AllFreeNovel
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“I pretty much got the same response when all of his race car stuff suddenly disappeared from the shelves.” She’s quiet for a long moment. “He shocked the hell out of me the other day though.”
“Oh yeah? How?”
“He came and sat down next to me on our front porch. He’d poured us both a drink of lemonade and tea with freshly sliced strawberries.” She smiles a little and I’m a little confused. “It was something Jeremy used to regularly declare he hated but he secretly loved. I didn’t know anyone else knew until Jake handed me the glass.”
“Wow. I didn’t know that. He always told me he hated the taste of strawberries.”
“Learn something new every day. That wasn’t what shocked me though. Jake looked at me then said he would be ready to put all his racing stuff back up when his Uncle Jax was ready to be Daire again.”
Well. Fuck. Me. Running.
“Wow. That’s low. Even for you.”
Hope nuzzles close to me then kisses my cheek.
“Yeah, I pretty much had the same response when he said it. Practically gutted me with one statement.” She leans away then looks at me. “The two of you, the Shaw brothers, have so many similarities it’s frightening. I think that’s been the most difficult and best thing about this.”
I shake my head. My reasoning for my funk all but forgotten as I take in her words.
“He was so much better. The man perfected everything he tried. He was my idol.”
I watch as she swipes away a lone tear. She smiles again then takes my hand.
“He would say the same thing about you. The man was so stubborn and solely devoted to his little brother. You could do no wrong. He would always say ...”
“There’s a reason for everything. Yeah, I remember. For the life of me, I’m trying to make this make sense. I want this to have a reason because I’m not seeing it.”
She rubs my hand then lifts it to her cheek. We share a watery look as we both fight back tears. Hope takes a deep breath then stands.
“There is a reason for it all. We may never know all of them, but they are there. I wish he could be here to see you through this next part.”
Hope walks towards the door, grabbing her shoes and slipping them on before she turns back to face me. When she takes in the confusion written on my face, she chuckles.
“You’ll be fine. I know you will. Oh, and the earlier thing was aboutPiratesand boats. Jeremy loved both because it was something he could share with you. It was your thing. I was surprised I didn’t find you there. It was always where he went to think.”
I nod because I usually would go to the docks where the boat Jeremy and I own still sits. I didn’t because I couldn't find my keys.
“Like we said, ‘There’s a reason for everything’.”
She nods. As she pads to the door, she has more to say.
“Go see her. She’s lived without you long enough. You never know. It might do both of you some good. Dad.”
That last word is tossed over her shoulder as she exits my front door. As usual, she’s right. I probably need to see Jayla as much as she needs to see me. Probably more.
