The party went off as well as could be expected, but Walker forgot about his stuffy ‘friends’ and what they had to say about his lodge and the restaurant. He’d seen Jaylyn several times throughout the day, and her mood shifted from happy to downright pissed off. He asked her about it once everyone had gone home, but she shrugged it off and put on a fake smile.

That was over a week ago and she’d barely been alone with him since.

The notion that one of his ladies had figured out that Jaylyn lived there and might have said something to her about it crossed his mind, but he didn’t feel the urge to call and ask each one if they’d harassed his staff. None of them could know what really went on between him and Jaylyn. If word reached his father, their quickly budding relationship would fall apart in a shot and he would lose everything, along with the restaurant.

Evening had settled in, and he walked inside after spending all afternoon playing with the dogs and trying to clear his head. His hope was to coax Jaylyn outside, too, but she remained tucked away in the kitchen. He’d just opened the door when he heard a gasp and glass shattering.

“Jaylyn?” He raced through the mudroom and saw her clutching her cell in one hand, standing barefoot amidst a pile of broken glass from whatever she dropped.

She didn’t say a word, but he heard someone talking on the other end of the line. Tears streamed down her face and she looked ready to collapse. Walker lifted her quickly out of the glass and sank with her to the floor as she buried her face in his shirt, mumbling, “No,” over and over again.

Walker’s heart sank as he understood what the phone call must be and placed it to his ear. “This is Walker Allard. Jaylyn’s not in a state to speak. Who is this?”

“Gertie,” the woman said through her own tears. “I’m the nurse taking care of…or was taking care of her father. He passed away this morning, about twenty minutes ago.”

“What?” he asked, shocked.

“I know, we were all surprised. It was so sudden.”

“I thought he was doing better?”

“He was, but he didn’t make it. Mariah Wilson is here. Can you bring her daughter and get them both safely home?”

“Yes…yes, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” He hung up in a state of numb shock. “Jaylyn?”

“He can’t be dead,” she rasped, shaking her head violently. “He can’t be dead! I can’t… I don’t want to say goodbye to him!” She sobbed and he pulled her into his lap, rocking her gently as he soothed her the best he could, whispering in her ear that everything would be fine.

The day his mother died, he had been a wreck. He understood the heart-wrenching pain of losing a parent unexpectedly and far too soon. They sat on that floor as she cried and sputtered words he couldn’t really hear but didn’t need to. He knew what she meant. Her pain washed over him, and all he could do was hold her tight and wait for her to be able to stand again.

“We need to get to the hospital,” he whispered.

“No—no, I don’t want to see him like that,” she muttered. “I can’t.”

“Your mother is there, and she’s hurting like you. She needs you now.” He held her shoulders and stared firmly at her. “You both lost someone today. You won’t get through this unless you support each other.”

“How?” She wiped angrily at her face. “How can I be strong for her? I can’t even stand.”

He hoisted her to her feet and held both her hands in his. “I’m going to be right beside you. Whatever you need, you let me know.” He waited for her to nod that she understood and then he looked around. “Where’s your purse? We’re going to head to the hospital now.”

She mumbled something about it being upstairs and glanced down at her feet. “I need shoes.”

He told her to stay where she was and he would find her sneakers and her purse. Once he had them, he helped her slip into the sneakers, and carrying her purse, he guided her out of the house to his truck. He made sure she was belted in and drove as quickly as he could to the hospital. He wasn’t sure where Mariah would be, but as soon as they stepped through the doors, she was there to grab her daughter, and they hugged, sobbing together. A nurse stood by—the one Walker assumed had called him—and she squeezed his arm.

“Thank you for being here for them.”

“Anything they need,” he promised. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”

“No one can, but it was peaceful, while he slept.” Gertie smiled sadly as she added, “He even had a smile on his face as if he was ready to go and just…drifted away.”

With one arm around each other, Mariah and Jaylyn stepped towards Walker. “You are truly a blessing to this family,” she whispered. “I hope you know that.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Wilson. Jaylyn means a lot to me and so does her family. I don’t want either of you to worry about anything while you grieve, so please, whatever you need. If you need me to call people, make arrangements, I can help.”

Mariah squinted at him. “You’ve lost someone before, haven’t you?”

