Chapter 31

Sheila had declined my offer to bring her with us, but Toby wouldn't let her stay behind. “No way Grandma. You gotta come too.”

“That's alright Tobes, I'd just be a fifth wheel.”

“Mum tell her that's not true!”

“Oh she knows how I feel about it,” I commented and gave Sheila a look that told her that I knew exactly who would win.

Sheila looked to Sulamith for help and Sulamith just told her, “I'm not getting involved. Toby talked me into going to a monster truck rally with him last week. Do you really think that I can help you?”

“Toby really, I don't know these people. I don't want to be seen as an interloper.”

“Grandma, you are the coolest grandma on the face of the earth. Nobody will mind, and you've already met some of these people anyway. I bet they want to see you.”

After an hour and a half of Toby following her around the house she caved.

*

Although there had never been any question of whether Evan would go with us, I knew that for him it was perhaps a more daunting prospect. Would they compare him to Rowan? I hoped that they wouldn't. I hoped that they understood that after Rowan, any man that I became involved with would have been held to a very high standard and, as far as I was concerned, Evan met that standard. But the night before the winter solstice Evan said to me, “Look, I don't want you to think that I spend a lot of time dwelling on this, but I want you to know that . . . if there is any such thing as an afterlife . . . I would understand if you chose Rowan.”

He looked into my eyes and I could see that he meant it and I could see just how much he must love me if he would give me up so that I could be happy with someone else. But I could never be truly happy without him, and I was furious. Not with him, but with myself for not making him understand just how much he meant to me sooner. “Evan Taylor. If there is any such bleeding ridiculous thing as afterlife that forces me to choose between you and Rowan, then when I get to the gates I will stamp my foot and argue until they change the rules, and don't you dare believe that I can't do it! You and Rowan will just have to learn to share! I love you dammit!”

Evan looked so startled. He just stood there caught in the moment.

“So kiss me already!” I cried.

After fifteen years it's good to know that we still want to tear each other's clothes off sometimes.