Authors: Lorenz Font
“You have no idea how hard it is to lose a parent, Lily. I lost Mama, and now Papa’s dead. I feel lost.”
Baring her soul to Lily in the middle of the deserted road, Sarah felt a little relief at having had the chance to voice some of her fears, yet the stirring of emotions brought on by Greg’s sudden appearance remained. She clung to her friend for strength, and Lily began rubbing her back.
“I understand. You’re going to grieve for him, but you’ll be all right. We’ll be with you every step of the way.” Lily continued stroking her back, easing the tension in Sarah’s taut muscles.
The whole afternoon flew by in a frenzied blur while Sarah finalized the necessary arrangements. The service and funeral would be held the day after tomorrow. Sarah found it pointless to prolong the process of saying goodbye. Her father had passed on with peace in his heart. Sarah had to believe that her own peace would come, too, in its own time.
While she lay in bed that night, her mind drifted off to Greg. She couldn’t deny how much she still wanted him, but things were different now. This was her home—the place where she meant something, where people saw her for who she was and not for the color of her skin or the price tag on her clothes.
She turned over on the bed and pounded on the pillow. Why did these things matter anyway?
Because you want to be accepted for who you are
, the tiny voice inside her said.
“It’s not important. Greg and I don’t have anything in common. Pretty soon, one of us would make the other miserable because of our differences.”
Are you sure about that?
She was, wasn’t she?
Her inner doubts continued to torment her until the morning. Sarah fell asleep just as the rest of the world was waking, her mind still reeling from her father’s death and Greg’s unannounced appearance. It had been too much to wrap her tired mind around, and it was stretching her emotions until she was ready to snap.
Chapter 25
The funeral service was held at the town hall, where the flag flew at half-mast as a reminder that the town was grieving the loss of a respected leader. The entire population was in attendance, so they convened in the largest room, which almost couldn’t accommodate the huge turnout. With several Alaskan dignitaries in the audience, Mr. V eulogized his friend with somber and sometimes funny reflections on the years they’d known each other.
Sarah’s mind wandered for most of the eulogy, thinking of the last six months of Ahila’s life, sitting with him on the porch, sharing a comfortable silence, or talking about life’s lessons. In her short life, that had been the best gift, the best times she’d ever had with her father. For once, they’d talked like equals, maintaining a healthy respect for each other’s opinion. Oh, how she’d miss him. As much as she hated the brevity of their time together, the opportunity had given her memories to last a lifetime.
The service went as smoothly as expected. Sarah sat in the front row, flanked on either side by Trimble and Lily—her family. They held her hands while the mournful weeping of a fiddle filled the room. When the last note faded, the pastor beckoned her to say the last farewell. Sarah dabbed her eyes with a sodden tissue before she rose. She pulled at the hem of her lace dress before she strode to the podium.
When she stood in front the hundreds of people sitting and waiting for her to speak, her hands began to tremble. She stilled them by wringing her fingers together. She looked around the sea of faces and collected her thoughts. One figure caught her eye.
Greg.
He stood at the far end of the room by the door, watching her. From that point on, Sarah forgot about everyone else and delivered her speech with her gaze locked on Greg alone. She shared the quiet moments she’d had with her father, her words stumbling over tears she had no way of controlling. When she finished her grateful and love-filled farewell, it was answered with a touching silence. Stepping down from the podium, she rushed into Trimble’s sympathetic embrace.
After the last rites and ritual ended, everyone began spilling out the crowded room for the short walk toward Ahila’s final resting place. Sarah’s eyes roamed across the room in search of Greg. Why had he stayed?
Once she stepped out of the building with Lily and Trimble, she found him standing on the steps, waiting for her. Dressed in a dark suit underneath a heavy trench coat, he seemed out of place. Sarah’s heart pounded when their eyes met. He gave her a wan smile when she reached his side.
“Sarah . . .” He tilted his head and offered his hand to her.
Not trusting herself to say a word, she nodded to him and slipped her hand in his. His warm skin felt good, as it always had. They descended several steps to follow the rest of the crowd to the nearby graveyard.
The wind had picked up, and the sky showed threats of rain. The mourners walked behind the coffin, which was held by eight pallbearers consisting of Trimble, Mr. V, Mr. Compche, Mark, and other close friends of her father. Greg, despite his pronounced limp, walked the length of the road leading to the graveyard. He held her hand and lent her the strength she needed now that her own had dissipated into thin air.
Strings of mournful melodies played while they walked to Ahila’s place of rest. Sarah remained standing when the final blessing was bestowed on him and the process of returning him to earth commenced. Her cries rose then, but Greg wrapped his arms around her, offering her comfort and his solid chest to cry on. He rocked her to the cadence of the woeful music, while her despondent cries intensified.
After each one of the mourners had paid their last respects, Sarah sat down in one of the white plastic chairs and watched while several men packed the earth on top of Ahila’s coffin.
“Goodbye, Papa,” she murmured, pain ripping through her heart.
Greg stayed close to her until the last of the mourners left. Sarah stared at the new grave, still grappling with the inconceivable fact that her father was gone. Her mind was numb and her body was tired, but she couldn’t leave. Not yet. Even when raindrops started falling, she remained seated.
“Sarah, do you want me to get an umbrella for you?” Greg leaned his cane on the chair and sat on his haunches next to her, resting a hand on her knee.
“No . . . why don’t you go ahead?” She glanced at him and saw the hard lines around his mouth.
“I want to stay here with you,” he said in a gruff voice.
Sarah swallowed hard, trying to clear the arid taste from her mouth. “I don’t know why you stayed. There’s nothing for you here.”
Greg flinched at her statement. He studied her face, lifting a finger to trace the contour of her cheek. “Everything I love and want is here.”
