Chapter Twenty-Two
Catherine
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I WALKED INTO MY DAD’S room and found him sitting up in bed, his eyes fixed on the television screen. It was an old John Wayne movie, one I happened to know he had watched at least a hundred times. I could see the tension in his shoulders, a sign that he was still recovering.
“How are you feeling, Dad?” I asked, approaching the bed with concern etched on my face.
He glanced at me and offered a small smile. “I’m fine, Catherine,” he replied, his voice reassuring. “Just ready to get back to work, you know.”
I frowned, not entirely convinced by his words. “Dad, you just had a heart attack,” I reminded him gently. “You need to take it easy for a while.”
John waved off my concerns with a dismissive gesture. “I don’t need to be fussed over,” he insisted, his tone firm. “I’ll be back on my feet in no time.”
I sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing with him when he was in this stubborn mood. Instead, I decided to broach the topic that had been weighing heavily on my mind. “Timothy told me he talked to you about me moving into Gloriana Manor,” I said.
With the two of them spending so much time together, they were talking—a lot. It was nice to have someone checking in on Dad while I worked. And it was good for my dad to get to know Timothy and see he was more than just some rich guy using me for entertainment until he could go back to his life in New York.
“He did.” He nodded. “He told me that was why he was at the shop that day. I have to say, I’m pretty glad he was.”
“You and me both,” I muttered. “Anyway, I wanted to let you know, I’m not going to be moving in there.”
“Because of me?” he asked.
“No.”
“Liar,” he scoffed.
“It’s not like I can’t move in there after you’re back on your feet,” I said. “Besides, I’d like to finish the house. You’re moving in here.”
“I never said I was going to be moving in here,” he retorted.
“Dad! It’s a beautiful house. If I move in with Timothy, we don’t want this house sitting empty. Why would you keep staying in that tiny apartment when you could have this house?”
“Because this is your house,” he said.
“But if I live with Timothy...”
“We’ll see. For now, I want you to move in with Timothy. You can’t put your life on hold for me. I can see how much Timothy means to you.”
I felt a surge of emotion well up inside me at his words. “But Dad, I can’t just leave you here,” I protested, my voice catching in my throat. “You need me.”
He shook his head, his gaze steady as he met mine. “Catherine, you have your own life to live,” he said gently. “I don’t want you to spend all your time taking care of me. You deserve to be happy.”
I swallowed back the lump forming in my throat. On one hand, I longed to be with Timothy and start a new chapter of my life with him. On the other hand, the thought of leaving my dad behind filled me with guilt and apprehension.
“I am happy,” I said. “I don’t need to live with Timothy to be with him. He’s still going to love me. We’ll spend time together.”
“Listen, sweetheart,” he said softly. “I’ll make you a deal. Move in with Timothy, and I’ll come with you. I’ll stay at Gloriana Manor until I’m back on my feet.”
I blinked back tears, deeply touched by his offer. “But Dad, are you sure?” I asked, my voice trembling with emotion.
“I’m not an idiot,” he said. “I know what Timothy has been angling for. He’s made it very clear the house is big enough for a small army. I know he wants you under his roof. I’ll stay there for a little bit, but as soon as I get a clean bill of health, I’m going home.”
“Home is here,” I said. “When you’re back on your feet, this will be your home.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you are one very stubborn young lady?”
I laughed. “I’ve heard that. I’ve also been told it’s an inherited trait from my father.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been around a lot longer than you and have had plenty of time to develop my stubborn streak.”
“Thank you, Dad,” I whispered, my voice choked with emotion. “Thank you for everything.”
He pulled me into a tight embrace, holding me close as I let my tears flow freely. It was the first time I was able to really let my emotions out with him since the heart attack. He soothed me, patting my head just like he used to when I was a little girl.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I’m going to be fine. I got a glimpse of what could happen. You could say I’ve been scared straight. I’ll keep up on my doctor visits, and I will change my diet. I’m going to be fine. I feel a little stronger every single day. I’m not going anywhere for a while.”
“Good.” I sighed and stood up, wiping my eyes. “I don’t want you to leave me. If you do, I’m going to be very, very mad at you.”
“I know. There’s something else me and that man of yours have been talking about.”
“Oh no,” I laughed through my tears. “I’m not sure this friendship is going to be good for me.”
