“Alex, I want to call a truce,” she said, finally settling down across from me.

“Here’s to that,” I said, and raised my juice glass. “I accept your terms, whatever they are.”

“Because there’s something else I need to talk to you about.”

I had to laugh. “That was just about the shortest cease-fire I’ve ever seen. What is this, the Middle East?”

“Oh, relax. It’s about Bree.”

As far as I knew, Bree was right up there with sliced bread, Barack Obama, and handwritten letters in Nana’s book. How bad could this be?

“You know, after all this, you’d be a silly fool to let that girl slip through your fingers,” she started in.

“Absolutely,” I said, “and if I may, I’d like to draw the court’s attention to the very nice diamond ring on Ms. Stone’s left hand.”

Nana waved my logic away with her fork. “Rings come off just as easily as they go on. I hope you don’t mind my saying so, but you’ve got something of a track record with women, and not in a good way.”

Ouch. Still, I couldn’t deny it. For whatever reasons, I’d never been able to find real stability in a relationship since my first wife, Maria, had been murdered so many years earlier.

At least, not until now with Bree.

“If it makes you feel any better,” I said, “I took Bree up to Immaculate Conception and asked her to marry me all over again, right there in front of God and creation.”

“And what did she say?” Nana deadpanned.

“She’s going to have to get back to me on that. But seriously, Nana, where is this coming from? Have I given you some reason to doubt us?”

She was up to her half sausage now, and she held up a finger for me to wait while she lovingly, almost reverently, devoured the cylinder. Then, as if she were starting a whole new conversation, she looked up again and said, “You know I’m going to be ninety this year?”

It came out with a smile — I think she was going to be around ninety-two — but the words stopped me cold anyway.

“Nana, is there something you’re not telling me?”

“No, no,” she said. “I’m right as rain. Couldn’t be better. Just thinking ahead, that’s all. No one lasts forever. At least, not that I know about.”

“Well, think a little less ahead, okay? And, by the way, you’re not car parts. You’re one hundred percent irreplaceable.”

“Of course I am!” She reached over to put her hand on top of mine. “And you are a strong, capable, and wonderful father. But you can’t do this alone, Alex. Not the way you run the other half of your life.”