Page 44

Grandma May

I knew I would take her place not long after she called to ask me about the significance of the numbers two, one, and four. I didn’t have the answers for her then. I didn’t know why or how the numbers played a part in our family history. But soon, I had a dream of my own.

It started the night she called me, and then it happened again every night after. Each night, more of the picture revealed itself. At first, I didn’t know what it meant and why I could see how my granddaughter would die. I always woke up crying and gasping for air, like I was drowning right along with her.

I was terrified this would be her fate, and there was nothing I, nor anyone else, could do to change it. One night, the dream continued. I watched the man who was meant to save her work tirelessly on her, his best friend by his side.

Luka, the man with intense gray eyes, who refused to live without her. I saw her grow older, marry, and have children of her own with this man. I saw her sitting on the swing on my front porch with gray hair of her own, watching her grandbabies run around the farm with Luka sitting by her side.

After I woke up from that particular dream, an unfamiliar voice came to me. It told me things I never knew were possible, and I knew I needed to listen.

There is a way to save her, but the omen must still be fulfilled.

How? I asked. It felt a little crazy to hear things in my head that weren’t there, but I didn’t give a rat’s behind about how it looked or sounded.

You must take her place, it commanded .

It was then that I knew Lily could change her fate. Unfortunately, to do so, someone has to make a sacrifice.

Me.

It was a sacrifice I was willing to make to save my granddaughter, who has owned my heart since the day she was born. I relented, telling the voice that I would do whatever needed to be done to save my girl.

Then it shall be.

My dream took a turn after that, showing me my own fate and what needed to happen in order for Lily to survive. Rowan Pierce played a key role in changing Lily’s fate. He was, in fact, lucky, and she needed that to overcome the curse. That was the only way for her to survive.

Now, of course, I didn’t do much aside from letting the events unfold and praying that no interference would change either of our paths. That Luka, Rowan, and Lily would all play their parts perfectly.

I held up my end of the bargain. Fate must now hold up hers.

Lily

My lips tremble when I see the room number she’s in. It’s engraved on the sign in black with her first initial and last name printed on a slice of white paper that’s slid into a plastic covering.

Room 214.

M. McKenna.

I walk on unsteady feet through the door to see my grandmother lying on a hospital bed. She looks so serene, so peaceful. I wouldn’t even know she was sick except for the wires and tubes everywhere, EKG leads covering her chest, and a nasal cannula helping her breathe.

I quietly pad over to her, leaning down to place a soft kiss on her forehead .

“There you are, my child. I’ve been waiting for you.” Her voice is shaky but still somehow steady.

“Grandma,” I whisper brokenly as I sit down on the side of her bed. My tears flow almost immediately. A slight hiccup escapes as I try to hold back a sob.

“Don’t cry for me, sweetheart. I don’t need your tears. I’ve had a long, beautiful run. I’m ready to see your grandfather.”

“I’m not ready to say goodbye, though.” My lip trembles again, and I bite it to keep it still.

“I’ll always be with you, Lily Grace. I love you more than life itself. I need you to promise me something.”

“Anything.”

“That you’ll live life to the fullest. That you’ll make mistakes and take chances. Don’t hold back because I know you’re meant for more .”

“Please don’t leave me.” I sob.

“I can’t stay, child. That was the deal, one that I’d make over and over again to save you, but I need you to be okay.”

“How am I supposed to be okay without you?”

“That man right there.” She points to Luka in the doorway, close enough if I need him but far enough away to give us our privacy. “Let him help you. Don’t be stubborn like your mother.”

I laugh at her soft jab at my mom. It was exactly like her to do something like that on her deathbed.

“Promise me,” she whispers, losing the strength to talk.

“I promise.” I lean forward to kiss her on the cheek. Before I pull back, I whisper the last words I’ll ever get to say to my grandmother. “Thank you for saving me. I love you.”

Her face relaxes, her grip on my hand loosens, and just like that, she’s gone. I double over as silent, full-body sobs overtake my body when the person I loved most in the world leaves me.

Luka surrounds me, holding me together on the darkest day of my life. I’m even more thankful to have him now, but I’m more grateful for the woman who sacrificed it all to save me. For her, I am eternally indebted.