Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 100628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 503(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 335(@300wpm)
“Someone thought that the weight of the club might hold some sway,” Callie said, her eyes on Rumi.
“You did this?” I asked in confusion as Rumi looked at the ground in embarrassment and scratched the back of his neck. “Rumi?”
“I still want to get married,” he blurted, his ears turning red as all the women looked at him. “But—” He shrugged. “But if she signed, keepin’ Bird was a sure thing. I thought it was a good idea to try.”
Letting the envelope dangle in my fingers, I went to him, tears filling my eyes. “Are you always going to fix everything?” I asked, wrapping my arms around his waist. “What the hell, Rum?”
“You’re still gonna marry me, right?” he said, wrapping his hands around my skull to tip my head back. “I already found you a ring.”
“Yes,” I whispered, smiling. He sounded so nervous. “But not today.”
“You sure?”
“We’ve got time,” I reminded him.
“You’re not movin’ out,” he said as if the idea had just occurred to him. “You and Bird are livin’ with me, right?”
“I doubt I could afford anywhere else,” I joked.
“You’re fuckin’ hilarious,” he muttered, leaning down to kiss me. “Love you, sugar.”
“Love you, too.”
Rumi’s eyes were full of emotion as he wiped my cheeks gently. “Go say goodbye to your nana, baby. I’ll get Bird, yeah?”
The women kept their distance as I walked Nana to her car, and Rumi wrapped Bird in a bear hug, holding Bird against his chest.
“I’ll leave my keys at the front desk,” Nana reminded me. She pulled me into a tight hug, letting go before I was ready. Then she climbed into her car and backed out of the driveway. She didn’t look back.
I walked to Rumi and joined their hug.
On the same day that Nana was lost to us, if only for a while—I had papers in my hand that said Bird was safe and I was engaged for all of the right reasons.
Life was such a contradiction sometimes, but I’d take it.
Epilogue
Nova
It was almost three years to the day since Nana had turned herself in to the police, and I found myself sitting in the grass, enjoying the sun on my face as I tried to remember how to make a daisy chain with the flowers I’d piled in my lap.
“Hey, sweet thing, you got a boyfriend?” a voice called from behind me.
Grinning, I tilted my head back to look at Rumi. “Nope.”
He smiled back. “What are you doin’ out here?” he asked, reaching down to help me to my feet. “Am I late? I thought we said noon? I was just headed home.”
“You’re not late,” I replied, leaning against him. “I figured I’d pick you up instead. Anxious, I guess.”
“Big day,” he said, kissing me.
“Really big day,” I agreed. “You ready?”
“Almost.” He took a step backward. “You look pretty.”
I shrugged.
“Give me just a sec,” he said, lifting his finger. “I’ll meet you at the car.”
I watched him skeptically as he jogged back to the clubhouse and disappeared inside. Seconds later, he came back out holding a massive bouquet of flowers.
“You rob a florist?” I asked, grinning. The memory of him bringing me flowers in the hospital only caused a twinge of sadness anymore. It was overshadowed by the memory of him showing up for me then and every time since.
“I guess I’m a little anxious, too,” he said sheepishly as he put his hand on my lower back and ushered me to the car. “You call ahead to Bird’s school?”
“Before I got here,” I confirmed, tossing him the keys as I climbed into the passenger side of my new car.
“Good. They always take forever to call him into the office.” He got into the driver’s seat. “Hold these?”
I took the flowers from his hand. “Because they don’t appreciate you taking him out early from summer school to go fishing,” I replied dryly.
Bird had fallen behind just like he feared he would, but since that point, he’d excelled so much that his teachers were a little in awe of him. The crazy kid chose to go to summer school so that he could keep jumping ahead in his classes. Rumi and I had spent so many nights arguing about it in bed after my little brother had gone to sleep. We’d unconsciously agreed not to fight in front of Bird. We didn’t raise our voices, and we never left the house angry.
Rumi thought that Bird should be spending his time hanging with friends during the summer which was why he showed up to break Bird out to go to the river at least once a week. I’d thought that letting Bird make the choice was better for him. My baby brother hadn’t been able to control much in his short life—I didn’t see any harm in letting him choose to go to school in the summer if that’s what he wanted.