She closed her eyes at his revelation. “You didn’t call me back. I waited for your call, Greg.” Her accusation was laced with an all-too-familiar sadness.
The rain continued its steady downpour, but neither one of them paid attention to their drenched clothes or the chill in the air.
“Sarah, so much has happened since you left. I made a life-altering decision.” Pain crossed Greg’s features, and he cupped her face in his hands. “All I know is I love you so much.”
“Love, Greg? How can you say the words as if you’re free to give me what I want?” She turned away, not wanting him to see the hurt and longing in her eyes.
“I am free now, Sarah. I’m free to give you myself.” He shifted on his haunches, but his healing leg buckled underneath him. He levered his body up and sat on the chair next to her, reaching for her shoulders and turning her to face him.
“After you left, all hell broke loose. I got a clearer picture of why my father hated me so much. I knew I needed to remove all the negativity in my life, so I finalized the divorce with Cassandra and settled the lawsuit with the cab driver and the lawsuit against Cade’s estate. I was a total mess, and I thought it was best for you not to have to cope with that.”
Sarah stared at him in surprise, and her breath hitched in her throat. “Your di—vorce?” Her question came out in a stutter.
“Yes, just three days ago. That is why I didn’t call . . . I wanted to surprise you. I know it might sound like a lame reason, but it’s what I’ve got. I have nothing to offer you. After I straightened out everything, my first instinct was to come here and offer to share my life with you, whatever is left of it.” He threw a disgusted look at his leg. “Would you accept damaged goods?”
She swatted him on the arm. “Stop it. You’ve always been perfect in my eyes.”
“Is that a yes?” Greg bit his lip, but the corner of his mouth twitched into a grin.
Sarah hesitated. Despite the good news, she still had doubts. She shook her head. No matter how much she wanted to revel in the possibilities, the glaring differences between them would be a tough hurdle to crack. Impossible. She wouldn’t dare agree to another arrangement. “No . . . we can’t make this work,” she replied, her voice hoarse.
Anguish tore at his expression, and his face dropped. “Why not?”
Sarah needed to talk fast before she lost her resolve. As much as she wanted to be with him, a long-distance relationship wasn’t possible, and it wasn’t enough for her.
She jabbed a finger into his chest. “You and I are so different, Greg. I realized that when I was living under your roof. You’re rich, and I don’t have a penny to my name . . .”
Her words came to an abrupt stop when she thought of the check from her father. She might not be a millionaire, but she wasn’t a pauper anymore. That would take some getting used to.
“We are from two different worlds. You live in a city, which can offer you the best of everything. You’re filthy rich and successful. I live in this town no one has even heard of. I have nothing, and I haven’t made a name for myself. I’m nobody. How can you not see how this wouldn’t work?” She shook her head in disbelief.
“If it makes you feel any better, I’m not as rich as I used to be. I don’t care where I live—I just want you. We’ll make it work, Sarah. I’m not asking you to give up your life here.”
Sarah looked up at the sky, wishing answers would pour down on her. Rain and tears mingled on her face. She wiped them dry before returning her eyes to Greg. His forehead was wrinkled in confusion.
“I don’t like long-distance relationships.” Her head continued shaking, and her lips jutted out in a stubborn pout.
“It doesn’t have to be a long-distance relationship. I intend to be wherever you are.”
Denial congealed into disbelief. She blinked. And then blinked again.
“Don’t tease me with false promises. I’m not built for a roller-coaster relationship. I want forever.” Moisture filled her eyes once more.
“Baby, I never tease about love.” He gathered her face in his hands once more and brushed his lips against hers in a tender motion. “I can’t live without you, either. If you stay here, I’m going to be here with you. When you go back to school, I’ll be wherever you need me to be.”
Sarah clasped her hands around his neck. She was about to kiss him when an important detail popped in her head. Greg stiffened when she hesitated. “What about work? Your parents?”
“I don’t work for my father anymore.” He smiled at her shocked reaction. “Don’t worry. I have enough for us to keep living comfortably until I set up my own business. And as far as my parents are concerned, we’ve parted ways.”
She brought her hands down and cupped his face. “I don’t want to be the reason for the falling out between you and your parents.” She scowled at the thought of Greg severing his relationship with his parents for her sake.
He took her hands and kissed them, one after the other. Then, he pulled her back until her body was crushed against his. “They managed to break everything apart years ago. It’s all right, Sarah. In time, we’ll see if we can work it out. For now, my parents and I need a break from each other.”
Sarah smiled up at him, dragging her fingers through his hair. “I love you, Greg. And yes . . . I want you to be with me, wherever I go.”
The kiss that followed was hungry. Filled with tenderness and love, he explored what she had to offer with sweet, lingering strokes. Greg groaned against her mouth before he tore himself away. Sarah’s skin burned, despite the chilly wetness from the rain. She was helpless to do more than cling, but he inched away from her. Greg struggled to get down on his one good knee.
“What are you doing?” Alarmed, she tried to brace his arm on her thigh.
“I want to do this right.” Greg’s expression turned solemn, and he slid a hand into his pocket.
Sarah watched him with nervous anticipation, not daring to hope.
Oh could it be?
Greg straightened his body and produced a solitaire ring, and her eyes widened even further.
“I have no idea when the perfect time would be . . . but I think this is good as any. Your father is here, and he can hear me when I say I want to marry you, Sarah Jones.” Greg glanced at Ahila’s grave as if seeking permission before returning to her face. “Please, be my wife.”
Greg’s piercing gaze followed her every movement despite the trickles of water cascading down his face. Sarah’s mind spun, but her mouth refused to form an answer. Happiness filled her heart, and she managed at last to bob her head up and down.
“I’m down on bended knee, and you have nothing to say?” His mouth curled up in a smile.