AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The next morning, I stand in the middle of Grandfather’s garden as he digs into the bushes. Honestly, I never understood his fascination with plants and trees, but he says it makes him feel grounded and connected to the universe, whatever the fuck that’s supposed to mean. I squat down as my dress pants ride up my legs. It’s too hot to be out here. The summers in New York City are brutal. I haven’t been out here for more than ten minutes and I’m sweating my balls off.
My grandfather is a free spirit and loves to laugh and joke. He made my childhood a lot more pleasant when I came home in the summers. I was happy when my father would ship me off to Grandfather’s townhome so I could help him with his garden.
His wrinkled face smiles as he pulls himself up off the ground and dusts the dirt off his shorts. The scar he received from his open-heart surgery peeks through his white t-shirt. He’s in better shape now and looks good for his age.
“Jasper,” he says. “What brings you to my home?” He’s a few inches shorter than me, and his thin white hair shines in the bright sun.
Sometimes the old man scares me, and I can see where I get my attitude from. He’s my mother’s father, and they were very close.
“Why would Uncle James want me to get married?”
Even though Uncle James is Tommy’s brother, my grandfather and James were close. He got along with James more than he did with Tommy. They connected through business and Grandfather says he’s the only one in his family who has some damn sense.
He shrugs. “I don’t know, but you need to. Running though women and not having something stable isn’t worth the hype.”
I slide my fingers into my pocket. It is to me, but I don’t say that. It’s so easy to get what you want from people and move on with your life. Just like sex. I don’t have to commit to anyone, I don’t have anyone to answer to, and I have the freedom to do what I want. I tried to be in a relationship, and I realized it’s not for me.
He ushers me to the outdoor table and tells me to sit, and I obey. His butler offers me a bottle of water, and I take it, unscrewing the lid, and the cold beverage cools my throat.
“I need you to help me take down Tommy.” The lines around his eyes and mouth deepen, making him appear older. “I’ve been wanting to exact my revenge on him for the way he treated my daughter.” My grandfather’s face turns red, and he clenches the edge of the table until his knuckles turn white.
I’ve never seen his pupils fill with such rage. I think about all the stories he told me about how Tommy treated my mom. When my stepmother would get upset with me, she would throw in my face how he treated my mother. So I don’t blame Grandfather for wanting to get revenge. Someone has to put Tommy in his place, teach him he’s not God.
“He punished her every day because of the affair. I hate his family, besides James. So, you do what it takes to take him down.”
Every time I hear about how Tommy treated my mother it boils my blood. She made a mistake, and he punished her every day for it. He could have walked away from her, but he stayed to abuse her or whatever. Their marriage was arranged, so maybe he felt he had no choice but to be with her. He’s so fucking cruel, he makes me want to vomit.
I have very few memories of my mother, so any information about her makes me hungry to hear. I remember her taking me to school, getting ice cream, going to a steak house restaurant, and we used to have movie nights together, just me and her, but that’s it.
When she drowned in a lake behind the mansion I used to call home, it crushed my world, and I became very lonely. It ate me up inside to the point I became a troubled child, fighting kids and not speaking much. I felt like she was my voice, and I was silenced the moment she was gone.
“I have one small request, Jasper,” my grandfather says, interrupting my thoughts.
I grab another bottle from the butler and gulp down the water like I’m dying of thirst. “What is it?”
He places his hand on my shoulder, squeezing tight. “Promise me you will go through with this marriage and take him down.”
I’m a man of my word, and Grandfather has it. I look him directly in the eye. “I promise,” I vow. “I already had my mind set on marrying someone.”
He grabs a white rag and wipes the sweat from his forehead. “So, who is she?”
I’m glad the gray clouds chose this moment to hover over the sun, making it cooler.
Why is everyone so damn interested in Poppy?
“She’s called Poppy.”
“I hope you fall in love with her and have children.” He smiles, displaying his dentures, then he crosses his leg over his knee.
I shake my head. After what I went through with my ex Gemma, I don’t think I ever want to be in a proper relationship. The pain in my chest throbs, spreading quickly as I shake my head to wipe away the memory of her. I don’t need anyone, and I don’t trust women, which is why I’m going to have my lawyer type up a contract between us. It’s going to be airtight, where she gets nothing after the divorce. Poppy doesn’t come off as a gold digger, but you never know. I don’t know what kind of thoughts go through her head.
“Love isn’t an option. You know as well as I do that love doesn’t exist in the way we would like.”
I don’t want to have this conversation, but my grandfather doesn’t care. He’s going to push the topic.
“I had it with your grandmother.” He smiles sadly.
Grief is written across his face; I know he misses her every day. They were twin flames, married for fifty years. My phone battery lasts longer than relationships these days. Everyone is only interested in themselves and what they can get out of people. It’s a business transaction.
