Page 3 of Promised Love

“Think, kiddo. That’s it.” She gets up, places a kiss on my forehead, and leaves me with a thick black cloud of ominous thoughts.

The next night, I’ve just turned off the lights when I hear Mom’s footsteps outside my door, followed by her rushing inside. “Tums, wake up. Grandpop just collapsed. We’re rushing him to the hospital.”

A day has passed and Grandpop still hasn’t opened his eyes.

“Be prepared for anything.” Dr. Hoot has repeated the line to us several times now.

But how do you prepare yourself for losing a loved one?

Right now, I’m standing outside Grandpop’s room, waiting to see him. We have permission to go in but only one person at a time. When Dad comes out, there’s a grim line on his face. He pats my cheeks, but that’s the only comfort I get. He doesn’t tell me that Grandpop will be okay.

On shaky feet, I reach the bedside. I want to hold Grandpop’s soft hand, but I’m scared to disturb the needle coming out of it. So, I hold his finger like I used to as a kid.

“I’ll do anything if you come back to us, Grandpop. I promise.” My heart skips a beat when I feel a twitch of his finger. “Grandpop!”

His eyes flutter and I rush out of the room to call Dad and Dr. Hoot.

“Talk to Lukas, Dad,” I whisper when it’s just me and my parents in the waiting room.

“Tums.” Dad heaves a sigh. “You imagined it, sweetheart. Your grandfather isn’t responding.”

When Dr. Hoot checked Grandpop, they found no change in his condition and chalked up my observation to wishful thinking. But I know what I saw.

“Please, Dad. Maybe we can do something, just until Grandpop…” The word dies doesn’t come out of my mouth.

Dad raises an eyebrow. “You mean…pretend?”

“No. Not pretend.” My heart hammers against my rib cage. I can’t lie to Grandpop, not on his last days.

“Is it possible, Jasper?” Mom, who has been quiet the whole time, speaks in a small voice.

“This is crazy, Laura. Lukas will never agree, and it’s…wrong. It’s wrong for you, tums.”

But how can something that will make Grandpop’s passing smoother be wrong?

A week later, while Grandpop is still in the hospital, Lukas and I stand outside our inn. Dad’s holding a camera, recording what’s probably the saddest wedding in the history of weddings so Grandpop can see it later tonight.

Mr. Big, our concierge at the inn, officiates the wedding. And when it’s time to exchange rings, my mom hands us two wedding bands.

I’m about to pick them up when Lukas shakes his head. He stares at me for a few moments, confusion and something resembling nerves haunting his face before he looks away. Without a word, he pulls the silver chain hanging around his neck from under his T-shirt and unlocks it to retrieve a black metallic ring.

Lukas twists it, and with a flick of his fingers, the ring clicks open into three parts: two hands surrounding a tiny heart.

I gasp in surprise when he says, “This belonged to my mother.” Lukas pushes two of those thin parts onto my ring finger before handing me one. “You can count on me, Autumn. I’ll be here as a friend, always.”

I like that he added the last word, because this marriage isn’t for forever. My dad’s lawyer already has the annulment papers ready, and as much as it hurts me to think of Grandpop leaving, that moment will also be the end of my marriage with Lukas. Maybe it’ll be a few hours or even a few days.

My hands shake when I slide the thin band onto his thick finger, where it stops halfway.

“I’ll get it resized,” he says before fisting his hand. “Once put on, this shouldn’t be taken off,” he whispers to himself, but I hear it nevertheless.

And then taking me by surprise, he shakes my hand. Moments later, Lukas takes off, leaving me wondering when I’ll see him again.

1

AUTUMN

Present Day

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