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Her mouth drops. “Are you feeling okay?”
Actually, I’ve never felt better. “The whole time I was with Reid, I was so focused on him. What made him happy? What did he want to do? Where did he want to go?”When would I see him again?My heart squeezes at the mention of him, of the memory of whoIwas with him and the knowledge that I’m not that person anymore. “Don’t get me wrong; I’m thrilled to be what I am.” I look down at my hands, fumbling with my own fingers. “But I want more. When I was standing on that stage, I realized I don’t want to be done yet. Does that make me crazy?” I glance up at Brynn and drop my hands. “Or selfish?”
“Crazy? No.” She twists her lips. “An overachiever? Yes.”
I roll my eyes, and she laughs.
“Seriously, Maks. There is nothing wrong with going after what you want.” Her gaze follows Callisto as he walks back outside.
“Subtle,” I deadpan.
Ryleigh walks up before Brynn can say anything else and bear-hugs us all into a huddle. “Hey, beautiful bitches.”
When I look at her, I see so much of her brother. It makes me lose my breath for a second.
I welcome Mr. and Mrs. Landry when they walk up behind her, then point them in the direction of my mom and John. The crowd of guests has doubled in size by now. There must be at least fifteen-twenty people standing in the courtyard outside, and more than that in the main living area.
Ryleigh’s eyes scan the space, then her mouth falls open and her eyes widen. “Holy shit,” she says a little too loudly. “I totally forgot you’re letting Cal Suppato lay the pipe now.”
She must not have seen him at the ceremony. Then again, he sat in the back and left before we took pictures.
Some of the guests look over their shoulders to our little group. Ryleigh’s parents shoot her a warning glare.
“You told her?” I whisper to Brynn, pinning her with a stare.
She shrugs.
It’s not like I was hiding it from Ryleigh. After nearly a year of trying to convince everyone that I was destined to die alone, it just didn’t seem like the kind of thing to blurt out over a phone call or text message.
Callisto approaches our group, one eyebrow lifted. “Everything okay?” He hides his question beneath a smirk.
There’s no way a man as intuitive as he is doesn’t know we were talking about him. His strong, protective arm circles my waist and pulls me close, a silent validation of Ryleigh’s comment.
“Everything’s great. We were just catching up,” I explain. “You already met Brynn. And this is Ryleigh Landry.” I say her last name without mentioning that she’s Reid’s sister. He’s smart enough to figure it out. Besides, she said once before that they went to school together.He’s the tiger.
“Cal,” he says, extending his free hand to Ryleigh.
Her cheeks pink 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 people arrive, and soon my mother is at the other end of the courtyard, near the bar, asking for everyone’s attention. Callisto places a hand at my back and leads me to one of the tables. Brynn and Ryleigh follow. We all take our seats, and the chatter grows 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.” Mom clears her throat and blinks tears from her eyes. She looks at me instead of the crowd.
A stillness slips over my body. I squeeze my eyes closed.No, Mom. Please, don’t do this.
“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.”
She’s doing this.I open my eyes and take a breath. Brynn reaches over and squeezes my hand. She and Ryleigh look at me with recognition in their eyes. Sadness, regret, and shame burns in my chest. I see it on their faces now, the concern. The pain.
Guilt pounds through my chest.I did that to them. I put that look there.
Tears stream freely down my mother’s cheeks, making her choke on her words. She cuts the 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 looks over the courtyard.
My chest goes tight. My heart throbs.
Reid’s father is about to talk.
