The Best of Us (Sullivan's Crossing #4)(73)

She smiled. “Not yet.”

“I just want you overnight,” he said. “While I still have a little time left. You’re just a pup. You prolly have a few boyfriends left in you after I give out.”

“I hope you’re not planning to leave me too soon,” she said. “I’m just getting used to you.”

“I’ll prolly be around awhile,” he said. “Hope so. You make me feel young. I might even go on a trip with you sometime.”

“Why, Sully! Don’t be rash,” she said, laughing.

“No promises. I’m kind of set in my ways. But you can gut that house if you want to. Do anything you want. Just live in it with me. You know you want to.”

“I want to,” she said. “But first I’m going to see my niece a little more settled than she is.”

“She’s a big girl,” Sully said. “If she’s not gonna do anything to sort this out for herself, I’m not inclined to wait on her. You should prolly pull the rug out from under her.”

“Oh, I couldn’t do that,” Helen said. “We’re all we have—each other.”

“I know that. And the two of you could each use more others.”

Finn and Maia sat close together on her patio in twin lounge chairs, sharing a throw. They’d been kissing their brains out and doing a little innocent petting under that throw. Anyone who looked at them out the kitchen window would be able to figure out what was going on, but no one looked. Her parents were so happy she was alive they didn’t push too hard on her. Besides, they had been so grateful for Finn and his support.

“You have orientation in Boulder pretty soon,” she said.

“A couple of weeks. But school doesn’t start until after Labor Day.”

“I’ve made a decision,” she said. “I’m not going to start in September. I’m taking off another semester.”

“Are you okay with that?” he asked.

“I’m relieved,” she said. “Except that I’ll be bored. I might see if I can pick up a class or two from the junior college.”

“Maia, you’re ready. You could go. The doctor cleared you.”

“It feels too soon. I’m so nervous about being that far away from home. What if something happened? I mean, I know I’m not going to grow another brain tumor. At least, not right away. I’ll get an MRI every year, and Maggie thinks everything will be okay. But sometimes when I get nervous, I can’t find the right word. My concentration sucks and my cognitive skills are still recovering, which might be as much to do with the seizure as the tumor or surgery. So my confidence is still recovering. Big surprise, huh? I had a traumatic event. I’m not cleared to drive yet even though the cause of the seizure was the tumor and the tumor is gone. To be safe, I have to wait six months to drive. I could not have gotten through it without you.” She kissed his cheek.

“Hey, you were the brave one,” he said.

“I want to tell you something else. I’ve changed my mind about Flagstaff. I don’t want to be that far away. I’m going to try to get into CU. But I want you to know something—I’m not going there because you’re going to be there, not so you can take care of me. Your sentence is over, you’re free. I’m going there because it’s a good school. And it’s closer to my doctor.”

“Are you breaking up with me?” he asked.

“Oh God, no! But I’ve been a real load. I want to be a girlfriend not a ball and chain. You’ve been great but I don’t want to be your patient anymore.”

“Have I treated you like a patient?”

“Nah, you’ve been perfect.”

“You would have been there for me,” he said. “I think it’s just what people who love each other do.”

“I agree, and yes, I would have. But from now on our relationship isn’t going to be about my brain tumor. We’ll be together as long as we love each other, and if that’s forever, very cool. But be warned—I’m not going to die.”

“I knew you’d be okay.” He sighed. “Well, I didn’t exactly know it but that’s what I kept telling myself.” He grinned. “CU, huh? Like my dream come true.”

“Listen, you’re going to be up there a whole semester before I get there,” she said. “Maybe a whole first year if they don’t let me start after first semester. You’re going to meet girls...”

“No, I won’t,” he said.

“Yes, you will. Girls with hair on their whole head. I want you to remember that if you meet a girl you really, really like, I’m not going to die.”

“Okay. Sure.”

“I’ll be pissed but I won’t get sick or die.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’d be very surprised if I met anyone that special. And with you here, I’ll be home a lot of weekends.”

“You don’t have to. We can talk and text and you can tell me all about it and come home when you want to.”

“I bet I’ll want to,” he said, pulling her closer.

“I will miss you,” she said. “I’ll miss you more because I won’t be busy, but I want you to have a good time.”

“I’ll have to come home weekends to get help with schoolwork. Did I tell you I’m looking into science courses? Biology. Maybe premed.”