Liam sighed. “Cassidy, can you please talk to Adam? He seems to respond to you.”
“Of course.” With a nod, I trailed after the man I’d sworn to avoid.
Adam’s bedroom door was open, but I didn’t enter. It was his domain, and I wasn’t about to enter a lion’s den without permission—or even with.
I spied him staring aimlessly out the window. “Want to take a walk with me?”
His despondent gaze turned to mine. “Only if you plan to seduce me.”
“Very funny.” I muted my smile. “Come on.”
We walked through the gardens in silence for some time before I spoke. “When my husband got sick, I tried everything to keep him alive. He was only twenty-five, and we’d barely started our life together. The day he told me he wanted to stop treatment, I was crushed. He had so much to live for, and I thought he was giving up. So, I utilized what my Grams had taught me. Who knows if the Reiki gave him a few extra months or years, but the result was always going to be the same. All I could do was make his final moments as comfortable as possible and celebrate the small pockets of time we had left together.”
I stopped walking and turned to Adam. “That’s all you have now—those precious pockets of time where your grandfather is alert and happy. You need to make the most of it. Liam doesn’t want your tears or your anger. He wants your happiness. Just you being here with him is better than any pain relief I can offer.”
Adam blew out a shaky breath before sinking onto the chair under the giant elm tree. “He’s just always been my person. My sounding board. He gives the best fucking advice, and it’s only taken me until now to follow it. Who am I going to…”
I slipped my hand over his forearm as I sat beside him. “You’ll be okay.”
Adam reached over to touch my bracelets, grazing my skin as he inspected the stones one by one. “What is it with you and crystals?”
My arm hairs rose. “They’resupposedto help me stay balanced and protected.”
“Protected against what? The boogeyman?”
“Sometimes… There are positive and negative energies everywhere. The crystals can act as a barrier or a gateway. My grandmother made these bracelets in her final weeks, and each one serves a purpose.”
“Oh yeah?” He threaded his finger around the string of amethyst. “What do these purple ones do?”
“This is amethyst. It’s meant to boost my intuition, clear negative energies, and ease stress and anxiety. It’s probably the most versatile.”
“And this one?”
“The citrine enhances my focus. It keeps me optimistic and energized. It’s also meant to attract money, but I’ve yet to believe that one,” I said with a chuckle.
“I like this black one.”
“This is my most important one. The black obsidian is used for protection and grounding. It’s a great healer, and without it, my heart would’ve shattered years ago.”
He gazed up at his grandfather’s window and sighed. “I think I’ll be needing one of those.”
I instinctively placed my hand over his but snapped it back when his sorrow channeled through. “We should get back.” I stood up. “I need to check in with the doctor before he leaves.”
Adam’s eyes burned into mine, before he sighed heavily. “You go. I’ll be up soon.”
11
When Adam wasn’t consumed with work, he spent every minute with his grandfather, leaving me anxious and idle. I preferred to be busy, but now that I was on top of all Liam’s paperwork, I was left with more time to myself than anticipated.
Come Friday afternoon, I video-called Finn straight after school. He’d had a swim meet earlier that day, and I was desperate to know how he did. And now that the internet was fixed, I was able to video-call him without the infuriating drop-outs.
“How’s my beautiful boy?” I asked as soon as the screen flickered onto Finn’s adorable face.
“Hey, Mom!” His smile brightened my existence.
I adjusted my headphones to hear him better. “How did you do today?”
“Yeah, alright.” Finn lifted a giant trophy up to the camera with a huge grin.