“He told me about the trip up to the Hamptons. I’ll be going along. I want you to go, and apparently, you and I are a package deal these days. I want to make sure you get the chance to have fun.”
“You’re really going to go?” I asked with surprise.
“I guess I am.”
“I think that’s going to be really good for you,” I said. “The beach and fresh air will be restorative.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he said and waved me away. “Now you can go. You’ve verified I’m still breathing. I’m going to finish my movie and then take a nap.”
“I love you, Dad.”
“I love you, too.”
I left his room and decided to go up to the house to tell Timothy the news in person. I was also going to scold him for talking to my father about things I wanted to deal with on my own. I parked my truck and knocked on the front door.
Timothy opened it with a warm smile. “This is a nice surprise.” He kissed me and pulled me inside. “What brings you here?”
“I wanted to talk to you about something,” I said.
Timothy raised an eyebrow. “Why do I feel like I’m in trouble?”
“Because you are,” I told him.
We made our way into the kitchen.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked.
“He asked me why I wasn’t moving in with you,” I said.
He grimaced. “And you’re mad that I told him.”
“No, not really, but I do wish you would have let me tell him.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I was just talking to him.”
“Well, all your talking has led him to make a decision.”
“A decision about what?” he asked.
“He insists I move in with you. He doesn’t want me to stop living my life.”
“I’m having a hard time thinking this is a bad thing.” He smiled.
“Oh, let me tell you the rest of the story,” I laughed. “You’ve apparently extended an invitation to him as well. I’m here to tell you he has accepted.”
He grinned. “Honestly, I always assumed he would eventually end up living with us. He’s not getting any younger. I’ll go down there and pick him up right now.”
“Thank you,” I said, squeezing his hand gently. “That means a lot to me. But I’ll need some time to get his bed and all that stuff.”
He flashed me another grin. “Come with me.”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hall. He opened the door to one of the three bedrooms on the ground floor. There was a bed, dresser, furniture, and a TV mounted on the wall.
“What is this?”
“I was hoping he would say yes.” He shrugged. “I wanted to be ready when he did.”
“Timothy!”
Just then, Paisley walked down the hallway. “What’s going on?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.
Timothy looked at me, silently asking my approval before speaking. “Paisley, Grandpa is going to come live with us for a while,” he explained. “And so is Catherine.”
Paisley’s face lit up with excitement, and she bounced on the balls of her feet. “That’s awesome!” she exclaimed, her enthusiasm infectious. “I can’t wait to have you guys here with us! This house is so big. It will be nice to have more than me and Dad at the dinner table.”
I smiled at her, feeling a surge of happiness at her reaction. “I’m glad you’re excited, Paisley,” I said, giving her a hug. “Oh, I should also add, he’s accepting your offer to go to the Hamptons,” I said with a knowing smile.
He grimaced. “Did I forget to mention I told him about that?”
“You seem to have forgotten to mention a few things.”
“You guys are going to the Hamptons?” Paisley asked.
“Yes, we are.”
She jumped up and down. “We’re going to have so much fun! I’m going to go call Sarah!”
She raced upstairs. Timothy was grinning like a fool. “I guess she’s okay with it.”
“Guess so.” I nodded. “So about the Hamptons trip,” I started. “My dad has his appointment tomorrow, and once that’s over, I can drive him to the Hamptons and meet you there.”
“That sounds like a plan,” he said. “I’ll make sure everything is arranged when you guys get there.”
“Thank you for doing all of this,” I said. “You are so generous. My dad really likes you. Whatever you have been doing, it’s working. You’ve won him over.”
“I’m really looking forward to the trip and the future,” he said, his voice filled with genuine excitement. “I can’t wait to spend some time together as a family.”
I gave him another kiss. “I have to go. I need to go by my dad’s house and get some clothes for the trip. Then I need to talk to Luke and make sure he can keep a handle on things while I’m gone. Then I have to pack.”
“Can I help you with any of it?” he asked.
“No. You’ve done plenty.”
“You’re not mad at me, are you?”
“No.” I smiled. “It’s hard to be mad at the guy that’s going out of his way to take care of my dad. It just makes me love you even more.”
“I love you. If you’d like us to wait, we can all go over together.”
I shook my head. “No. These doctor appointments can take forever. I know you have to make sure all your plans are good for the party. It’ll be fine. Send me the address, and I’ll see you there.”