AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Amie told me I should write this in case that doesn’t happen, and because my wife is a hell of a lot smarter than I am, I decided it would be wise to listen to her. You were the guy who was there for me when I didn’t have anyone else. We both know, even though we don’t talk about it much, how fucking awful it is to lose the people around you. And when I met you, I knew I had a brother for the rest of my life.
That’s how it was for Amie too, something we’ve always had in common. To find family and know how important it is to keep those people around you—blood or no blood.
When I told Amie I wanted to buy my grandparents’ house someday, bring it back to the way it was when they lived there, she never hesitated. Never looked at me like I was crazy, even though our life is busy enough.
It was important to me, so it was worth whatever we needed to do.
And after Mira was born, we knew we had to put plans in place in case something happened to one or, God forbid, both of us.
This house is a piece of my life. It’s a part of who I am.
Amie and I agreed that whoever gets the Campbell House should be someone who deserves a home—a place where they can take care of a family and fill it with love. Someone who will treat it with the same care that we would. It didn’t take us long to come to an agreement.
We knew, without question, that person is you.
You’ve always taken care of everyone else in your life. That’s what makes you a good man, Burke. But what will make you happy is finding the people, the place, that will take care of you right back. I hope you’ve found something like that by the time you read this.
It’s always been my biggest wish for you.
But if you haven’t, then let this house be a place to bring you some of that happiness.
If it comes to you in a year, or thirty, I hope you know that it’s something given because we love you.
Maybe you’ll have a wife and ten kids when you read this. Fill the rooms. Make a mess. Keep it loud.
It’s all I’ve ever wanted for that place. To be filled with family, filled with people I love.
I trust you with that piece of my story, and hope it’s an important part of yours.
I love you. I hope you know that.
Chris
With my arm around her shoulder, Charlotte curled herself against my chest, sniffling quietly. My face was wet, and my heart squeezed painfully while I digested just how well he’d known me. And how easily he saw what I needed.
“Damn it, Chris,” I whispered in a broken voice. “You couldn’t have put a stamp on that and mailed it, like, a year ago?”
Charlotte laughed a watery laugh. She sat up, brushing at the moisture on my cheeks. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, tucking a few stray hairs behind her ear. I pulled her close, and she slid her legs over my lap so I could embrace her fully. I buried my face into her neck and breathed deep.
“I’m good,” I told her. And I was.
Pulling back so I could stare down into her face, I still wasn’t sure how to separate the sad tug of grief, the bittersweet pain of loss, and the overwhelming love for her.
But that was part of what I had to learn.
They were all there. They were all true. One didn’t erase the other, and my love for her didn’t lessen how much I’d miss him.
I kissed Charlotte, my hand sliding across her cheek to settle in the soft strands of her hair. Anchored against her, it was a cool sweep of gratitude that I felt next. Felt biggest of all.
We sat there for a few more minutes, trading sweet, slow kisses. Her hands coasted over my back and chest.
Charlotte shifted down farther, tucking her face against a pillow. “My ass is falling asleep.”
I smiled, massaging the area in question with greedy hands. Her cheekbones blushed pink, and she bit down on her bottom lip when my fingers started wandering.
“Can we move the furniture in tomorrow?” she asked. “A bed would be so nice, wouldn’t it?”
