Her Reluctant Wife: A Lesbian Age Gap Romance

breathing indeed more labored than it usually was. She hated

that he was fighting for air. Fighting for the very thing that

should come naturally.

“It was fine.” She wanted to ask him about his day, but she

was scared to. She didn’t want him to have to talk if it was a

struggle, and it appeared so painful. She left it at that and let

silence fall between them. She was happy just to sit with her

dad. She made sure that every second, every moment, even

now, was something she stored away to cherish later.

Her dad wheezed in the silence, and then he clutched her

hand a little tighter. “I’m ready, you know. When it happens.”

No! You might be ready, but I’m not ready. You can’t go

yet.

I can’t lose you. I don’t know what I’m going to do without

you. She blinked back tears and choked back a sob.

“Sweetheart. We’ve known this was coming for a long

time.” Her dad’s thumb stroked the back of her hand.

“I know.” Cancer was so mean. It took her dad’s vitality, his

life, their life. It had squeezed out everything and plunged

them from living a good life into poverty and despair. “It just

went so fast.” It sounded callous. She regretted the words

immediately. The past three years hadn’t been fast. They’d

been agonizing. Her dad had fought so hard. He’d been so

brave throughout all the pain and the suffering and the horror

that was the disease and the treatment both. He’d hung on for

her, she knew that he had.

The wheezing deepened. Her dad struggled, gathering his

strength because there was something he wanted to say to her.

She hoped it wouldn’t be the last thing. “My darling. You’re so

beautiful. So smart. I don’t want to leave you all alone in the