“How’s the newlywed?”

Dalton grinned. “Happier than a pig in shit. And if you tell my beautiful wife I phrased it that way, I’ll deny it.”

“So noted.” Carson lowered into a chair. “Got time to keep your old uncle company?”

“Of course.” Dalton sat across from him. “I realize it’s the dumbest question in the world, but how are you holdin’ up?”

“I’m here. Beyond that, I don’t know. It’s a blur.”

“Uncle Charlie mentioned you get to see Aunt Carolyn?”

“Not for the first twenty-four hours. In a bit they’ll let me see her for five minutes. Which is better than nothin’, I suppose.”

“Your kids still givin’ you grief about not sharing your time with them?”

Carson glanced up. His eyes narrowed. “I figured they would’ve sent Tell or Ben here as the peacemaker to try and talk some sense into me, not you.”

“Whoa. I’m not here on anyone’s behalf except my own. While I’d be pissed off if it was my mom in there, my dad wouldn’t have gone all guard dog for his wife or anyone else. So I don’t understand where they’re comin’ from. And not to be a dick, but you’ve been layin’ down the law for years. Why in the hell are they so surprised you’re doin’ it now with so much at stake?”

“That’s the question I’ve been askin’ myself the past thirty-two hours. Enough about that. How was the honeymoon?”

“Great. But I’ll admit we were bit by the travel bug. Rory is already planning our next trip.”

“Is she here?”

“She’s at her mom’s. Rielle said to tell you that you’re in her and Gavin’s thoughts. And once you and Carolyn are home, she’ll bring by a meal or two for you.”

“Tell her thanks. How long are you here for?”

Dalton adjusted his ball cap. “Just a couple of days. Now that the honeymoon is over, we both gotta get back to work. There’s plenty of stuff to do on the house we bought.” He groaned. “Don’t know what the hell we were thinkin’—the place is a money pit.”

“I’m sure repairs are no problem for a man with your skill level. Kyler brags on you all the time. Says you can do anything.”

“Ky’s a great kid, but what he saw me doin’ as far as a remodel at the house in Sundance was a cakewalk compared to what this house needs.” He shook his head. “After all me’n Rory went through to be together, I swear it’s fightin’ about house stuff that’ll break us up.”

He raised an eyebrow. “That bad?”

“The crazy-assed woman threw a hammer at me.”

“What did it hit?”

“The wall I’d just sheet rocked. I suspect stress from her new job and planning a wedding made her hypersensitive—” he leveled Carson with a look, “—and according to my lovely wife, hypersensitive is a word I don’t ever get to use in our household either, so between us, I’ll use the term bat-shit crazy to describe her there for a few weeks. But I know livin’ with me when I ain’t workin’ in the winter months ain’t a picnic either. So I’m hoping that now we’re married, we’ll settle in and it’ll be smooth sailing. They always say the first year is the honeymoon phase, don’t they?”

Carson laughed. A little meanly.

“What? Christ, Uncle C, you scare me when you laugh like that.”

“I’ll just say that the first year Carolyn and I were married we hit rough waters. Right away. We made it through, but it wasn’t pretty.”

Dalton wore a skeptical look. “You and Aunt Carolyn? Really? But you two never fight.”

“We never fight in public. Except for a few times during those early years, but if anyone ever mentioned specific incidents to our kids, we lied like hell about it.”

Dalton laughed.

“Anyway, we’ve had our throwin’ hammers and settin’ the curtains on fire moments. Getting over those moments and not dwelling in the past is why we’ll hit the fifty year mark in our marriage next month.” Carson refused to consider Carolyn wouldn’t be around or sentient enough in a few weeks to celebrate that milestone.

“That’s an accomplishment. Congrats.”

The nurse walked over and put her hand on Carson’s shoulder. “It’s almost time, Mr. McKay.”

“Good. Thanks.”

He and Dalton stood at the same time.

“I’ll get outta your hair.” Dalton clapped him on the back. “Give Aunt Carolyn a squeeze from me. Rory was so excited to get that book of McKay family recipes as a wedding gift from you guys. Mighty thoughtful.”

“All Carolyn’s doin’, I promise. I still can’t cook a lick.”

“Too bad she didn’t teach you to man the stove in the first year of marriage like Rory’s threatening to do with me.” Dalton offered his hand. “Take care of yourself.”

“I will. Safe travels back to Montana. Tell that pretty bride of yours hello.”

After Dalton left, Carson slipped on his sterile gear. His mind drifted between the here and now and the past he’d been lost in the past day and a half.

Finally, he was here with her. Where he was supposed to be.

Inside her room, he rolled the chair next to her bed and ran his gloved fingers down her forearm, threading his fingers through hers. He rested his forehead on the metal side rail. Between the hissing of the respiratory machine and the other noises, he figured this angle was the best for her to hear him. He had to speak loud, since the faceguard he was required to wear covered his mouth, protecting her against airborne germs.