Page 67 of The Pilot

This kid. He killed her.

“You’re welcome, baby. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you happy and safe.”

“I feel the same about you. If you ever disappeared, like Marit, or Britt and Ms. Evelyn did, I wouldn’t stop looking until I found you.”

Harper wasn’t sure where this was coming from, but she nodded solemnly. “Thank you. And you know I’d do the same for you, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“How about we change the subject to something a little more lighthearted than either of us disappearing?” Harper asked.

“Sure. Did you know that black holes can cause spaghettification?”

“No, I did not know that. What’s spaghettification?” Harper asked.

“It’s what happens if you fall into a stellar-size black hole, your feet would be sucked in more than your head would be, stretching you out like spaghetti.”

Harper winced. “Sounds painful.”

Kash giggled, sounding more like the boy he still was, rather than the boy on the cusp of manhood who’d proudly thanked her for doing what any other mother should do.

He then proceeded to tell her more facts about black holes. Then he moved on to nebulas. And dark matter. It never ceased to amaze Harper how smart her son was. How excited he could get about astronomy. She loved that for him. That he’d found his passion at such a young age. She still wasn’t sure what her passion was. Besides Kash.

For the last twelve years, every decision she’d made had been based on what was good for her son. What would disrupt his life the least. What he needed to thrive. And for the first time, Harper felt proud of what she’d done. How she’d raised Kash by herself to be the kindhearted, too-smart-for-his-own-good kid he was today.

By the time they pulled into the parking area for the Blueberry Pond Observatory, Kash was practically vibrating. Harper felt kind of sorry for whoever would be their tour leader. He, or she, would have their hands full. Kash would test their knowledge of the skies for sure.

Three hours later, Harper was back in the car with one happy little boy. He was staring down at a picture in awe. As if he still couldn’t believe he was holding it. That he’d seen it with his own eyes.

“This is the best night of my life,” Kash said quietly, once they were on their way again. It was fully dark outside now, and Harper had already called Linc to let him know they were on their way. He’d told her to drive safely and that he’d be waiting to hear all about their day when they got home. He added that the house seemed way too empty without them in it tonight, and next time he wanted to go with them.

It wasn’t a stretch for him to think they’d be coming back. If Kash had his way, they’d return to the observatory tomorrow. And the next night. And the next. She had a feeling this was what he’d be requesting for birthdays and Christmases for years to come.

“Mom. This is amazing. You saw it, right? The M20 Trifid Nebula. It’s in the constellation Sagittarius.”

“That’s the archer, right?” Harper asked, vaguely remembering their guide mentioning that when Kash had gotten overly excited at seeing it through the camera.

“Uh-huh. It’s over six thousand, seven hundred light-years away . . . and we can see it today! I mean, I can see it with the telescope Linc got me, but not like I could with the one tonight. Isn’t this cool?”

“It is cool,” Harper agreed. To her, the picture just looked like a gray smudge on a paper with lots of white dots, but to her son it was pure gold. She loved that she’d been able to share tonight with him. Seeing his focus on the guide as she spoke, and how intensely he concentrated when he looked through the telescope and cameras, made it all the more obvious this was what Kash was meant to do. She had no doubt he’d be a famous scientist someday.

Well, famous in his own field. Famous was relative, and even though she couldn’t name one astronomer, she was well aware there were plenty of men and women out there who’d discovered amazing and one-of-a-kind things in the sky.

Her son would be one of those people. Of that she was certain.

It took an hour, but he finally fell asleep around Damariscotta. The car had always put him to sleep, and even at twelve it was no exception. He held the picture close to his chest as he snoozed, and Harper sighed as silence filled the car.

As scary as the nights had been when the two of them slept in this very minivan in New York, there was also something especially intimate about them. They’d bonded in a way not many mothers and sons ever could. Being with him now, watching over him while he slept, brought back plenty of memories. Both good and bad.

When she pulled into the driveway at Linc’s house, the door to the garage was already open, and Linc was standing at the doorway of his home. Harper gently shook Kash awake, and he stumbled out of the car and headed toward the house. Harper grabbed the bag with the posters she’d bought him of other pictures taken at the observatory.

When she caught up to Kash at the door, he was talking a mile a minute, telling Linc all about his experience and showing him the picture of the nebula. Harper had already forgotten the name of it.

Linc listened patiently with a smile on his face. He didn’t look away from Kash as he spoke, but held out his arm toward Harper. She went to his side and leaned into him as he draped his arm around her shoulders.

“How about we go inside and talk about it, Bud. It’s cold out here.”

Kash nodded and walked as he continued to tell Linc everything he could about the night. Twenty minutes later, when he took a breath, Linc interrupted him and told him it was late, and he needed to get to bed since he had school in the morning.