fun…but not chess. I suck at that.”

“There’s a room down the hall where the nurses have board games for patients. If you ask one of the ladies at the desk they’ll take you to it.”

“Okay,” I stood. “Anything in particular you want?”

“See if they have Clue,” he smiled, pushing the button on the railing of the bed to raise it.

I stopped at the nurse’s station outside the room and one of them led me down the hall to a storage closet full of odds and ends. On the top shelf I spotted Clue, but since I was so short I had trouble reaching it. I found a stepstool and even with that I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach the box. I grabbed it off the shelf and headed back to Gramps’ room.

“Look what I found,” I sing-songed, waving the box in front of me. When I lowered it, I saw that Gramps had fallen asleep. “Well,” I set the box on the table, “another time then.”

I settled in the chair, hoping Trace had made it home and was actually relaxing like he needed to. But knowing him, I was sure that was the last thing he was doing.

“Olivia.”

I hadn’t been in a very deep sleep and I jolted awake at the sound of my name.

I looked around the darkened hospital room, rubbing my eyes and smearing my makeup.

“Trace,” I yawned. “What time is it?”

“Three,” he shrugged. “I meant to be back by midnight but I slept longer than I wanted.”

I glanced at Gramps’ sleeping form and then up at my husband. “I’m too sleepy to drive back,” I stood. “I’ll sleep on the couch,” I pointed to the couch covered in plastic in the corner of the room. I knew it wouldn’t be comfortable, but I didn’t want to leave. My reasoning had nothing to do with driving, like I’d told him. It was because he looked so sad, and no one that looks like that should ever be left alone.