Enlightened End

by Audrey Carlan

  “Son…this can’t be true!” he cries out, the information apparently starting to seep in.

  “It is the truth. And so is the fact that you are going to die old and alone with no family around you. I’m going to talk to the board of directors on Monday. Either you resign from the board, or I will resign as CEO of the company. You can train a replacement.”

  “Son…” He gasps. “I have built Winters Group to be the global leader it is. You and this company are my legacy, my father’s legacy, your grandfather’s legacy…”

  “Yes, and I will continue to run it as I see fit, but only if you remove yourself from it. Otherwise, I’ll take my shares and sell to the highest bidder, and someone else will be the second-largest investor in the company and you’ll have to answer to them. Though I think if I tell the board and the current investors that it’s either you or me, they’ll choose me. I’m willing to risk it either way. Are you?”

  “You can’t do this!” he screams. “You’re my son! I’ve taught you everything you know!”

  “This is true. However, there is a part of me you haven’t been able to touch. My heart. And it’s owned by Luna, Greta, and my new family. Now if you will excuse me…I need to spend some time with the woman who gave me life and get to know her.”

  “You’re choosing a woman you barely know over me!” He grabs at his heart, and his form cants to the side, where he catches himself on the back of the chair, his drink spilling down the red velvet.

  “Ohh…that’s gonna leave a stain. The choice is yours. Resign from the board, keep your shares, and you stay rich in the knowledge that I’m a good leader and will take the company where it’s meant to go. Play with your trophy wife; take up backgammon and traveling for all I care. Just do it away from me and my family.” I start walking toward the door. “Oh, and by the way, Luna and I are getting married three months from now. You’re not invited.”

  “Grant! Wait…son! You can’t do this. You don’t want to do this! I’m your father!” he hollers, but I keep walking until I’m out the front door of my childhood home and into my Aston Martin on my way to see my fiancée, who’s waiting for me.

  * * *

  The moment I enter my apartment, Luna is rushing to me, arms open wide. She slams her body into mine in a fierce hug. She squeezes me hard before pulling back, cupping my cheeks, and staring into my eyes.

  “Are you okay?”

  I smile wide and wrap my arms loosely around her waist. “Yeah, lamb. I am. More than okay. I’m free.”

  “Free?”

  “Yep. Free of his reign, the power he holds over me.”

  “Wow. That sounds life changing.” She blinks prettily, but her focus is all on me. The house could be burning down around us, and her entire focus would be on me.

  “I gave him an ultimatum.”

  Her eyes seem to widen. “Really?”

  “He resigns from the board of directors, or I resign from Winters Group as the CEO and sell my shares in the company to the highest bidder.”

  Her mouth drops open. “No, you didn’t!”

  “Oh, but I did.”

  “What did he say?”

  “He was angry, of course. Livid. I didn’t react to it. I breathed calmly like you said and told the truth.”

  “The whole truth?” She pets my lip with her thumb.

  “Yeah.” I let out a breath of air. “Everything. About Greta being his daughter, about how we are getting married, and he isn’t invited…”

  She frowns, and her entire face turns sad. It’s like kicking a puppy. She’s so very expressive. I always know where I stand with her and how she feels about something. “Are you sure about that?”

  I curl my hand around her cheek and tilt her chin with my thumb. “Positive. He’s not going to sour the most important day of our lives. Speaking of sour… How’s that sweet and sour pork you’re making for dinner? It smells wonderful.”

  As if I flipped a switch, her face lights up, and she bounces in place. “It’s going to be awesome, and they’ll be here soon! I also made some homemade macaroni and cheese for the kids. Greta says they love mac and cheese.” She claps. “I can’t wait to meet my niece and nephew! Eeek! It’s so exciting!”

  As if on cue, the buzzer to my door rings. I would have liked to have them over to the loft above the bakery, but it’s far too small. I thought about taking them out but figured it would have been awkward since we’re trying to get to know one another and meeting the kids for the first time.

  I head to the door and pull it open. Greta smiles huge when she sees me and rushes into my arms. Her head lands on my chest.

