“Think, kiddo. That’s it.” She gets up, places a kiss on my forehead, and leaves me with a thick black cloud of ominous thoughts.

The next night, I’ve just turned off the lights when I hear Mom’s footsteps outside my door, followed by her rushing inside. “Tums, wake up. Grandpop just collapsed. We’re rushing him to the hospital.”

A day has passed and Grandpop still hasn’t opened his eyes.

“Be prepared for anything.” Dr. Hoot has repeated the line to us several times now.

But how do you prepare yourself for losing a loved one?

Right now, I’m standing outside Grandpop’s room, waiting to see him. We have permission to go in but only one person at a time. When Dad comes out, there’s a grim line on his face. He pats my cheeks, but that’s the only comfort I get. He doesn’t tell me that Grandpop will be okay.

On shaky feet, I reach the bedside. I want to hold Grandpop’s soft hand, but I’m scared to disturb the needle coming out of it. So, I hold his finger like I used to as a kid.

“I’ll do anything if you come back to us, Grandpop. I promise.” My heart skips a beat when I feel a twitch of his finger. “Grandpop!”

His eyes flutter and I rush out of the room to call Dad and Dr. Hoot.

“Talk to Lukas, Dad,” I whisper when it’s just me and my parents in the waiting room.

“Tums.” Dad heaves a sigh. “You imagined it, sweetheart. Your grandfather isn’t responding.”

When Dr. Hoot checked Grandpop, they found no change in his condition and chalked up my observation to wishful thinking. But I know what I saw.

“Please, Dad. Maybe we can do something, just until Grandpop…” The word dies doesn’t come out of my mouth.

Dad raises an eyebrow. “You mean…pretend?”

“No. Not pretend.” My heart hammers against my rib cage. I can’t lie to Grandpop, not on his last days.

“Is it possible, Jasper?” Mom, who has been quiet the whole time, speaks in a small voice.

“This is crazy, Laura. Lukas will never agree, and it’s…wrong. It’s wrong for you, tums.”

But how can something that will make Grandpop’s passing smoother be wrong?

A week later, while Grandpop is still in the hospital, Lukas and I stand outside our inn. Dad’s holding a camera, recording what’s probably the saddest wedding in the history of weddings so Grandpop can see it later tonight.

Mr. Big, our concierge at the inn, officiates the wedding. And when it’s time to exchange rings, my mom hands us two wedding bands.