Page 89 of Say You Remember Me
“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” I said softly, stepping closer to his bedside. I slid into the chair beside him, taking in the lines on his face, more pronounced than they’d been the last time I’d seen him.
“I’m fine,” he replied, though the way his hand trembled slightly when he lifted it to adjust his blanket said otherwise. “They patched me up good as new.”
I let out a shaky laugh, but it didn’t feel right. My chest ached, and I couldn’t hold back the guilt bubbling to the surface. “I should’ve been there this morning, Dad. I’m so sorry. I should’ve been the one to help you, not Juliette’s mom. What if she hadn’t seen you? What if?—”
“Maddie,” he interrupted gently, his voice barely above a whisper. “Don’t do that to yourself.”
“I can’t help it.” The words tumbled out before I could stop them. “I shouldn’t have moved to Eden Falls. None of us are in Ridgewater anymore. You’re all alone now. Who’s going to take care of you if something like this happens again? Who’s going to be there to help you recover?”
He let out a soft sigh, his fingers weakly reaching for mine. His touch was so frail, it only made my chest tighten more.
Because my dad was getting older.
The strong man who had raised my siblings and me all on his own wasn’t actually a superhero. He was in fact…human.
“Maddie, listen to me. You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said. “I’m okay. And you know what? Ever since you applied for that first job at your company and Lexi told me she and Noah were expecting their baby, I’ve actually been thinking it might be time for a big change myself.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, searching his face.
“I’ve been thinking about moving,” he said, his words slow but steady. “Lexi and Noah are in New Haven. Easton and Juliette are only an hour from there. And you… I’d love to be closer to you and Grant in Eden Falls. I miss that boy so much. It makes sense for me to come to all of you. I want to be around my grandkids while I still can.”
“You’d leave Ridgewater?” I blinked, his words sinking in. “Sell the house?”
“That house is just walls, Maddie. Family is what matters.” He nodded, the movement subtle but resolute. “And besides,” he added, his lips curving into the faintest smile, “I can’t ask you to leave your fiancé now, can I?”
My heart stuttered. “Oh…uh…”
He arched an eyebrow, a flicker of amusement in his tired eyes. “Were you afraid to tell me? Think I’d react badly? PTSD from when you told me you were pregnant?”
I swallowed hard, my pulse quickening. “I—I didn’t…”
“Sweetheart,” he interrupted softly, his gaze warm and steady. “This is different. I trust your judgement. You’re an adult, and if you’re in love with him, I’m happy for you. I’ve been so worried about you and Grant being on your own, it’s nice to know you’ve got someone good by your side. You deserve that. You deserve to be loved.”
The lump in my throat swelled, making it almost impossible to speak. “Thanks, Dad,” I managed, the words barely audible. And in that moment, I knew I couldn’t tell him the truth now.
Not after seeing the relief in his eyes, the hope on his face. Not after the scare he’d just had.
He’d been worried about me moving away on my own, and even though I hated to let him believe a lie, it almost seemed wrong to take away the hope he suddenly had of having his daughter finally taken care of after so many years of worrying about me.
So, even though it was probably wrong and twisted to let him believe it, I’d let him.
I’d pretend. Just for now.
And later, when he was stronger, if he asked me about my plans with Ian, I could tell him we had gone our separate ways.
It would be fine.
“Okay,” he said after a long pause, his eyelids fluttering. “You should go get some rest, Maddie. You’ve been worrying too much.”
I leaned down and kissed his forehead. “I’ll check on you soon, okay? Get some rest.”
He nodded, and as his eyes closed, I lingered a moment longer, watching his chest rise and fall, each breath a reminder of how close I’d come to losing him.
When I stepped back into the waiting room after my conversation with my dad, my eyes immediately landed on Grant, who was perched on a chair next to Jaxon. His blond hair was slightly disheveled, his legs swinging as he grinned up at me.
“Mom!” he called, and before I could respond, he jumped up, running toward me, his little legs pumping with all the energy I loved about him. I crouched down just in time to scoop him up, hugging him tightly. His arms wrapped around my neck, and the familiar weight of him against me was like a balm to my frayed nerves. A few Band-Aids adorned his scraped knees, telling me he’d been his usual rambunctious self while I’d been in Boston. But he was well and happy, which was all I ever hoped for when he was with his dad.
“I missed you so much, buddy,” I murmured, squeezing him tighter.
