Page 84 of The Secret's Out

Chapter Twenty

Josie

The next two days were painful. After leaving the hospital a wreck, we went back to my parents’ house with Zara, Talon, Mattie, Julian, Simone and my men. The day was a blur. We all sat at the table drinking coffee, all silent in our own thoughts. Simone was in a spare room, in the house, getting some sleep. I think she also left so it was just the family. I looked over to Julian to see him rubbing Zara’s belly.

I’d missed out on so much in the last two years.

I’d missed my brother proposing to his partner and then the announcement of Zara and Talon willing to give the precious gift of life to Mattie and Julian.

Two years had been too long.

What hurt the most, out of everything, I’d missed the chance to spend more time with my dad.

If I would have known...no, even then, with notice, I couldn’t have prepared myself for his loss.

Regret. So much regret for not coming home.

Of being selfish.

“Josie?” Mum said.

I looked up to her and whispered, “I’m sorry. I...I should have been here. I should have visited and now...” My eyes teared. Caden placed his arm around my shoulders and Eli grabbed my hand. “Now, I’ll never get to spend time with him again.”

“Sweetie,” Mum started. She reached over the table with her own tears showing and held her hand out for my free one. I took it and she said, “Don’t be sorry. We knew you had to find yourself. We both cherish the time we had with you under our roof, but Josie girl, you needed your time away. If we hadn’t known it, we wouldn’t have let you leave. Even though you had some trouble...I’m still glad you went because you wouldn’t have opened your heart for the two men beside you. And they wouldn’t have pulled their thumbs out of their arses about you either.” Laugher sounded. Mum shook my hand. “It all worked out.” She smiled. “Richard...” She closed her eyes and bit down on her bottom lip. Upon opening them, she said, “H-he would have already told you, but he’s so very proud of you, Josie. Just like I am.”

She stood from the table and went to the sink to place her mug in, but she stood there staring out the back window above the counter. “Talon, you had better go rescue Deanna from your tribe. We need the babies here to tell them, to let them know...”

“Mum,” Zara uttered. “They’ll be fine there for a while. Clary and Blue are there helping her and Griz. You need to get some sleep.”

Mattie got up from his seat and walked over to Mum. He placed his arm around her shoulders. Only she shrugged him off and turned to the room at large. “No, life must go on. I need my grandbabies. They need to know...they have to learn...he’s gone.” Her face crumbled, her body sagging. Mattie supported her. Though, seeing him struggle, Eli went around the table to take her other side. With her eyes to the floor, she whispered, “It feels like a part of me has died with him.” She leaned into her son more. “H-how am I supposed to go on without him?”

Mattie closed his eyes. Tears fell to his cheeks and he shook his head. “I don’t know, Mum. What I do know is that Dad would want us to.”

Mum nodded. “He would. But right now I don’t want to,” she cried. “I can’t do this. I can’t go on without him. He was my everything.” Her hands went to her face and she sobbed into them.

It broke my heart even more.

Talon stood abruptly. He went to Mum and picked her up in his arms. “Kitten,” he growled. “Josie, Matthew,” he added and then he strode out of the room and down the hall with us following. He deposited Mum in her room on her bed, turned and went to his wife. He cupped her cheeks, wiping away her tears. “Be with her, cry with her, talk to her. About good times and bad. You all need sleep. Eventually that will come. You take care of her and then, after, I’ll take care of you. Just like their men will for them.” He gestured to Mattie and me. With that, he kissed her soundly on the lips and left the room, closing the door behind him.

So that was what we did. I cuddled into Mum’s back. Zara was at her front and Mattie lay just behind Zara with his arm over her waist, holding Mum’s hand. We talked and listened to one another. We cried...a lot, and then, eventually we did sleep.

The next day Talon brought my nieces and nephews home. Simone was out food shopping with Julian. They didn’t want to overwhelm the kids with too many people in the house. The toddlers, Drake and Ruby, wouldn’t really understand the situation. But Maya who was now nine and Cody at fifteen knew something was wrong as soon as they walked in. The little ones ran straight for their mum and grandma, who were sitting on the couch with Mattie. Maya, and then Cody, both stopped still at the front door. It took Talon’s hand on each of their backs to force them forward so he could close the door.

Maya studied her mum and then grandma. Cody studied everyone and then asked, “Where’s Grandpa?”

Zara’s bottom lip trembled. Cody took that in, his head bowed, his eyes to his feet and he uttered, “Shit.”

Maya, watching her mother’s lips tremble asked, “Mum, where’s Grandpa?” Zara, unable to voice her thoughts because her emotions were taking over, said nothing. “Mum,” Maya yelled. “Grandpa?” she called.

I stepped away from Eli and Caden and got to my knees. Taking after her mum, Maya was not tall in size. On my knees, we came face to face. “Aunty Jose,” she whispered, fright plain to see in her eyes. Oh, God, she knew, she knew what was happening but she didn’t want it to be real.

My hand cupped her cheek and I told her, “He’s gone, Maya. G-grandpa passed away from a heart attack.”

She shook her head back and forth saying, “No, no, no, no,” over and over again.

“Grandpa back?” Drake asked from on Zara’s knee.

She looked down to her three-year-old son and shook her head. “No, baby, Grandpa won’t be back.”

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