Page 182 of Love Me

Three days later, the doctor discharges me from the hospital. I lift my face toward the sky and breathe in the fresh air. Rays of sun dance on the tip of my nose.

“I’ll see you there,” I say to my parents.

Kaden opens the passenger door for me and buckles me in, his brows furrowed in concentration.

“That’s quite the chivalry.”

He winks at me. “Get used to it.”

That sounds dreamy and I sigh contentedly, hope for the future filling my chest.

When we reach my father’s place, Kaden goes inside and chats with my father while I walk toward the backyard with my mother.

“I have been visiting your Grandmother.”

A sour taste fills my mouth.

“She told me everything, Celine. It’s difficult for me to forgive her. To be honest, I don’t even know if I want to or can. She was supposed to guide you, support you in case something happened to me. Instead, she blamed a child for an accident that wasn’t even an accident.”

“She loves you, Mom.”

While all the others are still jittery after everything went down, I am less worried. I know that her love and grief for my mother caused her to treat me like she did.

“She’s ill.”

“Oh,” I say, hoping to sound more sympathetic than I am.

“She’s dying. I don’t know how much time she has left.”

“Mom, she’s your mother, but I…”

“It’s okay. I’ll always be in your corner.”

We stay for a while longer, having lunch. Kaden and I say our goodbyes and drive back to the house.

After this weekend, I leave for the trip with my parents. I am excited even though I will miss him terribly.

“My mother called,” he says, dragging a hand down his face.

“And?”

“She cried for an hour.”

“It wasn’t her fault.”

“Yes. Well, aren’t mothers supposed to protect their children?”

“Imagine being married to someone like your father. Give her a chance.”

I can only see one side of his face as he looks ahead, focused on driving, but the vein in his neck throbs, a clear sign of agitation.

Placing my hand on his arm, I give it a little squeeze. “Do you think my parents would be this relaxed and planning a freaking vacation if they had reasons to worry?”

“Grandmother is still the matriarch.”

“And we showed her we don’t want to have anything to do with this corrupt legacy.”

Back at the house, the second the front door opens, confetti and balloons explode in my vision.

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