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When Amy walked out from inside the house, he lifted her into the passenger seat of the truck.
After they were on their way to Mike’s house, which was close to Crystal Rock High, Lex finally spoke again. He didn’t like having her mad at him.
“I’m sorry, Amy. It just kind of threw me when I finally noticed how much you’d grown up.” He gave her a side glance. “You should have warned me. I never realized just how pretty you were.”
Amy’s mood seemed to thaw before his eyes. “Do you really think so?”
“I do,” he admitted, frowning. “But I still want you to keep on wearing that sweater. That dress is too low cut for a teenager. I don’t want this kid Mike to get any ideas.”
Amy blinked, before she started laughing uncontrollably.
Mom and Dad had asked Lex to take pictures of Amy and her date, so Lex did, along with Mike’s parents, both thanking him several times for escorting the kids to the dance.
As Lex watched Amy dance with her date a few hours later, he was restless, making his way around the gym. Something strange had happened to him this week, and the plans he’d set in motion for the future suddenly didn’t feel as exciting anymore.
But he’d decided to set some goals for himself and put aside the past, despite not knowing the truth about where he was from and how he’d ended up on the streets.
It didn’t hurt anymore, because he’d found a home, and he knew that he would always be welcome.
* * *
Now that they had their family traditions, the hardest part about leaving home, Lex decided, was having to miss Christmas. Every year, after choosing their trees at the farm, they’d spend nearly two weeks decorating both inside and out. With a roaring fire in the fireplace, Lex would reciteThe Night Before Christmason Christmas Evewith the book in his hands, so that the twins could cuddle up beside him in the living room on the couch near the tree before they would open their family gifts. Then Lex would always play Christmas songs on the piano.
Christmas Day was crazy. After spending the morning opening gifts from Santa, they’d have an open house for friends and relatives during the afternoon.
He was going to miss every single minute of Christmas this year.
It was mid-October, and after saying his goodbyes, he would be joining a couple other guys who lived in the area to head out on the road. The three of them had enlisted at the same time and had decided to pitch in and rent a car to drive to San Antonio for boot camp, which would begin next week.
Since it was his last night at home, Lex decided to go for a long walk with Brownie to the beach.
“Is it alright if I join you?” Amy called out as he made his way across the patio outside.
“Sure,” Lex agreed, waiting at the edge of the path. “I was just remembering the first day we were here at the house. It’s a good thing that I’m not so scared of heights anymore.”
Amy grinned when she caught up with him. “As a pilot, I’m thinking that wouldn’t be a good thing. You’ve become a pretty good swimmer too.”
“From what I’ve heard, I’m going to be put through the wringer. I hope I’ve been working out enough to be able to hang in there.”
Amy snorted as they made their way down the path toward the beach together, Brownie following closely behind. “You’re driven, Lex. I think you can do anything you want to do.”
After their long walk, they sat on the bench near the beach for quite a few minutes, just looking upward at the stars as Brownie spent some time sniffing around at the icy edge of the beach. The lake wasn’t frozen solid, but luckily Brownie had enough sense to stay out of the water.
“I’ll hate missing Christmas,” Lex finally admitted.
Amy shrugged. “From what Dad says, you might have a couple days off after boot camp. He promised he’d fly you in if you did.”
“Really?” Tears filled his eyes. “I hate leaving. I’ve been so happy here, Amy. But I’ll admit, I’m a little scared.”
Amy reached for his hand, squeezing it. “But I understand why you think you need to find your place in the world. I’m having a hard time considering the future myself. I’ve always felt so safe with Mom and Dad,” she admitted.
“I hope that Brownie has a lot of good years in him. I can’t stand having to leave him either.”
“I know it’s gotta be hard,” she said softly. “I’ll never forget the look in your eyes when the two of you found each other. It was love at first sight.”
Lex laughed. “I love you too, Amy. Out of everyone here, you and I have always been so close. I’ve always looked at our relationship through the eyes of a brother, but last week when you went through your transformation, something kind of changed for me. I’ve always felt so connected with you.”
“I…understand. Even being the fifteen or possibly sixteen-year-old kid I’m supposed to be, I’ve always had the most terrible crush on you, Lex,” she confessed.