“My mother, many years ago.”

She patted his cheek softly. “You must take after her.”

“That I do.” He held her hand to his face and smiled. “Are you ready to go home, or did you need to finish up here?”

“No, I think we’re ready. The next few days won’t be easy, and there’s no point in putting everything off. We have to deal with it sometime, and it might as well be now,” she said strongly and pulled herself upright. “Lyn? You know your dad was so proud of you. Still is. He said it a few times yesterday and told me to remind you to be happy.”

Jaylyn’s eyes shimmered with more tears, but she wiped them away on her sleeve. “And I will be, somehow. Let’s get you home, Mom.”

Walker followed them out of the hospital, his chest tight and heart heavy. If he could take away Jaylyn’s pain, her sadness, he would in a heartbeat. But she had to face this head on and move through the grief. All he could do was be a good shoulder to lean on.

* * *

As the next few days dragged by and the funeral for Darien Wilson finally arrived, Jaylyn wondered how she would ever have made it through without Walker’s help. She panicked when she realized the apartment her mom lived in was far too small to host anyone after the funeral took place. Walker told her the night before he was shutting down Jaybird’s Roost so they could hold the gathering there. She tried to argue, saying his father would be pissed, but Walker had very sternly told her to shut up and let him worry about Leo.

“That place is your dad’s legacy,” he’d told her. “It’s only right that you should get the chance to say goodbye to him there.”

The sun shone as they went from the funeral home to the cemetery and laid Darien to rest in the ground. Jaylyn and Mariah held hands during the entire ceremony, tears falling silently down their faces, but they didn’t last long. Jaylyn had cried so much since she’d heard the news, she wondered how she had anything left to pour out. Her dad was gone. The idea was strange, thinking she wouldn’t see him at the apartment or at the restaurant, or hear his voice in her ear when she called. He was gone.

A cool breeze blew across her face as the last of the people tossed roses on the coffin lowered into the ground.

“Now, let’s go say goodbye to your father the only way he would’ve wanted.”

Jaylyn smirked as they walked away from the gravesite towards the car waiting to take them to the restaurant. She saw Walker leaning by his truck, talking to Hannah and Frankie. He waved when he caught her eye, and she smiled, unable to think of how to repay him for all the kindness he’d shown her. Frankie wasn’t smiling, but he hadn’t decked the guy yet so she assumed they were getting along. She’d spoken to Frankie a couple of times, and they’d apologized to each other for their spat. He and Hannah had been over the night before, toasting Darien with shots of whiskey until Jaylyn fell asleep on the couch.

“That Walker man, I think he likes you,” Mariah said once they were in the back seat of the car.

“We’re good friends,” Jaylyn said, but her mom grinned. “What?”

“You’re sleeping with him, and don’t bother asking me how I know. I just do.” She patted her hand and sighed. “I’m happy you listened to your dad, about worrying about being happy rather than getting the restaurant back.”

Jaylyn leaned on her mom’s shoulder. “We both tried, I think, to fight it, but it’s like we were pulled to each other no matter what we did.”

“I know the feeling.”

“I’m worried it won’t end the way we want.”

“It’s better to go after the things you want in case they do work out,” she said. “I wanted you to know that I like him, too. And so did your dad. He swore up and down Walker had to be adopted.”

“He said his dad changed after his mom died,” she explained. “But I’m glad he didn’t turn out like Leo. I think I would’ve given him food poisoning by now.”

They arrived at the restaurant and everyone waited respectfully for them outside. Mariah greeted them all with Jaylyn by her side. “I want to thank you all, friends and family, for being here today,” she said, her voice shaking. “I…uh, I asked Darien a while back what type of sendoff he would want, and all he did was grin. Let’s put the somberness of the day behind us and celebrate the life of Darien Wilson in true Wilson family, mid-west tradition!”

Those who knew the family or were family hooted and hollered as Mariah and Jaylyn led the way inside. When Walker asked how the gathering would go, she’d almost told him about the kegger but decided the look on his face would be worth the wait.

