Her Reluctant Wife: A Lesbian Age Gap Romance

“She’s going to take a cab here so she can drive you home

in your car. She’s coming, Coralyn. Do you want to stay here,

or do you want to wait outside? If you do want to be here, I

can wait with you.”

“I want to stay here.”

“Okay.” Jenny took her hands in hers and held on. “Okay.”

The weight of grief, as expected, was crushing, but it really

didn’t change shape. For the past few months, Coralyn had

known this was coming. Her dad wasn’t someone who didn’t

believe in facing things, and he’d made sure she was ready and

everything that could be taken care of was. She’d started

feeling that ache as soon as he was moved here to get

palliative care. The feeling now was sharper. She wished it

would stop hurting, but she knew it wouldn’t. Not ever.

No one ever stopped wishing for more time. No one stopped

remembering. No one ever stopped loving the ones who went

before them. That was what grief was. That reminder. It was

all that was left, and as sharp and heart rendering as it was, it

was better than nothing.

Her phone rang in her hand, surprising her. Jennifer stood

like a sentinel by her dad’s bedside, standing between her and

seeing him the way he’d never want her to have to see him.

Coralyn stopped breathing when she saw Giana’s number on

the screen. Was she calling to change her mind? It stung. Her

heart actually throbbed. She answered anyway.

“Hey. I’m just getting into a cab now.”

The relief was like a pile of stones crashing down on her,

crushing her equally as hard as thinking that she was on her

own. “Okay. Thank you for coming.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” The door slammed in the