All I Want Is You (Kimani Romance) by Dara Girard Read Free Book Online Page B

breeze sweep over him. He could breathe again. Yes, he’d made the right choice to leave the city without notice. He pictured his executive assistant, Pattie Brantford, scrambling to reschedule his appointments and calm the nerves of clients and associates, but she was good at that and he knew he’d left everything in capable hands. He needed to get away from it all and regroup. Maybe he could start feeling human again. He’d been living rote for the past few years and it was wearing on him. Especially after Stacy. He should have been wary of how aggressively she’d sought him out. He’d thought it was part of her charm at the time. As someone who went after what he wanted, he admired that trait in others. That had been a big error in judgment.
    He watched the sun cascade over the lush grass and paint the top of trees a pale gold. He turned to Baxter, who looked at him with a curious expression. “Let’s go for a walk.”
    Minutes later, he walked through the early morning dew-soaked grass. Baxter was a little hesitant at first, not liking to get his paws wet, but JD gave him no choice. He wouldn’t wander toward the woods and would be more prepared this time. JD looked at the old chicken coop that now stood empty, remembering when he’d helped collect eggs as a boy. And the last walk he’d had with his dying father.
    “I’m leaving you the man of the house now,” his father said. “Look after your mother and your brother.”
    He fought back tears and nodded solemnly. “Yes, sir.”
    His father rested a heavy hand on his shoulder. “I’ve lived a good life. I wish I could stick around longer, but I guess God has other things for me to do.” He smiled, and JD knew his father wanted him to smile too, but he refused. His father was everything to him and he hated the thought of losing him.
    “I’ll be looking down on you, you know that?”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “I want you to promise me three things. You hear me?”
    He nodded.
    “You make sure your brother stays on the right path. Don’t let him break your mother’s heart. He’s a wild one and will get into trouble if he’s not watched carefully. You understand?”
    JD nodded again. He knew what his father meant. His younger brother, Donnie, was a little too much like their uncle Billy, who’d spent three years in jail for fraud.
    “Second, I want you to use that brain of yours to help people. There are enough selfish bastards in the world. I want you to leave a legacy of integrity. You have my name and I want you to use it well.” His father turned away and stared up at the sky and sighed, his energy waning. His shirt hung on his thin frame, and although the weather was nearing eighty degrees, his father wore a long-sleeve shirt and worn wool sweater because he was always cold now. JD moved closer in case his father needed to lean on him.
    His father cocked his ear. “Hear that? That’s the sound of the gray catbird. It was named for its catlike call, but it can also mimic the sound of other birds and even some mechanical sounds. It likes to hide when it sings, too. Always reminds me that things aren’t always as they seem.” He looked at JD. “Whenever you hear it, think of me. And remember that things aren’t always what they seem.”
    JD shifted from one foot to the other, feeling suddenly restless. “What’s the third thing you want me to promise?”
    His father knelt in front of him and gripped his shoulders. “Promise me you’ll fight for happiness over anything else.” He cupped his son’s chin. “I worry about you. You’re too focused, solemn and…” He sighed with frustration. “There are so many things I could show you about what life is. How you should live. I want you to smile at least twice a day, laugh at least five, whistle, listen to music.” He tightened his hold, his voice urgent. “Live. For. Me.”
    It was too much. JD looked into his father’s face and kind eyes and saw how pale the cancer had made him and how