Page 24 of Her Billionaire's Baby Secret

Chapter 7

The morning of the funeral was clear and unexpectedly warm for mid October. Kane’s heart was heavy as he dressed in an Armani suit and styled his hair. The expensive suit would stand out here, but he wanted to look his best. He owed that to his grandpa’s memory.

His mom was in the kitchen with his grandma, making pancakes and eggs together.

“Need any help?” he offered as he stepped into the room.

“No, we have it handled,” his mom said. “We’re just about done.”

His dad came into the room, freshly showered and in a suit. “Good morning, son.”

“Morning, Dad.” Kane grabbed a mug from the now-sparse cabinets and filled it with coffee. They’d made good progress with his grandma’s house purge project. There was a sizeable pile in the garage of items to donate. Kane made a mental note to load it all up and take it to a donation center the following day. Today it would have to wait. They needed to focus on Gramps today.

His talk with Sariah at the bakery had gone better than expected. He’d felt a strong connection to her. She’d been surprisingly supportive since he’d come back in town for Gramps’ death. It felt nice to get closer to her again after all these years. He still wasn’t sure he wanted it to turn into anything romantic. He had too much on his plate to welcome a woman into his life in that way. But with the way he’d been hurting over Gramps’ death, the extra comfort and kindness was appreciated.

He sat at the table, and his mom handed him a plate with a stack of pancakes and a side of scrambled eggs. It was strange to have him mom waiting on him again like he was a kid. Although he had a personal chef, he often liked to cook for himself. He had Alfredo teach him how to improve his recipes. It was nothing new to have someone waiting on him, but that person wasn’t usually his mom. Not anymore. It was kind of nice to let her take care of him. There was something comforting about eating his mom’s cooking. It was familiar and brought him back to the happy years of his childhood.

“How’s the search for a new place to live going, Grandma?”

“We looked at some of the websites last night,” his mom said. “We’ll probably go visit Pineridge Farms tomorrow to see how she likes it.”

“How’s the progress on the shed coming, Dad?”

“I got it all cleaned out last night,” his dad said.

“Thank you so much for all your help,” his grandma said. “All of you have worked so hard, helping an old woman chase a silly dream.”

“It’s not silly,” his mom said. “I can understand wanting to move. This place needs a lot of work.”

Kane finished his breakfast and checked the time. “We should probably get going.”

He had his grandma drive with him, and his parents drove to Maple Creek Baptist Church together. On the way over, his grandma opened her purse and dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. He pulled up to a stoplight and looked over at her. She had tears running down her cheeks.

He reached over and patted her arm. “You’re a strong woman. You’ll get through this day.”

“It just doesn’t seem real that he’s gone.”

“I know. I miss him too.” It was the first time he’d seen his grandma crying over his grandfather’s death. She’d been holding everything inside, putting on a brave face. It seemed like she’d hit her limit. There was something about driving to the funeral that seemed so final. His grandpa was never coming back.

The light changed, and he focused on the road. A few minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot next to the church. “Are you ready to do this?” He reached over and squeezed her hand.

She didn’t say a word. She just let go of his hand, pushed open her car door, and stepped outside. When they got inside the building, Kane spotted Sariah standing with her grandmother. She had on a black dress, and her hair was partially pulled back with curls tumbling loose around her shoulders.

“How are you doing?” She stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around him. “I know how it felt when my grandpa died two years ago. You hang in there. You’ll get through this.”

“Thanks, Sariah.” His heart warmed at her words.

She released her hug and stepped back. “Let me know if I can do anything to help.”

Her grandma hugged him next. “Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you need anything. I’m just next door. I’ll be over there right after the cemetery with a casserole.” They were having close family and friends over to the house for food after the services.

The funeral was beautiful. He had a chance to get up and say a few words. He spoke of summers when his grandpa took him fishing and evenings learning to build things and fix sinks. His grandpa had been a down-to-earth man who wasn’t afraid to use his hands to get a job done. He’d passed that legacy down to Kane. It kept him humble.

It was too easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of wealth and fame that his position at Leland Enterprises brought. He often went to charity galas and brushed shoulders with New York’s elite. It was part of the job. It would have been easy for him to be swept away with the headiness of it all. But his childhood, with his grandpa so heavily involved in his life in Maple Creek, had kept him grounded. It had made him the man he’d turned out to be.

At the end of the service, Kane’s grandmother got up and spoke about the Hickory Ridge homestead and how developers were planning to turn it into a shopping mall. She invited all present to come to the town hall meeting about it the following Wednesday night.

As one of the pallbearers, he helped carry his grandpa’s casket from the sanctuary. His heart was heavy as he walked from the building with the burden on his shoulder. He felt tears running down his cheeks as he helped load the casket into the waiting vehicle.

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