Page 44 of Grand Love

Pulling out my phone, I scroll back to the day he was born. Torturing myself as I look through the images of the three of us.

* * *

It’s latewhen I finally leave the office, and instead of going home, I opt to go to the twenty-four-hour gym that’s down the street from The Montwell. When Ellis isn’t with me, I try to spend as little time as possible at the penthouse. I prefer it that way.

I’m just pulling into the gym’s car park when Scarlet’s name lights up my screen.

“Hey, Scar.”

“Hi,” she says, sounding sad.

“What’s up?” I frown.

“Dad’s headstone,” she sniffs into the phone.

“Scar.”

“They called, said that the soil is settled enough. We can have it put on now.”

I swallow the lump in my throat. It’s been over twelve months and we’ve been putting it off due to the soil and the insane amount of rain we’ve been having. I never remember waiting so long for my mother’s headstone to be placed, but time flies when you’re a kid. “That’s good,” I tell her.

“Yeah… God, this place is lonely sometimes.” She laughs, but I can tell she is crying.

“Do you want to come to mine tonight? You could come for the weekend?”

“I can’t, I’ve had a bottle of wine already.” She sniffs, but there’s still light in her voice. “Could you come here?”

I scrub my hand over my face, gritting my teeth. “Scar, I…”

“I know, you can’t.”

“I want to.” I do.

“One day,” she deadpans. “I need to go, Mase. Speak to you soon, okay?”

“Scar.”

She hangs up. I chuck my phone into the footwell, punching my steering wheel and making the horn blare.

“FUCK!”

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