Page 13 of Run to Me
“Your father has passed away. Based on body temperature, it was likely sometime during the night. Possibly a heart attack or stroke, but we won’t know for certain until?—”
“No.” The word escapes me like a wounded animal. “No, he can’t be. We were supposed to go fishing this weekend.”
Jeremy’s arms tighten around me as my knees finally give way. The paramedics move with practiced respect, preparing my father’s body, speaking of coroners and arrangements in hushed tones.
Through my tears, I notice my father’s reading glasses on the nightstand, a half-finished novel splayed open beside them. The bookmark—a faded photograph of me as a child—has fallen to the floor. Such a small detail, but it shatters something deep inside me.
He died alone, reading himself to sleep.
The next hours blur into a montage of grief and people in and out.
Jeremy handles most of it, stepping in when my voice fails me, which is often.
“Do you want to call anyone?” he asks gently after the paramedics leave, my father’s body with them.
I stare at the indentation on the pillow where my father’s head had rested. “I don’t know who to call. There’s no one left.”
It’s true. After Mom died, Dad became more reclusive. His fishing buddies drifted away. His siblings are gone. It’s just been the two of us for so long.
“What about your aunt in Colorado?”
“She and Dad hadn’t spoken in years.” I run my fingers along the edge of the nightstand, feeling the worn wood where my father’s hand had rested countless times. “God, Jeremy, I don’t know how to do this.”
“You don’t have to know right now.” He sits beside me on the edge of the bed, the mattress still warm. “One step at a time.”
How am I going to do this without him? I still have so much to learn. Running a ranch is hard work and even with all the time I’ve had with him, it’s not enough.
“Let’s go downstairs. I’ve called Serena. She’ll be here any minute.”
Jeremy is a good man. He’s worked for my father for twenty years, but there’s nothing he can say or do right now. How does one deal with the loss of a parent? How am I going to live without both my parents?
I follow him down the staircase, and find Serena at the bottom, arms out, and as soon as I’m in them, the dam bursts. My father and I had the type of relationship that every girl dreams of. He has always been my biggest supporter, my bet friend, the person I can tell anything… and now he’s gone.
“I just don’t understand. It’s so sudden. He’s not that old.” I say to Serena, but notice Jeremy cowering. “What? What do you know?”
He rubs his chin. “Your father didn’t want you to know. He just wanted to enjoy the time he had left.”
“What are you fucking talking about? Didn’t want me to know what, Jeremy?”
“He had cancer. Found out about six months ago. Instead of doing treatments, he said he’d rather enjoy the time he had left on the ranch with you. He didn’t want to be stuck in a hospital.”
He kept this from me? Didn’t even give me the option to say goodbye? Now my grief turns into anger. How fucking dare he? We could have done so much more if I knew my time with him was limited. And now, he’s just gone.
ACE
Gavin comes barreling down the dirt road in his truck, and barely puts it in park before jumping out. “What’s got you in such a hurry?”
He rushes to the porch. “You haven’t heard?”
I shrug. “Hear what?”
“Mr. Grant passed away sometime this morning.”
My coffee cup slips from my hand and hits the deck, shattering. “What? Holy shit!”
Gavin steps out of my way and I jump in my truck and take off. Things have been different between us for weeks, but I’m done pretending. Olivia does not need to be alone right now. I speed the whole way to the ranch, not giving a fuck.
When I get to the entrance, there is an ambulance leaving and I see Serena and Liv on the porch. We agreed to keep us a secret, but right now is not the time to worry about that. She will understand.
