"I'm here." Kane forced himself the rest of the way into the room, going immediately to the other side of the bed. Paulie's eyes cracked open, nothing more than slits as he stared up, causing Kane's heart to break. His strong, invincible Paulie, looked so old, so helpless. He grasped on to Paulie's hand. He looked small, frail, and in a tremendous amount of pain. Kane couldn't help the tears that slipped free and rolled down his cheeks.
Paulie fought the oxygen mask, but couldn't work it off his face. Avery helped, lifting the mask from his mouth as tears formed in Paulie's eyes. "I love you like you were my own son."
"I love you, too, Paulie. You can fight this," Kane said, tears rolling down his face as he leaned in closer, running his hand over Paulie's almost bald head.
"Not this time," he whispered, sucking in a deep breath.
"He wouldn't allow them to give him any pain medicine. He was afraid he wouldn't wake up when you got here," Avery informed him.
"Paulie, take the medicine, please, don't do this to yourself." Kane brushed his thumb across Paulie's forehead.
"Son, you made my life better. You gave me a reason when I had none. You and Avery take care of each other. Love each other. Always," Paulie said in a harsh whisper, gasping for shallow breaths as he spoke. The few sentences seemed to exhaust him. The medical equipment connected to him went wild as Paulie fell unconscious. Those were the last words he ever spoke. Paulie never woke again.
Kane flew Paulie back to Alabama to be buried next to his wife and son. Avery canceled his entire schedule and never left his side. Kane didn't argue, needing Avery to lean on. Paulie was an old man, and Kane thought he'd mentally prepared for this day, but not a day had gone by over the last thirty years that he hadn't talked to Paulie in some way.
After the burial, Avery took Autumn and Robert to pick out flowers for the headstone while he stayed tucked away inside their hotel suite. Kane cried like he had never cried before. He missed Paulie more than he ever thought possible.
Paulie left a formal Last Will and Testament and required an official reading attended by only Kane and Avery. He left everything to Kane—his shares of the restaurant and all his most cherished belongings, which pretty much consisted of the memories of his wife and son.
After a few days, Kane pushed Avery back out on the campaign trail. His husband resisted, but Kane needed the time. He sent Autumn and Robert back to Washington with Kennedy, and he flew to Minnesota. Kane had decisions to make. La Bella Luna had been his heart and soul for many, many years. Avery changed all that. The restaurant was no longer his life. He'd kept it going for Paulie. Years ago, Kane had made the decision to follow Avery no matter what course he chose. There was no room for the day to day operations of such a busy restaurant. If he tried to hang on and manage La Bella Luna, his time with Avery, Autumn, and Robert would be sacrificed and Kane couldn't stand for that. Avery and his children were his life now. He knew what he needed to do.
He drove from the airport straight to the restaurant, choosing to enter from the front, not the back. No one would be around if he came in this way. So much of the restaurant had changed. They had remodeled more than once over the last fourteen years. As he looked around, he realized he wasn't even sure he had been in the decision-making process of this last round of updates. He couldn't remember ever seeing these color schemes before.
In the back, a new young man worked the bar. Kane supposed he was the new hire who took Rodney's position. Kane didn't know him, and the bartender glanced his way, only to look away, and then straight back at him.
"Can I help you? The restaurant's closed," the young man said, coming to the end of the bar.
"Kane Adams," Kane said, sticking out his hand for a quick shake. He barely slowed as he made his way toward his old office.
"I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know," the bartender said, stumbling all over himself. "I'm real sorry about Paulie."
"Thank you," Kane tossed over his shoulder as he entered the kitchen. The mood was somber. Paulie's head chef was hard at work, prepping for the day. No one paid any attention to him entering, and he didn't comment. Instead, he walked straight back to the office. The office it seemed was the only room in the restaurant that hadn't changed. Without doing much more than going on instinct, Kane booted up the desktop computer and connected the dialup to send two short emails. The first was to Avery.
Avery, you have to know by now that I didn't return home with the children. I'm in Minnesota. I've decided to sell the restaurant. It's not fair to you, the kids, or any of the staff if I try to keep it. I thought I'd have your office here handle the paperwork. I wasn't going around you, I just didn't want you to worry about anything more than what you are dealing with right now.
I love you always, K
Kane read and reread the message. Short, sweet, and to the point. He hit send, making sure everything stayed connected and the email actually left the outbox. Next was Rodney. As he opened a new message and began to type, there was a knock at the door.
"I heard you were here, boss," Rodney said, sticking his head in the office. "It's good to see you back, man."
"Come in. I was just sending you an email," Kane said, motioning for Rodney to take a seat.
"You get Paulie all squared away?" Rodney asked softly, his eyes showed the pain of their loss. Rodney carried that same somber mood as everyone else.