  Behind her, I find Brett, who has a diaper bag in one hand and a child carrier in the other. Next to him is Gretchen, holding the hand of a dapper little boy who is the spitting image of me at that age. Wild layers of brown hair and dark-blue eyes. He’s clinging to his grandmother’s leg and assessing me.

  I get down on my haunches and smile at the boy. “Hey there, little guy. I’m your Uncle Grant.”

  “Yeah, I know. Mommy tolded me.”

  “And that pretty redhead behind me is your Aunt Luna. We’d love to have you come in and spend time with us. Would that be all right?”

  “I have presents!” Luna squeals behind me.

  I chuckle and shake my head. “Of course you do.”

  “One for every birthday we missed!” she adds, her voice hitting mass volume with her exuberance.

  Gavin’s eyes bug out a bit. “Presents. For me and Sissy?”

  “Looks like it, bud. You want to come in and check it out?”

  He taps his mouth the same way I do when I’m thinking hard on something before he smiles. “Okay!” And then he runs in toward Luna.

  “Hello, son. Um, I mean, Grant.” My mother holds out her hand in greeting.

  I lick my lips, look down at her hand, clasp it, and tug her toward my chest. I let her go, and she wraps her arms around me, hugging me close. Her body trembles in my arms. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hug you.” Her voice is coated in heartache.

  I pet her hair, close my eyes, and breathe in her fresh linen scent. It whirls around my senses, reminding me of summer long ago, laughter, and a whole lot of love. Everything I’d forgotten over the years, having been so young when I lost her.

  “Me too, Mom. Me too.”

  She chokes on a sob when I call her Mom.

  “Hey, you two, the kids are about to open their presents. Something you didn’t need to do, by the way!” Her tone is conciliatory but playful too.

  I hook my arm over my mother’s shoulder and lead her into the living room, where Gavin is tearing through brightly wrapped packages.

  “I have zero control over my woman. She owns my soul, and if she wants to buy our niece and nephew presents, far be it from me to stop her.”

  Greta rolls her eyes, and it looks exactly like how my father did earlier in the day. A prick of pain pierces my heart, but I look around the room and let the new love of family fill it up and make me whole again.

  “We have something for the two of you as well,” Greta announces, handing Luna a package.

  Luna sits on the couch and pats the side next to her. I let my mother go and sit down next to her. “What have we got?”

  “I don’t know. Do you want to open it?” she offers, but I can tell she’s dying to open it herself.

  “No, lamb, you go on ahead.”

  She lifts her shoulders to her ears and squeaks adorably. I’m going to have to buy her gifts more often because I love hearing the multitude of excited sounds she makes when she’s happy.

  When the paper is torn apart and the box lid lifted, she pulls out two silver framed photos. The first one is a picture of Brett, Greta, Gavin, and little Gabriella in her mom’s arms. Etched into the bottom of the frame it says The Tinsleys, but it’s the next frame that puts a vise lock on my throat, making it instantly dry and scratchy. In the next silver frame is a picture of just Gavin holding his baby sist
er, Gabriella. On the top of the frame it says Uncle Grant & Aunt Luna and the bottom says We love you. Gavin & Gaby.

  Luna sniffs and pets the picture over her title of Aunt Luna and then brings it up to her chest as if she’s hugging it. “We love it. Don’t we love it, Grant?”

  “Yeah, awesome gift. Thank you.”

  Luna pops up, taking the frames over to the mantle. “For now, we’re going to set them here. Then, when we get our new home, we’ll put it back above the fireplace so we can see them every day.”

  I stand up and hug my sister and then shake Brett’s hand. “You want a beer, brother?” I ask.

  Brett squeezes my hand and claps me on the shoulder. “Yeah, brother, I do.”

  I wink at him and then find out what everyone wants. Gaby is sleeping, and Gavin is already playing trucks on the table with his new toys.

  As I enter the kitchen, Greta follows me.

