Page 66 of Forbidden King (Magnolia Falls)

They’d poured their hearts and their pain into raising River and me.

My parents’ accident was a reminder to me about how quickly life can take away the ones you love.

I’d always been more of a light-and-easy guy. I didn’t take things too seriously. It was a choice I’d made a long time ago.

I glanced over to where the leaves rustled in the tree a few feet away, and a patch of dandelions bloomed near the trunk.

Fuck. I was in a situation, and I didn’t know what to do about it.

“Wish you guys were here,” I said. It amazed me to learn that you could miss someone that you didn’t even remember. I guess some people lived on in your heart and were etched into your soul. “Happy Anniversary. I’m glad that, at the very least, you two get to be together.”

I pushed to my feet and walked the short distance to my grandmother’s nursing home.

Pearl Arabella Pierce is my person.

She raised me, she loved me, and she believed in me. Always had. Always would. When I struggled, she was the first person I turned to. She knew things about me that no one knew.

The guys were my family. I relied on them.

But for advice, my grandmother was who I talked to.

When I walked through the doors of Magnolia Haven, I waved at a few of the ladies that I played cards with once a week and made my way down the hall. Grammie’s room was the last door on the left, a corner suite with views of the garden, which was important to her. River did a good job keeping up with planting flowers for her, and I normally just provided pure entertainment.

It's what I was good at.

“Hey there, beautiful,” I said, as I waltzed in and kissed her on the cheek. Grammie sat in the reclining chair, looking out at the garden.

She clapped her hands together once and smiled. “My boy. I knew you’d come today. Were you at the cemetery?”

She knew me. Knew that’s where I’d be today.

“I was. Had a little chat with them like I always do.”

She smiled as I dropped into the chair across from her. “What’s on your mind, my boy? You’ve been quieter lately. Visiting more. That means that head of yours is spinning, am I right?”

“I’m fine. Just been a little off the past few weeks.”

“Tell me about it. What’s going on?” she asked as she studied me.

“Everything is good. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“That’s not what I asked. Come on now, you know you can tell me anything.”

I leaned back, rubbing a hand over the back of my neck. “I haven’t felt much like going out, and I’ve just been pouring myself into work, which makes me tired. I’m not used to being grumpy, you know?” I shrugged. I sure as shit wasn’t about to tell her I was sexually frustrated. I’d have to find a way around it because I did need her advice. She’d never steered me wrong.

“Yes. Grumpy is more your brother’s cup of tea.” She shook her head and chuckled. “But you don’t always have to be happy either, Kingston. I think that’s part of your struggle right there.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, we like to tease River about being grumpy, but he’s always been very honest about his feelings. When he’s in a bad mood, he doesn’t hide it. When he’s happy, you know it. I never knew with you what you were feeling growing up, because no matter what was happening, you were always okay. It’s who you are. But no one is always okay. So, I’ve learned to drag it out of you.”

I let out a long breath. “I think you and Gramps had plenty on your plate as it was. You didn’t need me to fall apart. You lost your son and his wife, and you raised your grandsons, all while grieving the loss. And River being hospitalized after the accident for months couldn’t have been easy on you. I didn’t remember them, so I was the only one who wasn’t affected. The least I could be is happy, right? I was too young to understand the loss.”

Her eyes widened. Had we never talked about this?

“Just because you didn’t understand the loss at the time, doesn’t mean it wasn’t a huge loss throughout your life.” She reached for my hand and squeezed it. “It’s okay to be sad that you didn’t get to know your parents for very long before they passed away. It’s okay to grieve for what you never had. And it’s okay to not be in a good mood all the time. So how about you stop pretending with me and tell me what’s going on.”

“You know the guys are everything to me. Ride or die and all that good stuff. I would never do anything to mess that up. We’ve been loyal, through and through.”

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