Page 151 of Eleanor & Grey

“I have to travel today for business,” I told Eleanor as we lay in bed a few weeks after she came back into my life. “Do you think you can watch the girls until I get back? I fly out early, but will be back home late tonight. It’s a really quick trip. I feel a bit odd about leaving with everything going on with Karla, but it’s a very important issue.”

“Yeah, of course. I’ll take care of them.”

I leaned in and kissed her. “I love you,” I whispered, and the words came so effortlessly. Almost as if we’d been saying it all our lives.

She kissed me back. “I love you, too.”

Of course we loved each other.

I was certain when our love began all those years ago, it never really stopped.

I found myself in Florida, standing on Eleanor’s father’s front porch. Shay had given me the address. I stood there for a minute with a book in my hand before I built up the courage to knock.

“Can I help you?” Kevin asked, raising an eyebrow as he opened his front door.

Eleanor might’ve had her mother’s smile, but she truly had her father’s eyes.

“Hi, yeah, I’m Greyson. I don’t know if you remember me, but we met many years ago through Eleanor. I was her friend from high school. I took her to homecoming.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Oh, yes, Greyson. Long time.”

“It has been indeed.”

“How can I help you?” he asked, somewhat closing his door so I couldn’t see the mess that existed behind him.

“I’m actually here on behalf of Ellie. You see…I love her, sir. I am in love with your daughter for a million reasons. She is truly the greatest gift this world has given to me, and she is currently heartbroken because she misses her father.”

Kevin grimaced and huffed. “Now, look, if you came here to make me feel bad—”

“That’s not why I’m here,” I cut in. “Not at all. Trust me, if anyone knows what you’re going through, it’s me. Over a year ago, my wife passed away, leaving me with my two daughters. I shut down completely. I pushed everything and everyone away because I couldn’t face a world where Nicole no longer existed. But then, against my stubbornness, Eleanor Gable came back into my life, and she saved me. She’s the most patient person in the world, Kevin, and I bet she gets that trait from her mother. I bet she gets a lot of her best traits from Paige.”

The moment I said her name, I saw Kevin react. The heartache that lived inside him was still alive and strong. But I wouldn’t stop speaking, because I knew he needed to hear my words.

“Eleanor is nurturing and kind, and her smile can light up a whole room. When she laughs, she does it with her whole body, and when she cries, it breaks every part of your heart. She’s forgiving, even when she shouldn’t be. She’s understanding, even when people are hard to understand. She’s gentle. She’s sensitive. She’s beautiful inside and out, and I know that came from her mother. So, that makes it hard for you.”

He closed his eyes and took in deep breaths. “You don’t understand…”

“She has her eyes,” I said softly, because I did understand. I understood more than he knew. “Which makes it hard to look at her. She has her smile, which makes you want to frown. She has so many parts of the woman you lost, so you push her away because it hurts so much. But Kevin, you’ll have to come to realize that what you think is a curse, is actually a miracle. I get to see Nicole each time I look into my children’s eyes. I get to see her smile. I get to hear her laughter, and that is the greatest gift this world could ever offer.”

He opened his eyes, and I saw the same despair that I’d lived with before. The sadness that had been swallowing him whole for the past sixteen-some years. “How did you get there?” he asked. “How did you begin to heal?”

“That’s easy. I let Eleanor in, and you should do the same.”

He shook his head and grumbled as he wiped away his tears. “No. I can’t. It’s been too long. Too much time has passed. I can’t fix our relationship.”

“You can’t, or you won’t try? All I’m saying is, if you ever want to fix things with Eleanor, she’ll be there to listen.”

“How do you know that? How can you be so sure?”

“Because that’s the woman you’ve raised. You brought a woman into this world who breathes unconditional love.”

Kevin lowered his head, and I could almost witness the wheels turning in his head. I reached into my pocket and pulled out one of my business cards. “Listen, I don’t want to take up any more of your time. I just wanted to stop by and let you know that your daughter’s love is worth fighting for. And when you are at your lowest, you can give me a call. Give me a call, and I’ll walk you through it. From one widower to another, I promise you, Kevin, the sun can shine again. All you have to do is wake up.”

He took the card from my hand and nodded slowly. “Thanks, Greyson.”

“Of course, and here, take this.” I headed him the novel. “Just in case you two need to find something that you have in common to talk about.”

I turned to walk off, and he called my name once more.

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