Fumbled Hearts (Tender Hearts #1)

by Meagan Brandy

“That nurse said I have to say goodbye to you. Doesn’t she know we don’t do goodbyes?” My attempted laugh comes out as a broken whimper and I quickly slam my free hand against my mouth to hide the sound, then force myself to look at his face. He looks like my Papa, but he doesn’t. His big blue eyes are closed, not shining and bright. His ever-present laugh lines, nowhere to be found. I just want to hear his voice, see him smile. Just one more time. Beep. I squeeze his hand. I’m here. “I’m…scared, Papa. I don’t know how to be brave.” I nod my head frantically. “But I will be.” I reach up and run my fingers over his silver eyebrows. “For you, I will be. Always.” I let my hand slide down his face. “You can go to sleep...” More tears stream down my face, but I have to be brave. “Go to sleep, and I’ll wake up for you.”

“I always liked the rain,” I tell him, looking out over the hillside. The wind’s blowing slightly, just enough for the limbs of the trees - some leafless, others full - to bounce around. “Yeah?” “Yeah. It’s a random escape, the rain.” “How so?” His fingers reach out and he pushes my wet hair over my shoulder, leaving his warm hand to rest there. “It comes and goes as it pleases, taking with it the remains of the day or the hours before, washing away all traces of attendance, all the memories. Nothing is as powerful as the rain.”