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"One day, he went for a ride and saw a beautiful red flame in the window of a diner, and when he got closer, realized a woman was inside. And when she stood up, he saw her chest glowed just like his, the same color. When he got closer, he saw her heart's cracks matched his. And the man felt bone shattering relief knowing that he finally found her. He found the other half of his soul. And baby, you light me up so bright."
He moved his lips to hers and kissed her deeply through her tears, now telling her without words what she meant to him. Olivia wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding him close while they shared something much deeper than sex. Deeper than love.
By the time he disengaged from her, he was of the opinion that their first venture into the Page III activities was successful, and turned his mind to wanting her to help plan the next one, wondering if she would like to do this more than twice a year.
Her answer was a resounding yes, but she didn’t want to help plan it every time. He chuckled at her request for him to always surprise her with something new, as she adored how creative he was in the bedroom. They’d decided to make Page III a monthly venture and would revise the contract accordingly.
And Olivia's revision? For him to make up a new fairytale for them every time, and tell it to her while they got busy.
Chapter twenty-two
Parental Reckonings
“Hey Jonathan, yo’ what’s up, you good?” Colin was sitting in his study going over some paperwork for his company when Jonathan’s ringtone lit up the silent area.
“Yes,” Jonathan replied in a solemn tone. Colin felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, and he put his papers down at the almost wary tone that was present in his friend’s voice. “But I have something to tell you, my friend.”
“What is it? Are the girls okay?” Colin felt his heart begin to race as he sat forward, about to jump up out of his seat to find Olivia.
“Yes… but, Colin… it’s your father, Henry.”
There were a tense few moments of silence while Colin’s heart decided to slow down and skip a beat instead. He swallowed hard as all the blood drained from his face, leaving him slightly lightheaded. Out of all the things in the world he would have expected his friend to present him with, this was not in the realm of possibilities.
“What do you mean, my father? What are you talking about, Jonathan?” Colin worked hard to try to keep his voice level, but the strain was present.
“I don’t mean to have kept this from you brother, but…I’ve been keeping tabs on your father for you. I know you said you didn’t want to have anything to do with him and I respected that. But I thought it might be smart to have a general idea of his whereabouts just in case anything happened…”
Of course you fucking did, Jonathan. Colin thought to himself, leaning forward and placing his head wearily in his hand.He took a deep breath, weary of the extent his friend meddled, but knew that he was right more often than not. He chose not to let it bother him. “And?”
“And he’s in a hospital in New York, dying of late-stage pancreatic cancer. I just thought you should know so you could…” Jonathan went silent, not sure how to approach his best friend’s feelings.“I am truly sorry if I’ve overstepped my boundaries regarding this, but I know how this bothers you deep down inside. Brother, you have a chance for closure if you should want it.But if you do, you need to hurry. It doesn’t seem Henry’s got very long.”
Colin cleared his throat and sat back in his chair with a deep huff, feeling his eyes prick with unshed tears. “Thank you, Jonathan. Please send me the information so I can inform our security team. I’ll let you know what I end up doing.” And with that, he hung up the phone. Placing it softly on the desktop, he let his eyes meander to his picture wall, where he’d put the canvases that had previously been hung in his guesthouse. The image of his dad stared back at him.Healthy. What would he look like sick?
Giving the canvas a few more seconds of perusal, he picked his phone back up when he saw Jonathan had texted him the information for his father and he got up swiftly, heading out the door to speak to his team and grab Olivia.
***
Three hours later, Colin walked into the hospital room with Olivia hanging back in the hallway, feeling his stomach drop further with every step as the end of his father’s bed came into view. He paused, hearing the muted click of his shoes on the tile mixing with the muted beeping of the monitors in the dimmed lighting of the room.
He felt Olivia’s presence, even though he didn’t physically have her next to him. He was nervous and wanted to approach his father alone, terrified of the depth of emotions he feared would consume him.
Swallowing thickly, he closed his eyes, feeling his throat clog up as the old feelings of inadequacy swamped him suddenly, and he could hear his father yelling the last words he ever heard him speak at him like it was yesterday.
“You’re worthless! You killed her! YOU! You’re not my son anymore! Get out of my sight.”
Colin’s hand fisted as he took a steadying breath and resumed walking deeper into the room, seeing his father's hands, his arms, and then his head come into view. He stopped just as his father's gray eyes flickered heavily, aware that he was no longer alone in the room.
“Hey Dad,” Colin said, his deep voice sounding unsure, but no longer bitter. Pity began to swell inside him as he locked eyes with the man he’d last seen twenty-three years ago. Surprise filled him with how dilapidated he looked. Weak. No longer the boisterous, strapping, broad man he’d remembered from his adolescence.
“Son?” Henry McDermont’s gaunt face filled with surprise as he took Colin in. His face showed disbelief and then sorrow suddenly pulled his features tight. “Oh Colin, please tell me that’s you, that I’m not hallucinating again.” He began to sob, closing his eyes and putting shaking fingers to the bridge of his nose, letting out a ragged exhale before suddenly fumbling for the nurse’s button.
“Help me! I’m seeing things again.” Henry suddenly groaned, trying to hit the button on the cord to summon the nurse.
Colin crossed the few feet of space between them, grabbing the cord and pulling it away. He placed his hand over his father’s shaky, frail one.
Why didn’t I reach out sooner? Colin lamented to himself sadly, feeling his father’s clammy skin underneath his fingertips.
“Colin?! It’s really you?” Henry gasped, his eyes tightening as he laid there, trying to maneuver himself to get a better look, but he was just too weak. Colin leaned further into his eyesight and let his father lock eyes with him momentarily before he stepped back. He turned his face away and cleared his throat, which suddenly clogged up, seeing the depth of regret in his father's eyes.