  “So I met with my hematologist today, and the good news is, he said my body is not rejecting your marrow. He thinks it’s working, but we need to wait a little longer to really tell if my red and white blood cells are regenerating. With the last few rounds of blood transfusions, you can’t really tell, but since I’m having no side effects suggesting rejection, we’re on a positive path.”

  I smile wide and lean into the counter. “That’s great, Greta. Good news. A definite positive first step.”

  “Yes, it is.”

  I turn around and pour a glass of water and hand it to her. Then I go back and get a beer for Brett and pass it to her to give to her man. After she takes it, I pour Luna, Mother, and myself a glass of Rombauer Zinfandel and bring it out to them.

  “A toast,” Luna says and looks pointedly to me.

  “To family. There’s nothing more important,” I say.

  “Hear, hear!” Brett says.

  “Absolutely,” Gretchen agrees.

  “Yay!” Luna cheers, cuddling into my side.

  “To my beautiful family. To Greta and Brett, my son, Grant, and soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Luna, and my lovely grandchildren…I love you all.”

  The five of us raise our glasses to each other, and Luna and I look one another right in the eye and sip at the same time, smiling.

  After dinner, I find myself sitting on my couch, a four-year-old against my side, my arm around his little body as we watch a cartoon I was able to get via On Demand. In my other arm, Luna is holding baby Gabriella, or Gaby as I’ve found the family calls her. She’s asleep and has all of Luna’s attention. Greta is watching the godawful cartoon with rapt attention cuddled beside her husband, and my mother is sipping her after-dinner decaf and Bailey’s while watching her children, a serene expression on her face.

  I nudge Luna from her staring contest with a sleeping baby. “You ready for one of those?” I grin.

  She smiles wide, and it steals my breath. My woman is by far the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.

  “How’s about we start trying on our honeymoon?”

  She purses her lips, thinks about it for all of two seconds, and then smirks. “You think you can get me pregnant that fast?”

  “Oh, lamb, when it comes to being with you, I’ll take on any challenge. I’m the right man for the job.” I blow her a kiss, and she giggles.

  “Yes, you are. The perfect man for me.” She leans over to kiss me.

  “Ew, gross. Not posta kiss while watching toons.” Gavin bats at my leg.

  “Do you see how pretty Aunt Luna is, bud?” I hook a thumb toward her body.

  He puckers his lips, taps on them with his first finger, and focuses all his attention on her. “Yes. She’s pretty. I wike her hair. Wike Grandma’s, only more redder.”

  “So you see why I can’t help wanting to kiss her.”

  He tilts his head and then shakes it. “No kissing during toons.” He says it as an admonishment, not a statement, sounding very much like his Uncle Grant during business dealings. Apparently, he takes his cartoons very seriously.

  “All right. All right, bud. I’ll be good.” I rock his shoulders, and he giggles and smiles up at me. With that one smile, I’ve fallen in love with a four-year-old boy. I glance to the side and take in my niece’s serene face. Okay, maybe I’m a little in love with a six-month-old girl too.

  “Um, Grant, could I speak to you privately for a moment?” My mother stands and walks over to her bag, where she pulls out a wooden box about twelve inches long and four inches tall. It has a chunky black latch holding it closed.

  “Sure.” I hold my hand out toward the hall leading to my bedroom.

  She follows me inside, and I shut the door when she’s in.

  She turns around and presents me with the box. “When I had to leave you back then…” Her voice cracks and shakes before she clears her throat. “I made you a promise. One I kept. I’d always hoped one day I’d get you back and would be able to give you these.” She hands me the wooden box.

  “What is it?”

  “All of the letters I’ve written you over the years that your father returned. I never stopped sending them. Every time I mailed one, I would pray and hope that it would finally make its way to you.”

  I open the box and see what seems like endless stacks of unopened letters, dated and in order.

  “Gretchen…uh…Mom, I’m not sure what to say.”

  She pats my arm. “You don’t have to say anything, son. They were for you, and I’m glad I can finally make sure they went to the person for whom they were intended.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  It’s the night before I marry the woman I breathe for. Without her, the Grant I’ve become, the one I’m proud to be, would not exist.

