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I swallow the lump in my throat at her comparison. The truth is, there is no comparison. That would be like comparing the sun to the moon. They are both glorious and equally essential, but in two entirely different ways.
“Sorry,” she says once she realizes her statement.
I reassure her with a smile. “Don’t be. I’m okay,” I say, knowing it’s the truth.
Callisto approaches our group, his eyebrows lifted in amusement. “Everything okay?” He hides his question beneath a smirk.
Someone as intuitive as Cal has to know we were talking about him. His strong, protective arm circles my waist and pulls me close, a silent validation of everything we just discussed.
“Yeah. Everything’s great. We were just catching up,” I explain. “You already met Brynn. And this is Ryleigh. She lives in Houston, so we don’t see each other much.” I realize I’m rambling, so I stop myself. I leave out the part where I mention she’s Reid’s sister.
“Cal,” he says, extending his free hand to Ryleigh.
She accepts it with a smile, and I note a hint of pink rushing to her cheeks when her hand touches his, which makes me more proud than jealous. Any woman with a pulse would react the same way to his touch.
More and more people arrive, and soon my mother is at the other end of the courtyard, near the bar, asking for everyone’s attention. We all take our seats and the room begins to go quiet.
“You all know we’re here to recognize my daughter’s accomplishments. But what some of you don’t know, is how difficult life has made her journey,” my mom begins. She clears her throat and blinks tears from her eyes, then looks directly at me instead of the crowd. “There was a time, just a couple of years ago, when I didn’t think you’d ever even make it out of bed. Everything inside me told me you had given up on life, and it killed me to see you that way.” Ryleigh and Brynn have now joined me at the table where I sit next to Callisto. Brynn reaches over and squeezes my hand while they both look at me with recognition in their eyes. I immediately feel guilty for anyone who had to bear witness to my behavior after Reid’s death. I can see in their eyes what it must have looked like from the outside and regret ever putting them through that pain.
The tears now stream freely down my mother’s face, and it’s obvious she has to cut her speech short. God, I must have been a mess.
Judge Landry walks over and joins her in front of the crowd, holding her hand as he addresses the guests. “My wife and I have had the privilege of watching Makenna grow from an awkward teenager into a remarkable young woman,” he says, and I laugh at light-hearted memories. “We also had the privilege of welcoming her into our family. Lord knows she earned it.” He chuckles to himself as he remembers his son. “It’s a miracle she’s here today, after watching my son roam from one side of the country to the other, holding their household together while he was overseas…” He pauses a moment before he continues, “and dealing with such an incredible loss when he died.” Carlos passes a glance in his own son’s direction, then at me. I expect Callisto to retract, to pull away, at the mention of Reid in such an intimate way. Instead he splays an arm over the back of my chair and strokes the loose strands of my hair through his fingertips. I smile. Both for him and for Reid’s father. I’ve come a long way since the girl he’s speaking of, and I have the man beside me to thank for that.
Judge Landry takes a deep breath then locks his eyes on mine. “You are strong and wise, and you have overcome so much to get here today. Yes, there were moments when we weren’t sure you’d make it,” he says, looking over at my mom, “but you showed us all. Reid would be proud. I know you’ll continue to make us all proud.” He lifts his glass in a toast and the rest of the crowd joins him. The gesture makes me incredibly uncomfortable, but I respectfully smile in appreciation. We’ve only spoken once since the incident at the restaurant where we argued over Reid’s insurance money and even then, it was brief. So, his sentiment takes me by surprise.
After we eat, I search for Mr. Landry to properly thank him for his beautiful speech. When I find him, he’s agitated and short with me.
“Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” he asks when I walk up.
“Well, I was about to thank you for the kind words.” I dismiss the bite in his tone.
He visibly relaxes and softens around the edges. “You deserve them.”
“Thank you.”
He narrows his eyes, sparing a glance at Callisto, then back to me. “Do you have any idea who he is?”
“If you’re talking about Cal, I don’t know who he is to you, but I know exactly who he is to me.”
It’s only natural for him to be upset. He just took a walk down memory lane while another man sat with his arm around my shoulders. I can only imagine what picture of Callisto that painted for him.
“I know we’ve had our differences, but you will always be part of our family because of how much you loved our son and how much he loved you in return. I’m just asking that you be careful.”
Be careful. Reid said those same words when I first went to work at Suppato’s.
Judge Landry walks away without another word, leaving me wondering what the hell that’s all supposed to mean.
A situation came up at another store Carlos owns, so he and Cal had to leave shortly after we ate. I was really hoping to make up for time lost while Callisto was gone last week. But business is business, and I have a feeling whatever happened to pull them away wasn’t pleasant. So, once all the guests are gone, I help my mom clean up, then I go home and prepare for another night alone.
