Page 35 of Mr. Winter
The bachelor’s auction needs to happen tonight. I was serious about still being on the fence. I know she needs me, but I also do not want to be the central focus of the event. There are still so many things I need to know. The biggest mystery is finding out what happened to my grandmother. Maybe if I knew that, I could know if it’s avoidable.
I feel the warmth of the blue glow again.Papa?My eyes fly open to see him there, and the entire foyer glows blue as if projecting a memory of the house.
“I told you I wouldn’t be far away,” My grandfather says. “I’m not really here, but I’ve planted nuggets of memories and information you’ll need. They only appear when you need them. A feeling inside of you will trigger them.”
I nod although he’s not really here as I look around to take in the scene.
My grandmother Arlinda is holding my three-year-old mother while my aunt runs around with Lara. My grandfather appears, looking a lot like me. His face is serious as he grabs his staff.
“I’ll be back, darling. We have intruders.”
My grandmother passed my mom to Lara and ran after him. “Let me go this time, Dennis. I want to see what my husband can do. I can be your cheerleader.”
He smiles at her lovingly and pushes her hair out of her face. “It’s not safe out there, darling. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
My grandmother pouts and pulls him into a kiss. “Please, dear! I’ll stay out of the way. I promise.” She continues to beg until he relents.
My grandfather smiles at her. “Alright, just this once. Only because it doesn’t look like a big threat. Stay away from the battle. Understand?”
She cheers and rushes to kiss my mother and aunt goodbye, then grabs my grandfather's hand. They ride the wind to the close elementary school where two mages are trying to siphon something from the ground using their magic. He leaves my grandmother on the opposite side of the parking lot as they begin to battle. From what I can tell, this is before he started placing the magic barrier over Fairhope. It makes sense. He had to do a lot more combat without it.
As the fight progresses, it’s clear he’s much stronger than the two novices who challenged him. I’m failing to see the point of this particular memory until my grandmother cries out and runs across the parking lot as a little boy rides his tricycle right into the battle. He’s not much older than my mom, maybe five-years-old. I bet the bright lights from the magic war drew his attention.
One of the mages tries to hurt him, but my grandfather uses one hand to hold them off, and the other to wrap the child in a protective bubble before my grandmother could reach him. He has the boy in the air and floating away just as one of them breaks free and shoots a blast at my grandmother. At that moment, I knew he had three options; Protect my grandmother and the boy but make himself vulnerable for sacrifice. Drop the boy to protect my grandmother and himself; the impact of the fall would kill the little boy or protect the boy and himself but lose my grandmother.
She made the decision for him. “Protect Noah. Tell the girls I love them.”
“No!” My grandfather cries as my grandmother disappears.
His rage created a blast that kills the mages, but it’s too late for my grandmother. I feel his pain because it hurts me to watch. Even with his grief, he brings little Noah back, rubs his hand over his coily head, and checks his little brown body for damage. Noah clings to him as he cries, but my grandfather calms him down and carries him and his tricycle home.
The memory jumps ahead to my grandfather opening mail when someone rings the doorbell. I can tell he’s older because he looks how I’m used to seeing him. He answers the door and greets his guest with a warm hug.
“I didn’t expect to see you today! Where’s your wife?”
The adult version of Noah looks around while clutching what looks like a baby wrapped in a blanket. “I dropped the pacifier to buy myself some time. Look. I know people think five-year-olds have big imaginations, and that worked in your favor, but I know what you did. Now that I’m older, I understand it in a way I couldn’t before. Your secret is safe with me. He chuckles and shakes his head. They’d think I’m crazy anyway. The point is I wouldn’t be here without you and your wife.” He places his baby in my grandfather’s arms. “She’s here because of you, so I’m making sure you two meet. I named her after you and your wife. He looks up as if he can see my grandmother. “Arlinda and Denholm Winters, meet Arden Elisabeth Voss.”
I’m shocked. I slide down until I’m sitting on the floor. I love how my grandfather added a failsafe summary of the memory in case I’m stupid.
“The woman you love wouldn’t exist without sacrifice. You can have both but always follow your first instinct.”
My grandparents' snap decision gave me Arden. My grandmother didn’t die because my grandfather was so lost in his wife that he failed to do his job properly. She followed him into battle where the variables are always unknown. I get it now. It’s necessary to keep my love life and duties separate.
Chapter 17
Arden
I sip on ginger ale from a champagne glass. It’s the night before Christmas and everyone looks great in gala wear. I, on the other hand, am a ball of anxiety and heartbreak. Jack didn’t outright dismiss me for life, but he didn’t express wanting me to stay. Worse, I doubt I’ve convinced him to come and be Mr. Winter. It was a tall order, I know, he’d do the auction then host a New Year’s Eve party. He’d looked at me like asked him to be my baby daddy.
It’s only been a few hours, yet I miss him like he moved away. It sucks. He could be Jack and Espen. He could have me and his duty. The question that plagues me is should I storm the castle and refuse to leave until he understands or let him come to this realization on his own.
Mr. Fairhope heads my way, and I put on my game face. The auctions are underway and Jack AKA Espen Winters is on the ticket second to last right before Deacon. Now that Deacon has gotten married, Mack and Espen have generated the most interest. Mack opened the night. He started off with a bang, and I’m not surprised that two Macksters got into a bidding war over a man who’s not thinking about them. Mr. Fairhope tips his Stetson at me.
“Everything looks amazing, Adren. The silent and bachelor auctions are raising money ahead of schedule.”
“Great!” I tell him with a forced smile.
“The crowd looks thicker, some would have wandered off by now. I guess everyone wants to see this ever reclusive Espen Winters.”
