Page 107 of The Love Syllabus

“Areyouokay, Vic?” she asks softly.

Kerry’s fidgety, stealing glances at me like she’s trying to piece together a puzzle I won’t let her see yet. But the truth is, I’m just as nervous.

I grip the steering wheel, inhaling deeply before I hum, “Yeah.”

She doesn’t say anything else. She just reaches over and slides her fingers between mine, holding my hand.

I squeeze back and turn into the familiar iron gates, staring ahead. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to,” I assure her, keeping my eyes forward.

She tightens her grip. “I want to. I’m here for you just as you’ve been here for me.”

Kerry’s unwavering support further validates why we’re here. It confirms my choice to move forward. To open my life completely to someone who wasn’t a part of my past but is the foundation of my future. My choice to give my all to a woman who’s brought me peace after years of turmoil, who sees me, and loves me in a way that feels like home. Kerry’s a part of the life I never thought I’d have again, the life I never thought I’d want again. The life I’m thankful to have a second chance to experience again.

So, with my hand wrapped tightly around hers, I lead her to the cemetery.

Row by row, step by step, we reach them. Two tombstones, side by side. I swallow past the ache in my chest as I kneel down, setting the flowers between them.

Kerry stands beside me, reading the names.

Tiara Grimes — Extraordinary Woman, Loving Wife, Nurturing Mother.

Jeremiah Grimes — Prolific Man, Honorable Husband, Proud Father.

And then, she gasps. Her voice drops to a whisper. “Vic… their tombstones both say March 12th?”

I sit on their memorial bench, elbows on my knees, staring at the names, the lives that were taken too soon until Kerry eases down beside me, settling her hand on my thigh.

“What happened, Vic?”

With my eyes fixed on the names etched in stone, I take a deep breath and nod.

I’d like to think I was born blessed—a great life, happy childhood, loving parents, a brother who is my best friend, successful restaurants, a devoted wife, and two baby girls who are my world. But life doesn’t stay perfect. It shifts, tilts, tests your faith, shakes your reasoning, and even makes you question God.

That day I questioned everything.

I questioned what I did wrong. What I could have done to prevent it. But the answer was simple: Never take my blessings for granted ever again.

I glance at Kerry, who tightens her hand around mine, reassuring me it’s okay to continue to bear my soul to her.

I exhale slowly. “I worked too much. I focus too hard and can get lost in my ambitions. You know that, of course.” A sad smile tugs at my lips. “But since you’ve been in my life, I’ve been able to reset, find balance. Prioritize what matters.”

Kerry gently squeezes my hand, her touch warm and encouraging.

“But I wasn’t always able to do that,” I continue, my voice lower now, rougher. “I assumed that while I was out pursuing my dreams, everyone I loved would automatically reap the benefits. That my success meant their happiness. But on the morning of March 12th, it was the exact opposite.”

I pause, staring at the headstones, remembering the day that changed everything..

“The morning started like any other. Tiara was home—taking care of one-year-old Syd, keeping four-year-old Ari entertained, managing my impossible schedule, answering emails I should’ve been handling myself. She was always doing everything because I was always too busy. She needed me that morning. Just like she’d been needing me for months. Just like she’d been trying to tell me. But I wasn’t listening. She was fed up with sending me pictures and videos of our daughters growing up without me. She asked me to come home that day.”

My voice cracks, just slightly. “I told her I couldn’t.”

Kerry’s hand on my thigh stills. She knows where this is going. She knows what’s coming. But she doesn’t rush me. She lets me get there on my own.

I drag a hand down my face, swallowing past the lump in my throat. “So, she decided to surprise me instead. She wanted to bring my world to me.” I shake my head, gripping the back of my neck. “She loaded up the car, packed up the girls, and called my dad to drive because she hated the winding mountain roads.”

I exhale, my breath shaky. “The last thing she said to me that morning was, ‘Please try to be more present for me and the girls. We need you home. We need your love.’” I let out a bitter laugh, but there’s no humor in it. “And I told her I’d call her back after a business call.”

I stop talking because the next part is the hardest.

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