Page 45 of Hearts of Wealth

I nodded. We quietly walked down to the waiting room. “You know, she doesn’t have any grandparents,” Timothy said. “She asked if you and I got married if John would be her grandfather since I’m not really her dad.”

I smiled, my heart warming. “He would love to be her grandfather, marriage or not.”

“I told her I had a feeling John would be happy to welcome her into the family.”

“Absolutely.” I nodded. “What happened yesterday anyway? Was the heart attack because you told him I was moving in?”

He shook his head. “No. I never got to it. When I got to the shop, I noticed he was a little gray. Luke pulled in a minute later and said John had been under the weather the last couple of days. We went outside to talk. When I walked back in, he just collapsed.”

My heart lurched at the thought of my dad collapsing. “I’m so glad you were there,” I said. “If he had been alone—”

I couldn’t finish the thought.

“Hey, it’s okay. The doctor said he’ll recover.” He took my hand and gently squeezed. “Your dad is a tough guy, Catherine. He’ll pull through this.”

I smiled gratefully at him, feeling a rush of warmth at his words. “I hope so,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

“You’ve got time,” he said.

“The doctor said he’ll be able to go home in a few days,” I said. “Doesn’t that seem too soon?”

He shrugged. “I’m sure the doctor knows what he’s doing.”

“I’ve been thinking, once my dad is discharged from the hospital, I think it would be best if I move him into my house for a while. I need to take care of him. It’s going to be a while before he’s back on his feet. I’ll have to put off moving in with you for a bit. I’m sorry.”

“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice tinged with concern. “I mean, are you going to be able to handle taking care of him on your own? I can hire a nurse for him.”

“No, no.” I shook my head. “He would never accept that. It’s going to be hard enough with me hovering over him.”

“Just let me know what I can do to help, okay?”

I felt a rush of gratitude wash over me at his words. “Thank you, Timothy,” I whispered, leaning into his touch. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

His smile widened at my words, his gaze filled with warmth. “You don’t have to thank me, Catherine,” he replied. “I’ll always be here for you, no matter what.”

“You’re not mad that I can’t move in right away?” I asked.

“Not at all,” Timothy assured me, his eyes filled with kindness. “Making sure your dad recovers is the most important thing right now.”

I knew in my heart that this was the right choice for my dad, but I had been so worried about disappointing Timothy. Things between us were so good, I didn’t want to risk it.

“Thank you for understanding,” I whispered, my voice choked with emotion.

He pulled me into a comforting embrace, saying nothing. After a few moments, we went back to my dad’s room. Paisley was still chatting away, her youthful energy filling the room with much-needed cheer, but I could see my dad was getting tired. Timothy picked up on it as well.

“Paisley, let’s go for a walk,” Timothy said.

“She’s a good kid,” Dad said. “You’ve done a good job with her. She reminds me of Catherine at that age.”

Paisley’s face lit up. “I’ll see you later, Grandpa.”

Both Timothy and I jerked back, eyes wide.

Paisley giggled. “He said it was inevitable and I may as well get used to calling him Grandpa.”

I looked at my dad, who offered a weak smile. “I’m old with half a heart, but I’m not blind.”