“We’re leaving in a few hours, Pop Pop. I wanted to stop by to tell you goodbye.”

Fiona sat with Pop Pop in his large room in Riley’s house. He’d moved in with her over a decade earlier, more for the peace of mind of his children than due to the fact he couldn’t take care of himself.

The room was brightly lit with a large window, and he had a comfortable sitting area with two plush chairs facing his own TV.

One wall, her favorite wall, was covered with picture frames containing photos of everyone in the Collins family. The pictures were never the same, Pop Pop updating them as they grew older and, in the case of Caitlyn, Ailis, and Padraig, changing them from single shots to those of couples.

She stood up to look at the more recent photos of Caitlyn with her boyfriend, Lucas, and Ailis and Hunter backstage at one of his concerts. Her breath caught when she spotted a lovely one of Padraig and Mia together. It made her smile even as tears gathered in her eyes.

Pop Pop stepped next to her. “Love never dies,” he whispered, aware of which photo had captured her attention. “The people may go away, but as long as they’re in our hearts, they live.”

He placed his arm around her and she rested her head on his shoulder, taking his words to heart and trying to let them comfort her.

Try as she may, she worried every time one of her visits ended and she returned to California. While Pop Pop was generally healthy, it was easier for her to see that he was slowing down than it was for the others, simply because they saw him every day and the changes were gradual. Fiona was often away for months at a time. That made his aging more apparent to her.

Fiona couldn’t—wouldn’t—consider a life without her Pop Pop. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t careful to make sure she always saw him before she left to tell him she loved him.

They stood like that for a few minutes, then something caught her eye. She lifted her head from his shoulder. “Hey, where’s my picture?”

Pop Pop chuckled. “Just noticed, did you? I was wondering when you’d spot it was missing.”

He walked back to the small table Riley had set up in his room and retrieved a frame. “I just finished putting it back together when you got here. Didn’t have a chance to hang it up again.”

He handed it to her. “Maybe you’d like to do the honors.”

She laughed when she saw the new picture. It was her, Teddy, Owen and Asher standing next to the bar the day after they’d filmed the finale. Owen and Asher were both sitting on stools. Fiona stood between Asher’s outstretched legs, his arms wrapped around her waist as she leaned against him. They, and Owen, were all laughing. Teddy, meanwhile, was bent over in front of Owen, Incredible-Hulk style, flexing nonexistent muscles and wearing a look of pure powerful aggression.

“Oh my God. This is my new picture?”

Pop Pop nodded, then gestured toward the empty nail. “Yep. Want to look at it and know you’re safe and sound on that other coast with your other family.”

“I have a lot of family, don’t I?”

“You are truly blessed, my dear.”

She put the picture on the wall, straightening the frame, and then they both stood back to admire it.

“He’ll treat you good, Fiona. He’s honest, thoughtful, and he loves you. You picked a fine young man.”

Fiona smiled as the two of them looked at Asher. Her grandfather’s approval meant the world to her. “He reminds me of you. Funny and loving and kind.”

Pop Pop turned quickly, and she thought she saw him bat a tear away. He walked over to the antique record player he’d insisted on bringing from the apartment above the pub, even as Riley insisted it was better suited for the dump.

“I can’t believe that thing still works,” she said, following him.

“I have another surprise for you,” he said as he turned the player on, lifted the arm and placed it on the album. “Found this in my pile of old albums.”

Fiona’s eyes widened as strains of “Waltzing Mathilda” began to play. It had been her favorite as a child. “I haven’t heard this in years.”

She fought back a few of her own tears when Pop Pop turned and gave her a slight bow. “Fancy a turn on the floor with an ancient beast?”

Fiona was in his arms in a second, and the two of them laughed as he held her hand high enough that she could twist and twist. “I wish I had my Belle dress,” she teased.

They danced to the song two more times before she left.

“I love you, Pop Pop. See you soon?”

“I’ll be here awaiting your return, my fair Fiona.”