Listen to Your Heart(51)
“It’s okay if she doesn’t. I still want to visit.”
“I was headed over there in about an hour.”
“Great. I’ll come with you. Did you drive here?”
“No, I took a cab.”
“You can ride with me.”
We pay the bill and head to the car.
Joaquin greets us with a sad smile before leading us to Luisa’s bedroom. We find Rafe sitting vigil at his wife’s bedside.
“He refuses to leave,” Juliana whispers.
Taking a deep breath, I study Luisa’s frail face and listen to her labored breaths. This once vibrant, energetic woman is succumbing to this awful disease, and all the money in the world can’t save her. Even the dream of her daughter’s wedding isn’t stronger than the cancer that ravages her body and mind. Guilt floods me. We’ve been lying and scheming when what we should’ve been doing is spending more time with her.
Rafe stands up from his chair. He looks like he’s aged twenty years.
“It’s good to see you, Caleb. She’s quite alert today.”
We hug and then look down at his wife. Suddenly, she shifts, and her eyes slightly open.
“Caleb?”
I take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze. “Hi, Luisa.”
“I’m so glad you’re here, Caleb. Is Juliana with you?”
“I’m right here, Mom.”
“Good,” she says weakly. “I have to talk to you. I have something to say.”
We both sit down next to her. Her hand doesn’t leave mine.
“I owe you both an apology.”
“Oh, Mom, you don’t.”
“I do. I lied to you. That day in the hospital. I lied to you.”
Juliana and I exchange a nervous glance. I look up to find Rafe smiling sadly down at us.
“I pretended not to remember. About the wedding being a charade. I remembered. I just pretended not to, and I’m sorry.”
I close my eyes. Lynsey was right.
Juliana starts to cry. I wrap my arm around her shoulder.
“It’s okay, Luisa. We weren’t honest with you, either.”
“That’s no excuse. I just . . . I knew. No matter what Dr. Pryce said, I knew I didn’t have much time left in this world. I wanted to know you’d be taken care of, Juliana. I’m sorry for being so selfish. I pray you can forgive me.”
What a family we are. Every lie has been told with the best of intentions, but all it’s really done is rob of us precious time we should’ve spent with each other.
“There’s nothing to forgive, Luisa. We’re sorry for lying to you, too. We just wanted to fulfill your dream of watching your daughter walk down the aisle.”
Juliana sniffles quietly. “We wanted to make you smile, Mom, just a little while longer.”
“And you did. It was so kind of you.” Luisa pauses and glances at me with a slight grin. “I guess falling in love with the wedding planner really put a kink in your plans, huh?”
I laugh lightly. “It really did, but I can’t regret it.”
“You shouldn’t. You should never regret falling in love.” Luisa then smiles at her daughter. “Speaking of which, your father tells me there’s a young man I need to meet.”
“His name’s Deacon. I’d love to introduce you to him.”
“I think today would be a good day for that,” Rafe says. “If you’re feeling up to it, dear. Maybe after a nap?”
“Yes,” Luisa says tiredly.
It’s obvious the conversation has exhausted her. But I have to say one more thing. I’m afraid this may be the last chance I have.
“Luisa, I want you to know that I’ll always be here for Juliana. She’s my best friend. No matter what. And I want to thank you. Your family welcomed me with open arms, and with my own family so far away, it’s meant more to me than you could ever know.”
“Oh, Caleb,” she whispers, “you are the son we never had. You’re every mother’s dream, and Skye is a very lucky girl.”
She closes her eyes, and as her soft snores fill the air, Rafe pulls me into his arms and hugs me tightly before returning to his wife’s bedside. Juliana wipes her eyes as she walks me to the door.
“Jules, you should call Deacon.”
“I will.”
She hugs me, a bone crushing, heartbreaking hug that makes my eyes fill with tears. Then, she glances down at her hand. Juliana slips my grandmother’s ring off her finger and places it in my palm.
“Thank you, Caleb. For everything.”
“Always. Call me later?”
She promises she will and heads back to her mother’s bedroom while I see myself out. Today may be the last decent day Luisa has, and Juliana should be with her family.
And I should be with mine.
The church buzzes with excitement as I make my way into the sanctuary. I tell the usher I’m with the wedding planner—which isn’t a lie—and he points me to a hallway that leads to the back of the church. I find a crowd of bridesmaids and flower girls, and everyone’s running around, trying to find their place in line. After a few minutes, the chaos begins to calm, and that’s when I see her. Skye’s wearing a black sleeveless dress with her red hair pulled back in a ponytail. A headset is attached to her ear. I step back into a darkened corner and watch as she straightens the flower girl’s headband and ruffles the hair of the little ring bearer. He can’t be more than five years old, and he’s smiling at my girl like she’s the sun in his sky.