Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 69303 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69303 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 347(@200wpm)___ 277(@250wpm)___ 231(@300wpm)
I decided in that moment he didn’t need to see her at all.
“It’s her,” I confirmed as I walked toward him. “You don’t have to see her.”
He drew in a deep breath, then let it out.
“She’s bringing Knight in here to be with her. So they’re not alone.”
My eyes filled with tears. “They’re not here anymore, honey.” I studied his face for a long moment before I told him what Knight had said right before he’d died. “He told me that I’d lied, you know.”
His eyes snapped up. “What?”
“He asked me to go find Elaine, and I did. But the paramedics had told me that she’d died at the scene. So I came in and told him that she was on her way. He believed it for a second, but as the doctors worked on him, and he lost more and more blood, he’d turned to me and told me that I’d lied. That she was on the other side beckoning him home.”
Finnian’s eyes closed and a look of sadness took over his face. “They’re together.”
I cupped his face. “And you know what’s even better?”
“What?” he croaked.
“He was happy,” I said. “One of the last things he ever did was smile. He laughed and said, ‘There’s my boy. Octo is here.’”
He inhaled swiftly.
“Fuck.”
I tilted my head. “What is it?”
“Octo.” He closed his eyes as his breathing sped up. “Octo is what Knight called Tavi. His whole name was Octavius.”
I face-planted into his chest. “Then they are all together now. They may not be with us, but they’re not hurting. And Tavi isn’t alone anymore. He has them.”
Finnian made a sound in his throat. “I don’t want them to be there, though. I want them with me.”
I smoothed my hand up the length of his forearm, reassuring him with my touch.
“We don’t get to make those decisions, Finnian,” I said softly. “We have to just live. No one gets a set time on this earth, but they can control what they do with that time. Live, Finnian. Tavi would want you to, and I know that without having ever met him. He loved you. He would want you to be happy. And, from what little I knew of them, so would Knight and Elaine.”
He blew a shaky breath out against my neck and said, “I don’t want to see her. Not like this. The last glimpse I ever got of Tavi was when he was in the morgue after the organ harvesting, and I wish I’d listened and never went to see him after he’d passed. I should’ve remembered him alive and breathing. Not like that.”
I squeezed his hand and said, “Let’s go. We know it’s her. That’s all they need.”
He followed me out then, and I waved down the doctor. “I’ll be right back.”
Finnian headed to the exit, but didn’t step all the way outside.
I waited until I was at the doctor before I explained, “Please, please, please. Whatever you have to do, can you hide the pregnancy? I’m going to arrange everything for my fiancé. We’ll get it done. But please don’t mention that. I don’t think he can take it.”
The doctor nodded. “It’s not something that has to be told to anyone, really. The funeral home doesn’t need to know. It was quite early.”
“Thank you.” I squeezed her hand. “Thank you for putting them back together, too. That meant a lot to him.”
She smiled. “Try to have a better day.”
That I didn’t think was possible.
But we would try.
I’d never planned a funeral before.
Two new things in one day that I hoped not to experience ever again.
When I’d offered to help with this, Finnian had readily agreed, and I knew that was because he was absolutely sick and couldn’t step in there again after Tavi.
Even though he hadn’t said much about his son’s passing, other than it’d happened, and what I’d overheard between him and his ex-wife, I knew that it was debilitating for him. You couldn’t hide pain like that, no matter how hard you tried. And every time Tavi was mentioned, or his friends were mentioned, he’d flinch, even if it was with his eyes.
I did, however, get quite a bit of help from Silver, Webber’s wife.
The rest of the old ladies had offered to come as well, but Silver had asked them to stay away.
I was thankful, because I was feeling slightly overwhelmed.
Not because of the women themselves, but because of the way that I felt almost at home.
I hadn’t had that kind of feeling since my own best friend had been on this planet.
It hurt to think about her.
I hadn’t been able to buddy read with anyone since she’d passed, but several of the old ladies were avid readers and loved to talk about what they were reading.
It was a reminder.
Then there was the way I used to go out to eat on random jaunts throughout the area with my best friend. We’d choose somewhere new, wait in line for hours, and enjoy.