Her mouth touched mine, and I couldn’t breathe, my arm gripping around her and bringing her close. She shouldn’t let me kiss her. She shouldn’t let me have any of this, but I pulled her into my lap, teasing her mouth open with my tongue.
She sighed as her arms fell around me, her heat giving my body life. My phone rang, and I wanted to ignore it, to have this and not let her go, but I knew I couldn’t.
I eased her away. “It might be my lawyers about my mom,” I said, pulling it out. “They’re trying to get me through all this red tape with my grandpa.”
They were trying to get me her, and not only did Greer understand that, she waited for me to look at my phone. I saw Nigel, my grandpa’s driver, and was instantly livid. My nostril’s flared.
Greer frowned. “Who is it?”
“My grandpa’s driver,” I said before taking a breath and swiping to take the call. “Nigel, you can tell my grandpa—”
“I’m at the hospital with him, sir.”
I sat up. “Hospital?”
Greer looked at me, frowning again. She moved closer, but I didn’t move, the phone firmly planted against my ear.
“Yes, sir,” Nigel continued, his voice gruff, strained. “And I wish I could bring you better news, but…”
I heard
the pumping blood in my ears, my eyes staring at nothing but everything as I waited for him to speak. He did, and I just about allowed the phone to leave my hand.
“You know how his heart was,” he continued, emotion in the man’s voice. “I got him here quick, sir, but… it was just too late.”
“Knight, what’s going on?”
I faced Greer, Nigel still speaking to me. I could say nothing to her. I could say nothing to him. He was telling me my grandpa had died.
He was telling me my grandpa had had a heart attack.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Greer
Life had a way of handing us things beyond our control sometimes, and in Knight’s case, that ended up being what allowed Knight’s mom to both be taken and returned to him in the end. A lot of that red tape his grandpa put him through to keep his mom away ended up dissolving, though tragically considering the circumstances. His grandpa had fought him to the end, and that may have been the very thing that had triggered his heart attack, something Knight not only dealt with but had been the bigger person in the end. He handled all the arrangements, was there for his grandpa even in death and even with divided attention. His mom was priority now that he’d finally gained power of attorney over her, but even still, he gave his grandpa a proper send off.
Like I said, way bigger than probably most would have been.
His grandpa’s “protection” had been under the form of pain and suffering, a heavy hand, and Knight not only rose above it, but did all he could to correct. His mom was out of that nursing home the next day, flown up state for the best care and his doctors. He took care of her, was by her side even while balancing school and his grandpa’s funeral. He got everything done, and when she ultimately woke up, came back from a twelve-year coma, he was by her bedside again. She couldn’t speak, of course. It wasn’t like in the movies where someone got up, love in their eyes as they embraced the family who’d long been waiting for their return. The process was tragically slow, an eye blink, some finger movement, and mumbled words. The doctors said it’d take weeks, months, or maybe even years of therapy, and she still may not return to who she used to be. But even still, Knight didn’t give up hope. Even still, he was there.
And I was too.
I was at lunch when I got Knight’s text that day and dropped everything the minute I saw it. It said three words.
Knight: She’s coming home.
I’d known this was a possibility today since he’d gone to see her, and after telling him how excited I was for him, he’d said he’d send a car to pick me up after my last class. He wanted me there, there with him when his mom returned home. Needless to say, I was more than excited and honored that he trusted me enough to be there for him. Things with his mom had been tumultuous to say the least, slow, but I’d been there. I’d been there too when she’d first opened her eyes, by his side and taking in the world. His mom hadn’t recognized him, of course, and from what I understood, he hadn’t told her. Everything was so new for her, still very slow. Knight and her doctors were taking things day by day, but still, she must have been doing well enough in her therapy for them to green-light her return home. This was a really happy day, and I was so excited for him.
Knight sent a town car to come get me after my final class of the day, and after going back to my dorm to get an overnight bag, I climbed in for my ride. My roommates wished me luck before. They all knew the situation and I was happy for their support. Especially Haley who not only stepped back from the situation with Knight but had shared the most support. I had such good friends and roommates and knew how lucky I was.
In the town car, I gazed out onto the road. I was going back to Maywood Heights today, Knight’s hometown and where his grandpa’s estate was. The estate had been in their family for generations, a place I once lived too for a short time. I was kind of nervous to be going back there, but the circumstances were way different than those final days when his grandpa had fired my mom. I knew all the facts now, the background, and was not only overwhelmed by it but by who Knight was. He’d been protecting me since we were kids, and I couldn’t help smiling when I thought about my boyfriend.
Oh, yeah. That was new as well, so many things changing. Through all this, Knight and I came back to each other, so different from how we’d both begun. Even when we’d been kids. He was so much gentler now, his experience with his mom only helping.
I texted him during the duration of the ride to Maywood Heights, asking him for updates. He couldn’t give me much, just that she was home and laying down but simply hearing from him made my heart soar.
Knight: I’m so glad you’re coming. You don’t even know.