Peyton Brooks becomes friends with Morgan Stone, a vivacious and fun young woman. Morgan takes Peyton to the Hamptons, where her family owns a gorgeous house. Morgan's brother, a casanova with a lot of baggage, and Peyton don't get along initially...
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I struggled to sleep. The bed was surprisingly comfortable, so that wasn't the sinner. It was the silence and emptiness that made me unable to relax. I had grown so accustomed to the small sleeping noises Harry made when he slept, and the way he clung to me like I was a teddy bear. I tossed and turned most of the night until I gave up and started researching funeral costs. Mom didn't have any money, so I would have to dip into my savings to pay for something nice for her. I didn't mind doing that. I didn't know what I was saving for anyway. I had to speak to mom in one of her clear moments to hear if she had any special wishes. All the pent up anger and hurt I harboured against her was momentarily replaced by a need to make her final time on earth a good time, where she felt like she had someone, and that she wasn't dying alone in a hospital bed with absolutely nothing to show for her time on earth.
When the sun started rising around 5AM I had a shower and threw on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt from my very quickly packed suitcase. As soon as the t-shirt landed on my skin, I was hit with his scent. I had apparently packed one of Harry's t-shirts in my hurry to leave New York. The fabric fell softly on me, like a whisper of the past, wrapping me in memories of his arms around me that felt like home. I clung to the shirt, my heart aching with the sharp reminder of what I had lost. My eyes stung with tears, but I was quick to focus and remind myself that tears for Harry were out of the question right now. Mom was my main focus.
I packed my laptop, a book and a bottle of water and headed directly to the hospital. I appreciated their 24/7 policy for family members and the nurses and doctors were always so kind and warm, greeting me and assuring me that everything was going to be pain free and peaceful for mom. I slipped into her room where she was sleeping quietly. There was a comfortable armchair for me to sit in, and I loved the way it engulfed me like in a hug. I wrapped a blanket around me and opened my laptop to research where mom might enjoy her last sleeping place. I went through a checklist of things to get in order before the passing of a loved one, and suddenly it just all seemed completely overwhelming and impossible to handle. I disappeared into Harry's t-shirt like a turtle into its shell and took a couple of deep breaths as I tried to keep my shit together.
"Good morning honey," mom said softly pulling me back out of my shell.
"Hi momma," I said sweetly and took her tiny, pale hand. She was skin and bones, the cancer making her whither away in front of me. She had always been a petite woman, I took after her on that front, but she seemed impossibly small in her hospital bed. I could probably lift her out of it and cuddle her in my lap.
"How did you sleep?" I asked and stroked her hand softly. Everything hurt her, so I had to be extra gentle with her.
"I dreamt you were here, telling me that I was going to be alright," mom said and smiled weakly.
I had told her numerous times during the last week that everything was going to be alright, but I knew nothing was going to be alright for her. It was just a matter of days, hours maybe, before she would be gone and no one except me would be here for her.
