Then I remembered his frightening words.
“Jake, what did your mother tell you never to tell me?”
He took a deep breath.
“She said we shouldn’t mention hearing you cry at night because it was private. But I heard you telling Grandpa how lonely you were.”
His voice broke.
“I got scared, Grandma. I wanted to make you happy again.”
I wrapped my arms around him.
For days, I had feared the worst, never imagining that behind that closed door, two children were secretly trying to comfort me.
But they had also been carrying a sadness too heavy for their age.
“Jake, sweetheart, listen carefully. You don’t have to fix my sadness. I’m the grown-up. You can always talk to me, even about Grandpa.”
“But I don’t want you to be lonely,” he sobbed.
“I’m not alone when I have people who love me.”
Then I kissed Lily’s forehead.
