Zarah

As we were lying in bed, I started to wonder about Jason's parents. That was one topic that we ever really talked about and now I find myself wanting to know about them.

"Jason?"

"Yeah babe?"

"I was just wondering..."

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering you know... About your parents..."

"Ahhh, I was wondering when that topic was going to come up," he said lightly.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to..."

He hugged me tighter. "you can ask me anything sweetheart. What do you want to know?"

"Anything. Everything..."

"Well... They died in a car accident when I was 16. Luke was 19, and Ethan was 14. It was raining hard that night. The roads were slippery and report said that the car lost control and skidded off the road and fell into the ravine. My grandpa took care of us ever since. He died 4 years ago."

"I'm so sorry. It must have been very difficult for all of you to lose your parents so young."

He nodded. "Yes it was hard, but thankfully we had each other and gramps. Our family has always been close. Gramps made sure that we remembered them for the good things and not the tragic accident. He made sure that we grieved as a family. He said that it was better to let it out than keep it all bottled inside. But it wasn't always like that. We were in a pretty bad place at first. We weren't talking. We were like robots. So one day, gramps has had enough. So he took us down to the garage, gave us all a baseball bat and told us to smash the car and let all our rage out. He gave us gears of course, to protect ourselves. He said we weren't allowed to come leave the garage until we have let all our anger out and are ready to talk to each other. Of course we all looked at him like he had gone crazy," he chuckled lightly."

I smiled. "and then?"

"Once he left us there, we all looked at each other and then the car and back at each other. We kind of had a silent conversation and then that was it. We started smashing and hitting the car with the baseball bat. At first, we were kind of testing out how it felt. Then before we knew it, we just kept hitting and hitting, and hitting. We didn't stop until we could no longer lift the bat with our hands. We fell to the ground at the same time and cried. We cried for what seemed like forever."

I sniffed and I too, started crying.

"Hey, don't cry Angel. I'm okay now. We're all okay. Really," he said as he wiped away my tears.

I sniffed. "what happened after that?"

"My grandpa came back a couple hours later. He didn't seem surprised as he looked at the damage we had done to the car. We totalled the car, and I'm not exaggerating. He looked at all of us and opened his arms and we all rushed in. He hugged us so tight and told us that it's going to be okay because he loved us and he will always be there for us. He told us that it's okay to cry and be angry. He said that it's better to let it out than keep it hidden inside. He said that we should always talk about how we are feeling to each other, because that's what families are for."

"Your grandfather seemed like a very intelligent man."

He chuckled. "He was. He was the best. As much as the business world new him as the ruthless business tycoon, he really was a kind and loving man. He's just a giant teddy bear, who knew how to make wise business decisions. He was ruthless in that way. But one of the things that I admire most about him is that he was fair. He treated people fairly. He said honour and trust is what matters most. He said that there are already too many people in the world who has neither, and he doesn't want to be that man."

I smiled. "I think I would have liked him."

"He would have loved you," he said.

I smiled.

"He must have been so proud of you... Of all of you. Seeing everything that you have accomplished at such a young age."

He smiled. "Career wise yes. He was proud, but when it comes to our personal lives, now that is a whole different story."

I chuckled.

"He would have been so disappointed in me..." He trailed off.

I frowned. "What makes you say that?"

"He would have given me grief about the way I treated you," he said.

"Just me? What about all those women before me?" I teased.

"I told you Angel, none of them mattered to me. None of them meant anything to me. They new the deal before we got involved. You, you're different. I love you. I loved you then and I treated you badly..." He said. Pain and regret in his eyes.

"Hey... It's in the past remember?"

He smiled weakly. "He told me that once I find the one, I should make sure that I do everything I can to keep her."

"Is that right? So should I be expecting you to follow your grandfathers advice?"

He laughed. "Definitely. I'm not letting you go, Angel."

"Good."

"I think that that's the one thing that my grandfather regrets..."

"What do you mean?"

"My grandmother wasn't the love of his life," he said.

"I don't understand..."

"My grandfather fell in love with a girl named Katherine. His parents didn't approve of her because she came from a poor family. And he was already arranged to be married to my grandmother. My grandmother on the other hand fell in love with my grandfather the first time they met. The wedding was already arranged. At first, gramps told his parents that he wasn't going to marry my grandmother, but in the end he did. He said that the family business was in jeopardy at the time and the only way to save it was to marry my grandmother. So he did. He turned his back on the woman he loved and married my grandmother instead."

"That's heartbreaking," I sniffed.

He nodded. "He said that he loved my grandmother, but not in the way that a husband should love his wife and my grandmother knew that. But she loved him and she didn't want to let him go. When Gramps told me that story that's when I understood why grandma was saying sorry to him right before she died. She kept saying she was sorry for being selfish and that he needed to find her."

"Her meaning Katherine?"

He nodded. "I asked gramps what happened to Katherine when he married grandma. He said he didn't know. He said she left once he told her that he was going to marry grandma and he never saw her again."

"Your grandfather should have fought for Katherine," I said and then slapped my hand over mouth. "Sorry... I..."

He chuckled. "Don't worry, when I heard that I thought the same thing. I think that's also why my grandfather told me that when I find the woman I love, I should do everything and anything to keep her. I think he didn't want me to go through that heartbreak... And to think I almost lost you."

I smiled. "I'm here now... But wait. Your grandma told your grandfather to find Katherine. Did he?"

He nodded sadly. "Yes. She died a few months after gramps married my grandmother. She was pregnant with their child. Katherine actually wrote him a letter before she left, telling him that she was pregnant. Apparently, she begged him in that letter to choose her."

"But he didn't..."

"He didn't get the letter," he said.

"He didn't?" I asked.

"No. My grandmother hid the letter from gramps because she knew he would have gone to Katherine and left her."

"My goodness..."

"I know. I never thought grandma could do such a thing. But I guess she was desperate and so in love."

"Your grandfather must have been so devastated when he found out."

He nodded. "He was. You know what he said before he died. He said, he's been waiting for that moment so that he can finally be with his love. His Katherine."

I smiled as my tears rolled down my cheek.

"I guess that's why he was so different when he had his own kid. He didn't want to be like his parents. The way they controlled his life. He didn't want his kid to go through what he did. He wanted my dad to follow his own dreams and live his life the way he wanted to."

"That's understandable. He knew how it feels to not be able to do what will make you happy."

He nodded, "He said that as much as he loved Katherine and although he wished many times that he had fought for her, every time he looked at my dad, and me and my brother's, he couldn't find it in himself to regret anything because he loved us. He also said that that's why he was able to forgive my grandmother in the end. He said she gave him the greatest gift. My father."

I was sobbing by the time Jason finished talking.

"Hey. Shh. Don't cry," he said as he wiped away his tears.

"I can't help it. That's so sad..."

He smiled and kissed my forehead. "Think about it this way, it's a good thing he ended up marrying my grandma though. Or else I wouldn't have been born and I wouldn't have had the chance to meet and fall in love you. Some other asshole would have been lying down beside you right now," He grumbled.

I laughed. "that's true."

"Thank you grandma!" He yelped.

I laughed.

He kissed me and made slow and passionate love to me that night.

As we were coming down from our high. I noticed the tears glittering in Jason's eyes.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

He blinked and smiled. "I'm fine really. I just really love you and I'm just so thankful that I have you back in my life Angel," he said.

I smiled and my own tears welled up in my eyes.

We kissed each other deeply.

We held each other until we both fell asleep.