  Luna.

  My love.

  My life.

  My everything.

  I make myself comfortable in my lonely bed. Luna’s mother demanded tradition, so my lamb is staying with her this evening. It took a lot of begging and a stellar blow job on Luna’s part to get me to agree to such an archaic tradition, but in the end, I’d do anything for her. Even without her beautiful lips wrapped around my cock, although I’ll admit I made out like a bandit. She sucked me, and I fucked the hell out of her. I wanted her to remember me there, between her thighs, all night. Hopefully, she’ll dream of me.

  Knowing I’ve been putting off the inevitable, I pull out the box Gretchen gave me months ago. The box contained all the letters she’d written to me over the years. Up to this point, I didn’t feel like I was strong enough to read through them. With Luna’s love, and the fact that I’m going to make her mine for eternity tomorrow, I feel strong enough to take on the burden of my past.

  I pull out the first one. Dated the day after she left me. I’ll never forget it because it was Valentine’s Day. A day that should be filled with love was the worst day of my life. Since then, I’ve never celebrated it. This year, I will fill my soon-to-be wife’s world with flowers, chocolates, a fancy dinner, and jewels. Not that she cares about those things. She’d be just as happy if not happier with a picnic in the park, but I want to bestow all beauty on her. Perhaps I’ll take her to the park and gift her a pair of gemstones the color of her fiery hair. Yes, she’d like that much more.

  Opening the first envelope, I take a deep breath and start to read.

  Grant,

  Yesterday was the worst day of my life. I left you behind. Walked away. My God, it feels as though my soul has been ripped right out of my body and replaced with an emptiness nothing will ever fill again. Every step that I took sent a knife through my heart, baby. You must know that.

  Grant, your father is a difficult man, my dear boy. I loved him dearly but apparently not enough for him to trust me. I’m sorry I failed. Failed you and myself. I keep replaying everything that happened over and over, trying desperately to find a place I could have done better, tried harder to explain. Your father refuses my calls. He won’t listen to reason, and he won’t back down.

  I’m scared, Grant. Scared of what he’d do to me, your unbor
n sister, and the man he thinks I’ve cheated on him with. Right now, I can only hope and pray I’ll be able to get through to him…find my way back to you.

  I love you, my beautiful boy. Forever and ever.

  Mom

  My heart cracks, and tears fill my eyes as I pick another letter at random.

  Grant,

  You turned ten years old today. Happy birthday, my beautiful boy.

  Greta and I made you a cake, even though we know you’ll never see it or taste it. Still, it’s our way to stay close to you. We bake things we think you’d like, imagine that you’re happy, though I worry you’re not. How could you be, without a mother to help guide and nurture you?

  I miss you.

  Greta is doing well in preschool and eager to start kindergarten next year. Like you, she’s so smart. Both of you got that from you father. He was always the smartest man I’d known. Part of what made me fall in love with him all those years ago.

  I’ll write again soon. Just know that I love you and pray every night that one day I’ll be able to see and hug you again.

  All my love, forever and ever,

  Mom

  God, what she must have been going through. Absolute agony. If Luna and I are blessed with a child one day, I know I’ll want to participate in every moment of my child’s life. Since I’ve gotten to know Gretchen over the past few months, I see how the decision my father made all those years ago broke her. I’m happy we’re repairing that relationship now. Family dinners every week…Luna’s idea. It’s worked like a charm to bring me and my mother and sister closer. It’s amazing how, in such a short time, these women I’d never known have become so important to me. Now I can’t imagine my life without them.

  My father, on the other hand, is a completely different story. Luna tells me that I’ll have to set aside my anger and forgive him someday. She says it’s unhealthy to hold resentment in your heart. Only, I can see no other way. He stole thirty years I could have had with my mother and sister. I don’t know how to forgive him for such cruelty. Perhaps Luna’s right. Regardless of what he’s done, I still love and care for him. It’s just different. At this time, I’m not capable of being in his presence.