Page 48 of Fight for You

She tries to smile at me, but it seems more like a grimace of pain.

I take her hand in mine and sink down into the chair beside her.

"Sweet boy," she slurs and squeezes my fingers weakly. Her fingers barely even flutter around mine. "Your mama would be s-s-so proud of you. You've grown into an incredible young m-man."

I lay my head on her hand, fighting like hell not to cry. Without Ma Lucia and her pictures, I'm not even sure if I'd remember my mom. I'm losing the only link to my past that I have. If I think about that, I'll cry. I haven't cried since my mom died and I can't do it now. Ma Lucia and January need me to be strong for them. I can't fall apart.

"Gotta tell you something," she says. "Your mama's parents were s-s-something. Important f-folks. Uppity f-folks. They died n-not long after you were born." She stops talking for a minute to breathe. It's apparent she's wearing herself out, but the determined gleam in her eyes tells me to keep my mouth shut and let her talk…that saying this is important to her. "Your m-mama didn't want n-nothing to d-do with anything they left her. S-said she had no use for it and wouldn't r-raise you the way she was raised. But she s-s-saved it all for you."

I lift my head and blink at her, not sure what she's talking about. She's told me bits and pieces about my grandparents over the years, but not much. I know they weren't nice to my mom, that they treated her like an inconvenience and a possession instead of a child. When my mom met my dad, she ran off with him to escape their clutches. Even after my dad walked out on her, she never looked back.

"T-t-the paperwork is w-w-with my will, s-sweet boy," Ma Lucia says.

"Paperwork for what?"

"T-t-trust f-f-fund," she slurs, blinking at me. "M-m-millions. Y-y-you i-i-inherited it all. T-turned eighteen."

Jesus Christ.

I gape at her, speechless. I have a trust fund, but she lived like a pauper to take care of me. We never wanted for anything, but we didn't have anything more than we needed. This whole time, she could have had whatever she wanted, whatever she needed. A bigger house. Better medical care.

"T-take care of J-J-January, sweet boy. L-love her." Her fingers flutter beneath mine once more and then her eyes fall closed. For a second, I think she's gone, but then I see her chest rise and fall and I'm able to take a breath of my own.

"I'll love that girl forever," I vow, but I don't know if Ma Lucia can hear me or not. For a long time, I sit there, trying to process what she just told me. My grandparents were rich, but my mom didn't want anything to do with it. Ma Lucia didn't either. Didn't even tell me about it until she didn't have a choice any longer.

For a split second, I think of all the things I could do with that money. With millions of dollars, I could do anything, go anywhere, and be anything. So could January. We could see the world. She could go to whatever school her heart desires, have anything her heart desires.

"I don't want it," I whisper to Ma Lucia. "I don't want to lose what I already have. January and Titan…they're all I've got now. I don't want this to change us. Titan said things were already changing and he's right. I don't want this to change too."

I don't want to lose the only two people I have left, and money changes everything. Little by little, it would change all of us too. We'd fall apart, just like Titan fears. There's no way in hell I'm going to let that happen.

My mom and Ma Lucia taught me what was important…taught me that I don't have to live like my grandparents did to be happy and have a full life. My grandparents were nothing to me. But my mom and Ma Lucia? They mean something. It's their example I want to follow.

I don't need the money. None of us do.

I tuck Ma Lucia's blankets around her and fix her hair the best I can. It's not perfect, but she looks more like herself than she did five minutes ago. Once that's done, I take her costume jewelry out of the bedside drawer and slide it on. She loves that shit and I want her to have every comfort when she passes.

When January comes in to say goodbye, I want her to remember Ma Lucia the way she knew her.

"Thank you, Ma Lucia," I whisper and lean forward to kiss her cheek. "You gave me everything that mattered. I love you, and I'm going to miss the hell out of you. I'll make you proud though. You'll see."

It's not nearly enough, but it's the only goodbye I know how to say.

Chapter Nine

Cade

Then - Age Nineteen

I lean up against the side of my car, watching as January's classmates pour out of the school into the bright sunshine. A few wave or say hi as they pass by, but most are so absorbed in their phones and conversations they don't even look up.

As usual, I'm not here for them anyway. I'm here for my girl. My classes let out yesterday for the Thanksgiving break, and I'm dying to see her. Now that she's working at a local coffee shop after school and on weekends, we don't get nearly enough time together. We barely see each other. I miss her like crazy. It's making me grumpy.

Or maybe I'm in a foul mood because the anniversary of my mom's death is tomorrow. This is the first year I've had to face it without Ma Lucia. The thought of going to the cemetery without her is fucking me up a little. I just want to wrap my arms around my girl and get lost for a while.

"What the fuck?" I mumble, pulling my sunglasses off my face when she strolls through the double doors of the school and steps out into the sunshine. She's dressed in a little pink skirt and a white top with a tiny bow that gathers the material right below her breasts. It's modest but sexy. With her long blonde hair piled up on top of her head and a happy smile dancing on her lips, she's beautiful.

Some asshole has his arm flung over her shoulder, talking to her. She steps away, making him drop his arm from around her, but she tilts her head back to peek up at him and then laughs. He tips his down toward her, his smile growing. They look real fucking cozy.