Griffin

As the door closed behind Hadley, I gave Travis my full attention. I wouldn’t disrespect him by only half paying attention. I needed him to believe I was fully committed to his daughter and meant every word I said. I saw his grimace as his smile faded. Goddamn, here it comes. He’s gonna threaten me to leave her alone. I thought Mark said he was alright with us being in a relationship. I had news for him, there was nothing he could do to make me give her up. The only way that happened was if she didn’t want me, and from what I’d experienced so far, that wasn’t happening.

“Griffin, I need you to listen very carefully to me. I need you to understand what I’m about to tell you. And I don’t want you to say a word to Hadley. Do you agree? I want you to swear on the life of your best friends you’ll keep this private.”

“Travis, I can’t promise that. If you think threats or bribes will make me leave her alone, you’re mistaken. I won’t do anything like that to her and lie about it. She’s too smart to fall for it anyway.”

“You’re right. She’s too smart. It’s her smartness that’s made this so hard to do. I swear it’s not me trying to separate the two of you. It’s information so you know what you’re up against and so you can protect her. Will you agree for this reason? At least for now, it needs to be a secret.” He sounded tired, and I heard the pleading in his tone.

“Why don’t you tell me, and then we’ll see? I can’t blindly promise. I’m sorry.”

He sighed and nodded. “Okay, here goes. You know this project is on an accelerated timeline.”

“Yeah, Uncle Sam is impatient to get it. I understand why and the amount of work it’s going to take to make it happen—or at least as much as I can as a non-scientific person. I don’t have your or her brains.”

He gave me a faint smile. “I lied. The timeline wasn’t imposed by Uncle Sam. It was all me,” he said bluntly, which stunned me.

“Why would you do that to yourself and her?” was my first question.

“Because I had to make sure it would be completed in time.”

“In time for what? Is there a threat coming we don’t know about?”

“Yes, I guess you could call it a threat. I don’t know how much more time I have, Griffin. Time is running out.”

“Running out? I don’t understand.”

He paused, then blew my mind. “I’m dying, Griffin. I’m dying and I need this to be done before I do. I need time to have nothing distracting us so she and I can spend as much time as we can once it’s done without focusing on another project. I want to spend my last weeks or months with her.”

My stomach dropped, and a sick feeling filled me. I might not have known them long, but I knew how much she loved her dad and how much he loved her. It would kill her to lose him. I grasped at straws. “Have you gotten a second opinion? Maybe your doctor is wrong.”

He shook his head. “No, it’s a certainty. I’ve consulted with the top doctors in not only the country but the world. They’re all consulting on my case, and so far, they’ve helped me to hide it and slow it down. If it became known I was sick, the company would potentially falter. The public could panic, and so could the board. I can’t let my legacy to her be an empty one, but even more than that, I can’t bear to watch her suffer, knowing I’m dying. She’d try to give up her life to take care of me, and I don’t want her to.”

“You have to tell her. I can’t keep this from her.”

“Please just wait until we catch whoever is making the threats and who broke into our home and the company. Knowing you as I do from Anderson, I have every confidence you and your company will figure it out soon. If it’s not done in the next two weeks, then I’ll tell her.”

“Why only two weeks?”

“Because that’s how long it’ll take for all the legal things I’ve put into play to be finalized. By then, the company, all stocks, all rights, and property, everything will be hers as well as she’ll be the one to make my medical decisions if I become incapacitated. Plus, it’ll give you time to help me get even more security in place for her. I need her to be safe, son.”

“I’ll make sure she’s safe no matter what. Do you mind if I ask how much time they gave you and what’s your diagnosis?”

“Time can be a few months to a year max, although it isn’t likely to be a year. I have myelodysplastic syndrome, MDS, which is a fancy name for a group of disorders that affect my bone marrow. It can no longer make normal blood cells. My marrow isn’t making red blood cells to move oxygen throughout my body, clotting cells, or white blood cells to help me fight infections.

“Isn’t that what leukemia is?”

“Those with MDS are at risk of having it progress to acute myeloid leukemia, AML. Some debate AML is the natural progression of MDS, not a separate disease. Regardless, mine is very advanced, and yes, I have AML. They suspected I had it for many years, but it was never found. The symptoms I dismissed as normal weren’t. My hectic and stressful lifestyle explained most. Fatigue, sometimes getting weak, short of breath, and lightheaded. I would bruise easily. I ignored it and brushed it off. Even when I’d get sick with an infection, I’d just say it was due to stress lowering my immune system.”

“How long have you had it? How do they know it’s not treatable?”

“I’ve known for a year. They said it’s more common in people aged fifty-eight to seventy-five, which is where I fall. They tried the typical treatments. I’ve had growth factors that were to help my bone marrow make my blood cells and platelets. I had injections for a while, and then after that were blood transfusions. Eventually, we tried immunotherapy. It was hard to hide the effects of those. By the time we decided those weren’t working, chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant, or a stem cell transplant weren’t viable options, and I was tired. I don’t want to spend the last few months of my life in worthless treatments.”

I had to close my eyes for a moment. This was going to devastate Hadley. How could I keep this from her for even two weeks?

“I know what I’m asking you, and I wouldn’t if I thought it wasn’t important. She should be done with the project by then, too. If she knew now, she’d be too distracted to work on it, and I’d be too tired to do it. We can’t let our service men and women down. This will save lives.”

“I agree it’s important, but so is your daughter’s knowledge of what she’s soon to face. You have to tell her. Now.”

He shook his head. “No, I can’t. You have to give me two weeks. I’m begging you. If you do, I won’t voice a single objection to your relationship. I know that might not mean much to you, but it does to her. Please.”

I sat there in agony for I don’t know how long. I debated all the pros and cons of it in my head and even aloud with him. It was with great reluctance that I finally gave him an answer. “I’ll keep it from her for two weeks max, but I have to share it with my team. I need their help to prepare her security and to help support her when the time comes. If I do this, then I need a few things from you.”

“Anything.”

“You’ll stop work immediately and come to Hampton once this is over. I want her to have a chance to see where I live and if she can live there or not. She won’t do it if you’re sick and in Fairfax, and I wouldn’t blame her. You’ll come with her and let us take care of you. There will be no bullshit out of you. You’ll give her this. I’ll ensure your safety and help her to cope.”

“Done.”

“I’m not done. I plan to ask her to marry me. If she agrees, then I want to have the wedding as soon as possible. I know she’ll want you there, and if you’re able, you can walk her down the aisle. If you can’t walk, we’ll wheel or carry you. You’ll give her away and into my keeping.”

“If she agrees to marry you, then yes.”

“You need to know before we get married. I want her lawyer or yours, whichever, to draw up a prenuptial agreement that will protect all her money and assets. I want nothing she has, and I don’t want anyone to think I married her for any of it. Our children will inherit everything.”

“You plan to have kids?” I heard the excitement in his voice. I smiled and nodded.

“You probably don’t want to hear this, but if I could get her pregnant tomorrow, I would. We’ve already discussed it. I’m thirty-eight years old. I’m ready for a family. I didn’t know it for sure until I met her. I can promise you I’ll love and cherish her.”

Tears filled his eyes and streamed down his face. It made me feel bad to make him cry but by the expression on his face, they were tears of relief and happiness. I could handle those. “I couldn’t be happier. Deal. Now, let me get myself cleaned up. Then we need to call her back in here to reassure her we’re good. Thank you. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“I can guess. I just hope she forgives me for not telling her.”

“We could lie and say I never told you.”

“Nope, I refuse to lie to her even to spare her feelings or me her wrath.”

“Good. That’s the answer I was hoping for.”