Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Now, though, he’s just…gone. And while I know letting him go was the right decision, it left me in a limbo of sorts. I’m a widow now, and Eric is just a memory instead of someone I can see and touch and talk to, even if he couldn’t talk back.
“Mom, watch!” Jasmine calls as she jumps into the pool with her arms in the air and legs kicking to the side.
I smile, filled with love for my vibrant daughter. Without her, I don’t know that I would have survived what happened to Eric. On days I don’t feel like I can do and be everything I need to, I look at her and know that I can. She’s been through more than any child should have to experience. Not only did she never know her father as more than a man in a coma, but she had to watch as I grieved his loss, breaking down in tears out of nowhere in the weeks leading up to terminating his life support.
“He’s already gone, Mom,” she told me one day, putting her arms around me as I wept.
Such wisdom. She was right, but even when you know you have to let go, actually doing it is brutal.
“Come swim with us,” Jasmine calls out to me. “Please?”
Even though I’m tired, her hopeful expression is too much for me to deny. “Okay, I’ll go get changed.”
“Mom’s swimming with us!” she says, turning to Pike.
“Does anyone want anything from inside?” I ask.
“Can you grab my water bottle?” Indie asks. “I think I left it on the kitchen island.”
“Me and Nolan want juice boxes,” Jasmine says.
Nolan just looks at her adoringly. Anything she says, he goes along with. And Jasmine is one of those kids who is just a natural leader, for better or worse. She recently convinced Nolan to let her practice her haircutting skills on him, and she has no skills. Hence a trip to the barber for a buzz cut and many apologies to Indie, who laughed it off and said she’d be showing the pictures of Jasmine’s “haircut” to Nolan’s future wife one day.
“If you bring me a Corona with a lime, you’ll be my favorite sister,” Pike calls right before he submerges to swim to the other end of the pool.
I’m his only sister, but he still uses that line often.
I shake my head and walk into the house to grab the swimsuit I keep in Pike and Indie’s laundry room. After changing into the red tankini in the downstairs bathroom, I go to the kitchen to round up the drinks. I’m just about to slice a lime for Pike’s beer when Pax walks into the kitchen. I always forget just how enormous he is until I see him again in person.
“Hey, Kylie,” he says, his expression almost sheepish. “How are you?”
“Hey, Pax, I’m good. How about you?”
He shrugs and hooks a hand behind his neck. “Can’t complain.”
“I heard you want to talk to me and Pike. If you want to swim, we can talk in the pool.” I slice up the lime quickly and glance at him. “Do you want a Corona with lime? I’m bringing Pike one.”
He looks at the beer I’m holding with longing. “I could probably use one, thanks.”
Pax is close to my brother. He used to come over often for cookouts and movie nights, but I haven’t seen him in a while. Of all my brother’s friends, I like Pax the best. Everyone notices his height and broad shoulders first, but I noticed his soft, soulful brown eyes. He always offers to help me when I’m making food or cleaning up. And something I’ll never forget is that he came to Eric’s visitation and funeral, and he sent a beautiful flower arrangement as well.
“Can I grab those?” he offers as I try to pick up all the drinks at once.
“I guess I could use some help,” I say, laughing as I knock over one of the juice boxes.
Pax picks up each drink with his huge hands, except Indie’s water bottle which I grab as I follow him to the sliding glass doors that lead to the pool.
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to you guys in private,” Pax says, pausing before we step out into the backyard.
I hesitate, wondering what he could possibly want to tell us, and then say, “Sure, no problem.”
“You might want to bring a towel to mop up the blood,” he mutters. “Because your brother’s definitely going to kill me.”
I scrunch my face, feeling both amused and confused by his reluctance. If nothing else, Pax really knows how to pique my curiosity.
“Hey, man,” Pike calls out to his teammate. “Jump in and we’ll have even teams for Marco Polo.”
Pax sighs softly. Whatever he needs to tell me and Pike, he’s clearly dreading it.