I didn’t hesitate, taking her hand. “Are you okay?”
“No, I’m obviously not. But don’t feel sad or sorry. I won’t have any of that. I am here to be with my family for as long as I can be and that’s all there is to it.”
Jeremy stood with his hands crossed over his chest. “What’s wrong with you, Granny? What’s happening?”
“I’m dying, my darling.”
He turned around and stared at Eric. “How could you allow this?”
Eric blinked rapidly. “How could I allow it?”
Shock hit each of my guys at once. Jeremy almost seemed to vibrate.
He was shouting now. “We live in New York City. Most of the time. We’re very wealthy. You’re a doctor. Don’t you know people who can fix this?”
“Oh, Jeremy.” Rosalind took two steps toward him and stopped. She visibly swallowed.
Dina squeezed Jer’s arm. “I know it’s a shock. Yes, Eric did everything he could. This started a few years ago. I battled it then. It stopped. There was no need for you or your brothers to know about. Now the cancer is back. And I’m afraid there’s little to nothing to do about it now.”
Jeremy took a couple of audible breaths before he did what his father had done and tore out of the room. I wanted to talk to Dina, but Jeremy needed me right then. I chased after him into the backyard where he stood with his head down.
I didn’t think I’d ever seen Jer cry before. Without a word I wrapped my arms around him, and he put his head on myshoulder. He was silent in his sobs, and it was heartbreaking. I wanted to cry too, but I wouldn’t. Not then. This wasn’t about me. This was about Jeremy and his brothers.
He squeezed me tightly. “She has always been there for us. Always. When they vanished because they were having their own freakouts about life, she never did. Even before that, we were perfect to her instead of these pale substitutes for our fathers.”
I ran my hand through his blond hair. “You are not pale substitutes for your fathers. No one would think that ever. Not ever. But, yes, she is incredible. Just gives and gives. This is absolutely awful. I don’t have words. I love you.” The words came out in a flood of emotion.
And I loved her. Even after so little time with her, I loved her. Maybe the first person to ever be nice to me who had no reason to be. She picked me up before she met me, and it was because of her that I was even here right now.
He shook some more and then eventually lifted his head, wiping his eyes. “Well, I think we’re not leaving.”
I laughed. “I guess not.” I put out my hand. “Come on. Let’s go back in. I guarantee she’s worrying about you.”
He nodded and wiped his eyes. “I am going to hate that you saw me like this.”
“Maybe not. Maybe you’ll realize that I love you, and you’re a human who just found his beloved granny is dying.”
He touched my cheek. “She brought you to us.”
“She was the first person.” I caught my breath and stopped talking.
Jer raised his eyebrows. “Princess?”
“She was the first person to be nice to me for no reason at all. There was absolutely no reason Dina Lent had to take me on, give me journals, and introduce me to her family. She started all of this before she even met me. When she heard how my aunt was speaking about me she just went ahead and did this.” Bythe time I finished speaking, one tear had dropped from my eye. “Anyway, she’s not dead so let’s not act like she is.”
I wrapped my arm around his waist, and we walked in together. Inside, Dina was no longer in the hallway and everyone had dispersed except Phoenix. Maybe they had gone with Dina wherever she was staying.
“Hey, I just wanted to tell you I’m meeting up with Sam and then I’m going to Group because I feel a little shaky. I’m sure it’s normal to feel this way with this news, but it’s making me nervous as hell.”
I hugged him. “Okay. See you later?”
“Yeah, I’m going to work on getting more phone numbers when I get home, so I might be late to bed, but I’ll be there.”
Jer nodded toward the end of the hall. “Her room is down here.”
At least they didn’t need to worry about getting her up and down stairs.
“Hold on.” Eric stood in the shadows of the hallway and strode toward us. Jeremy braced himself. I saw it in the way he held his shoulders. He had hollered at Eric; he wasn’t expecting this to go well. Next to me, Phoenix stiffened too. Eric wasn’t coming for him, but he was ready for it as though it was happening to him.
