"Soap?" she asks. "You wash-ed her mouth with soap? Did it hurted?"
"Why don't you ask her? She's sitting right behind you."
Another gasp, and she's spinning to face me. "Hi. I Mia."
"I'm Cady, and no, it didn't hurt. But it tasted really bad."
Mia scowls back at Nan. "Mean!"
Nan's not bothered in the least. "It worked. She stopped using grown-up words by the end of the summer."
Mia looks between Nan and I, then up at Maverick. She puts her hands on his cheeks, one still clutching the very tolerant hamster, and pulls him closer. "Uncle Mav, make sure that lady don't talk to Mama, okay?"
Maverick loses it, laughing while trying to nod solemnly. After one more glare at Nan, she hops down, wandering off to John cooking in the kitchen. He lifts her onto the counter a safe distance from the stove, then spoons out a heaping mouthful of potatoes and hands it to her. Someone else, Micah I think, whines but shuts up quickly when John gives him a look. Nan laughs again, and pushes off the couch. "I'm going to see if that young man needs some help in the kitchen."
John's scowl melts away as Nan approaches. A softer look replaces it, and as she speaks, a grin. Before I know it, she's busy chopping and chattering, looking happier than I've seen her in a while. The kitchen was always her happy place, even when she was sickest. Something about creating something nourishing always appealed to her.
And I let her give that up.
A wave of gratitude rolls through me, for Maverick, for the home he's given us, even temporarily. And for the chance to see Nan in the thick of a family, maybe for the first time ever.
"Cadence," Maverick says softly.
Hastily brushing my fingers under my eyes, I turn to him.
Maverick's hand on my shoulder is a comforting weight. "Cadence, what's wrong?"
I shake my head, not sure how to put it into words. "It's just... I didn't know what to expect, moving in with you like this. Even if it's only temporary." I glance over at Nan, who's laughing at something John said. "I didn't realize how hard everything's been on her."
Maverick follows my gaze. "She seems to be in her element in the kitchen."
A smile tugs at my lips. "She is. You should have seen her back in the day, Mav. She used to make these epic meals, and the whole house would smell amazing. Roasts that would melt in your mouth, pies with crusts so flaky they'd shatter if you looked at them wrong."
I sigh, the memories hitting me right in the gut. "After Grandpa passed, it was just the two of us, and we couldn't eat all that. Then with her health issues... she hasn't had the energy for cooking for a while. Seeing her now, back in her happy place... it means a lot."
Maverick squeezes my shoulder. "I'm glad we could give that back to her."
I nod, blinking back the tears that threaten. "Me too. Thank you, Maverick. For all of this. I know I was resistant at first, but... I think this is going to be good for us. For her."
Maverick nods, eyes soft and warm. "You know, I haven't seen John quite like this either. He's usually pretty territorial in the kitchen, but something about Nan... I don't know, maybe it's her grandma energy that gives her a pass?"
I nod, understanding. "Grandmas are like superheroes. She's been like that my whole life. Cooking, keeping the house, helping the neighbors, involved at the church. We always kept a calendar on the wall, and most of the days were filled up with Nan's activities. My grandpa and I just got hauled along most of the time." Not that I really minded. Most of the places we went, there were other kids to play with, and for me, that was heaven. I always wished I had siblings, but I wouldn't wish my mom on anyone. It's a miracle she didn't have any more kids considering the lifestyle she lived. Still lives.
"It's been a long time since any of us have had someone like Nan around," Maverick agrees. "Up until last year, it was just us. It was testosterone, and fights, and a lot of take-out. Now we have all these women around, and it's been great, honestly. But a grandma? That's something only Nick remembers."
"He lost her?" I ask softly.
"Yeah. A long time ago."
I'm grateful again that I still have Nan. I'm in my thirties, and I still get to see her every day. A lot of people can't say the same. And some, like Nick, lost theirs way too early.
He pauses for a moment, then continues. "John... he's been through a lot. He's spent half his life in prison, so I wouldn't blame him for being hard. When he got out, I think he planned to stay hard." He smiles as John barks out a laugh at something Nan says. "I'm really glad it didn't stay that way. He just fits, you know?"
"It's actually kind of amazing, when you think about it."
"How so?"
"The rest of you were already a unit. I can't imagine it was easy to make room for him." It would have been easier to forget about him, to move on.
