AllFreeNovel
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The day my mom died was a beautiful, sunny day in early February. A balmy fifty-three degrees smack dab in the middle of winter. I remember sitting on my front porch just staring up at the sky, splashing through the puddles from all the snow that had melted from the unseasonable warmth, and laughing. Because the whole thing just felt so surreal, like the worst joke I’d ever heard.
I woke up with the sunrise the next morning and sat on the back porch in my mom’s sweater with a cup of tea, and when the sun came up, a rainbow painted the sky, right there in the middle of winter, while tears slid down my cheeks.
“Do you think my mom is with us?”
“Oh, Claire.” Charlee squeezes me tight, her temple pressing against mine. “I know she’s with us. All the time, guiding you and Casey toward the very best things in your life. How do you think he got so lucky with Vivi? How we all got so lucky with Vivi? How you found Avery?”
I’d like to think she’s right, that my mom has played a part in all of the very best things. Vivi came at a time when we needed her more than anything. She mended old wounds and brought us all closer together. She reminded us that life was meant for living and loving. And Avery came along and ground that into me when I needed that reminder more than anything, when I’d forgotten the value of a life worth living.
“Hey,” murmurs a soft, husky voice, drawing my gaze like a magnet. Avery plows a hand through his soaking ebony waves. My eyes follow the path of a hundred different droplets as they carve a path through the ridges of his chest, his hard abdomen, disappearing into his bathing suit where it hangs low on his hips. It should be illegal for him to be standing here in front of us right now, looking like a snack I wanna eat.
“Damn.” Charlee tips her sunglasses down her nose and speaks my thoughts. “You look good enough to eat.”
Avery chuckles and pretends to cover himself up with a hand over his chest and one squeezing the bulge in his slick, wet shorts. “I’m not a piece of meat, Charlee.” He moves next to me, sweeping my hair off my shoulder before touching his lips to my neck. “Why is the birthday girl crying?”
“I’m okay.” I grip the back of his neck, holding him close while his lips move over me. He makes a noise like he doesn’t buy it, so I add, “I’m just happy, Avery. Really happy.”
His hand slides along my jaw, turning my face toward his. Dark chocolate eyes drift over my face, studying me. The droplets clinging to the tips of his long lashes are distracting. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
A small smile tips the side of his mouth before he plants a kiss on my lips. “Okay. I’m happy you’re happy.”
Charlee leans over with a gag. “Somebody get up here and save me before I have to watch these two give each other a happy ending!”
Avery laughs and flicks Charlee’s ear. “You remind me too much of my sister. You’re just as annoying.”
“But you love me just as much?” She grins up at him, batting her lashes.
“Yeah, something like that.” He straightens, running a hand down his torso. “I’m gonna get started on dinner,” he calls out, loud enough that everyone can hear. Avery points at Charlee’s leg before he turns and walks up toward the cottage. “You’ve got a bee on your leg, Char. Careful.”
“What?” She freezes, hands in the air. “A bee?” Her eyes drop down to her lap in slow motion. And then she shrieks, her arms flailing around before she smacks her leg. “Ow! Fuck me! Oh! Claire!” She keels over, clutching her leg. “I’ve been hit!”
I smother my laugh, because laughing right now wouldn’t be nice. “Stung. You’ve been stung.”
She looks up at me with tears in her eyes.
“Oh.” I pout at her, reaching for her head, cuddling her close. “I’m sorry.”
“Help me,” she cries. “It feels like I’ve been shot.” It doesn’t look all that great either, but I won’t say that. Painting the inside of her thigh and swelling fast, the sting is nearly the size of a golf ball already. An angry, red golf ball.
“Cha-Cha!” Vivi tears a path up to us as she rips her life jacket off and ditches it somewhere behind her. “You otay?” She jerks to a halt in front of Charlee, dropping to her knees. She inspects the bump as if she really knows what she’s doing. “Oh, no! You need kiss!” She plants a loud smooch to the inside of Charlee’s thigh before she can protest.
Charlee manages a tiny laugh through her tears, smoothing her hand over Vivi’s hair. “Thank you, baby.”
“You still cwyin’.” Vivi gazes up at her, looking a lot like she might cry herself. With the biggest heart there is, this girl feels every emotion. “You need Daddy’s magic kiss. Daddy?” Her head spins wildly. “Daddy!”
“Christ,” Casey mutters under his breath as he climbs up the hill. “I’m right here, Vivi. You don’t have to yell.”
Vivi’s bottom lip quivers, big green eyes welling with tears as she takes her dad’s hand and leads him over to Charlee. She pats Charlee’s knee. “Cha-Cha hurt. You needa kiss her boo-boo.”
When Vivi points out the bee sting on the inside of Charlee’s thigh, Casey’s eyes nearly roll out of his head. Charlee groans and looks to the sky. Casey kneels at her feet, parting her thighs gently while he examines the red bump.
His cautious gaze flicks up to hers when he speaks so quietly that I feel like I should silently back away and give them some privacy. “You get stung?”
Charlee just stares at him. I watch her throat work with a hard swallow. Oh, this is fantastic.
Casey’s thumb sweeps around the bump. He glances up at me. “Can you grab me some tweezers and an ice pack?”
