“I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Yes, you could have.”
Claire looked at him.
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do.”
His voice was certain.
“You’re a survivor, Claire. You always have been.”
She smiled.
“Maybe.”
They stood in comfortable silence, sipping their tea.
Finally, Edward spoke.
“I have something to tell you.”
Claire looked at him.
“What?”
“I’ve been thinking about the future. About what happens when I’m gone.”
“Grandpa—”
“Let me finish.”
She closed her mouth.
“I’ve updated my will. Everything goes to you and Lily. The house. The cottage. The investments. All of it.”
Claire’s breath caught.
“You don’t have to—”
“I want to.”
His eyes were steady.
“You’re my family, Claire. You and Lily. And I want to make sure you’re taken care of. Always.”
Tears streamed down Claire’s face.
“Thank you.”
Edward pulled her into a hug.
“You don’t have to thank me. This is what family does.”
Claire held onto him and cried.
Not from grief.
