Page 64 of Promise You Forever

Every time I have a spare moment to let the events of the past few months sink in, I can’t help but think about the complete one-eighty my life has taken. Three months ago, I was uncomfortably engaged and earning a six-figure salary while living in a high rise with my best friend. Now I’m single, living with my ex-I don’t even know what to call him, and taking over my family’s ranch. All of which I was woefully unprepared for.

I never anticipated any of this.

Luke reaches over and puts his hand over my thigh, the heat from his palm seeping through my jeans and into my flesh. He gives it a squeeze while keeping his eyes trained on the road in front of us. I’m leaving for LA in a couple days and wanted to get a trip in to see Grandpa before I go, and since the weather was good today, we’re making a quick day trip out of it.

“Is this how you saw your life going when you were younger?” I ask him.

“Yes and no. Obviously I didn’t expect to become a widower at twenty-one, but I always knew working, and hopefully owning a ranch, was the life I wanted.”

I can’t imagine him doing anything else either, except maybe being a veterinarian or something because of how good he is with animals. Luke in a corporate job though? No way in hell. Although he does look incredible in a suit. It was definitely an inappropriate thought to have while paying final respects to Grams, but I couldn’t stop it if I tried. But honestly, she would have mentioned it, too, had she been alive.

“What are you thinking about over there?” he asks. His favorite question.

My lips curve into a smile. “Do you really want to know?”

“Yes, especially with that look on your face.”

“I was thinking about how good you looked in a suit.”

He chuckles. “Should I find more reasons to wear one?”

“I wouldn’t argue against it, but I know you hate them.”

“That’s true.” He takes the exit for the care center where Gramps lives now. “I could be persuaded, though.”

I smile and then turn my attention to the sprawling grounds of the center. There are several different wings, each specializing in what the residents need. One is just assisted living where residents come and go with minimal intervention. There’s a hospital wing in the middle with physical therapy for long term care. Then there’s the Alzheimer’s and Dementia wing, which has multiple layers of security and a walled off patio and yard area.

I’m glad that Grandpa is at a place where he can spend as much time as possible outside. I’m sure it helps his spirits remain higher to get that fresh air. I know he has good days and bad, and that the bad are coming more frequently.

We wanted to tell him our plans for the ranch today, but we’ll see how his mood and memory are before jumping into thatconversation. Familiar nerves settle inside me as I walk through the door Luke is holding open for me. The receptionist, who is always weirdly upbeat, smiles and checks us in, giving us the visitor badges we need for visiting Gramps in his wing.

We pass a room full of elderly people doing what appears to be some sort of chair exercise. It was one of the things I really loved when I looked through the paperwork that Gramps had, the group classes. There’s everything from art classes to bird watching. They even take them out on day trips to museums and the movies.

Luke hits the button that unlocks and automatically opens the door to the memory care wing. All the residents have a bedroom and private living room off the large central room which has several tables, a large sectional in front of a television, and different seating areas in the corners near the windows. There’s an attached kitchen where the staff prepare all their meals and snacks.

Grandpa’s door is open, but I still knock twice before crossing the threshold.

“Come in,” he says from around the corner.

My heart bursts with love and joy when he looks up and smiles with recognition in his eyes. He stands quickly, still as strong as ever, and crosses the room to give me a hug. The scent that forever belongs to him, leather and peppermint, surrounds me. My eyes burn with tears that I quickly blink away. He doesn’t need to see me be sad, especially when he’s in such a fantastic mood.

“Hi Gramps.”

“I didn’t know you were coming.” He squeezes me tightly. “I mean, I might’ve known. Can’t always recall things these days,” he jokes and lets me go.

I laugh at the joke even as my heart ruptures at the very real sentiment behind it.

He greets Luke with a similar hug but adds a few hearty back slaps to it.

“You’ve been working out, Paul.” Luke feigns a wince from the pats. “I think you’re getting stronger.”

“You’re just getting soft in your old age,” Gramps banters back. “Have a seat.”

There’s just enough space for a loveseat and recliner set up around a television, so he can be in his own room if he prefers. Luke sits down beside me on the love seat and Grandpa takes the chair. He looks good, a little paler than usual, but the mischievous sparkle I’m used to seeing is there in his eyes.

“How are you?” I ask.

“Good.” He looks around his room which we decorated with photos of the ranch and family. “It’s taking some getting used to, but I’m managing.”

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