Music played, a mix of rock from the eighties and bluegrass country her dad was always a sucker for. Two kegs sat at the end of the bar, and drinks flowed a-plenty. Toasts were shouted out to Darien every half hour, followed by a shot of whiskey. Jaylyn was tipsy after the first two hours, flitting from one group of people to the next to hear stories about her dad. She laughed until her sides hurt, and as she stared around the restaurant he had built, she knew he would always be a part of her life and a part of this place. His blood, sweat, and tears were in every board of this building, and no one could take that away.

Hannah and Frankie waved to her from a corner booth, and she hurried to them, giggling as she slipped into the seat beside Hannah. “I think Dad would be quite proud to see how many people are already drunk.”

“How are you holding up?” Hannah asked, hugging her.

“I’m good. Sad, and I miss him like hell, but I’m good.” The first few days had been the hardest. She hadn’t been able to say goodbye to her dad the way she wanted. But then she’d think about the day at the hospital when he’d kicked her out of his room. He’d been saying goodbye that day. She just hadn’t wanted to hear it. “I think part of me knew he wouldn’t last the year, or didn’t want to. He was in too much pain.”

“He was worried about your mom,” Frankie told her. “I spoke to him a few times, and he admitted he didn’t want to spend years wasting away and watching it tear Mariah and you apart.”

Jaylyn wiped quickly at her eyes and cleared her throat roughly. “To Darien, always thinking of others before himself. And responsible for all the drunks in this room today.”

They toasted him and took another round of whiskey shots.

“Damn, I’m going to feel like shit tomorrow,” Jaylyn said with a laugh. “Life will be weird.”

“But you have us,” Hannah reminded her, “and you have Walker.”

Jaylyn picked at the table cloth. “And you two are all right with that?”

Frankie nodded. “I am. You’ve been happier with him, but I’m not going to lie. You’re in a weird situation with him and his…whatever they are.”

“I know, but I’m actually not worried about it.”

“I say we toast to that.” Hannah waved her arm for more shots, but Jaylyn shook her head.

“I think I’ll get some air for a few minutes, try to get my head to stop spinning.” She pushed herself out of the booth and headed to the outdoor patio. No one was out there, and she leaned on the railing, watching the sunset through the trees. The air was cool and she shivered, rubbing her hands up her arms, when a warm jacket fell over her shoulders. Without turning, she knew it was Walker. His woodsy cologne filled her nose and his presence comforted her. She leaned back and he was there to hold her up. “Thanks for this, all of it.”

“It seemed fitting,” he said, his voice rumbling in his chest and vibrating through her back. “I didn’t realize you had such colorful sendoffs for your family members.”

“Yeah, old tradition. We always have a kegger.”

“We had my mother’s in a pub,” he told her, and she heard the smile in his voice. “Quite a few drunk relatives stumbled home that night.”

His hands rested on either side of her body on the railing, and they stood in companionable silence, watching as the sky darkened.

“I’m not sure when I’ll be normal again,” she whispered after a while. “It’s so surreal.”

“You won’t be normal,” he replied. “At least not in the way you think. It’ll take time. You’ll have your good days and your shit days, but you’ll get through it with time.” He kissed the top of her head sweetly and held her in his arms, snug and safe. “And as far as I’m concerned, you don’t have to cook a damn thing in my house anymore.”

She frowned and tilted her head so she could stare up at his face. “What would I do?”

“Live there, with me.”

“Just like that? As what exactly?”

He seemed to be mulling over something to say when he settled with, “Do you trust me?”

Jaylyn did, without a doubt. “Of course.”

“Good. I’ve been working on something, but today’s not the day I want to add any more worries to your plate. Today’s for your dad and your family.”

“Will I get to know soon?” she pushed, hoping he’d tell her more.

“When you’re ready, then yes, you’ll know.”

“I’d better,” she added and relaxed into his arms. “Pretty sunset. A fitting way to end today. Dad was always a sunset kind of man.”

They remained on the patio until the sun disappeared. Hannah and Frankie came out to find them. The music played even louder and dancing had broken out in the restaurant as tables were pushed aside to make room. Jaylyn let herself go for the rest of the night, knowing this was exactly how her dad would’ve wanted them spending this day. Celebrating his life with a party to commemorate his adventurous spirit, his wild side. Walker joined in, dancing beside her and even dancing with Frankie at one point. Jaylyn couldn’t thank him or her friends enough for being there for her and it made the day not so sad.