“Because the storm has hit all flights are cancelled, and don’t be shocked if you lose power.”
“What?” I ask as his voice breaks up, but when he repeats himself, he says flights are cancelled. The call drops, and a dial tone replaces it. I pull the phone away and stare at the screen.
“What is it?” Everly asks.
Her voice brings me back to reality. I lift my eyes to see her covering her body with the sheet. She feels something is wrong. I clear my throat to prepare to tell her the news, but I don’t know how. I don’t know how to ruin her world—again. Our parents, both of our parents, mothers and fathers—gone.
It’s just us.
“No,” she says with a shake of her head. Her long locks spill around her, messy and a little frizzy from it just being morning. Still beautiful. Still earth-shattering and soul stopping.
“Everly,” I take a deep, shaky breath, but the tears cloud my vision and take over the control I try to have to tell her. The more I fight against it, the stronger the pain gets.
“No! Please, don’t,” she covers her mouth with her hand and sobs. “No. Not her, too.” She hides her face in her palms, and sobs make her shoulders shake. “What happened? What happened, Rowan? Why?” she wails, dropping back down to the bed in a depressed, broken heap.
I run and jump on the bed to hold her. I pull her to my chest, keeping my hand on the back of her head and put her ear over my heart. I don’t know if the sound of it still calms her or not, but all I can do is try. Tears leak out of the corners of my eyes as she sobs harder than I remember. These cries are soul-wrenching, deep, like her soul is being shredded apart from her body.
“I’ve got you,” I whisper, running my hands through her hair.
Her hands clutch my back, holding me so close her breasts push against my chest. Tears wet my flesh, but through the sobs, through the pain, through the heartbreak, she whispers back.
“I’ve got you too.”
I nestle my chin on her shoulder and let us ride the pain, together. Her presence, her touch, the sound of her cries, the smell of her hair, the sweet lyrical tone of her voice, everything about her, her skin, her lips, her heart, it makes me feel comforted.
My own tears leave my eyes. The first ones I’ve cried since my mom died. I accept Everly’s embrace.
I feel her desperation, her agony. How much she wants for the pain to go away. And the longer I hold her, the longer I have my hands on her back, the more I never want to leave this bed.
She makes me feel at home.
And right now, she’s the only home I have.
I’m not sure how long we stay like that. It feels like days, but the next time I open my eyes, the sun is gone and replaced by night. Everly is still asleep, her cheeks red from tears and her eyes swollen from the heavy emotion.
Her brows furrow when I unwrap my arms from around her to get up. I don’t bother covering myself up since it is just she and I. I don’t know what is going on between us, but I don’t have the time to figure it out. There is no turning back after last night, and to be honest, all the anger I’ve felt over the years, is gone.
Well, now it is replaced with sadness and a depression, but it is better when she is here to share it with, just like when we were kids. I sigh, feeling like I’ve been hit by a freight train. Too much has happened in one week.
My head starts to throb again, but it doesn’t matter, I need to call Gray and tell him what happened. While I’m at it, I should call Blaire, too. I haven’t talked to her since we were teens, but I’m sure Everly would want her to know too.
Because now who knows how long it will be before we can go home. And be separated again.
Would she really leave me for a second time? I brush a piece of hair out of her face and push it behind the curve of her ear. I can’t think about that right now, either. I have to think about my dad and Barbara. How they died just trying to enjoy the love they had for one another, and out of all the ways they died, they died in a snowstorm.
I always thought my dad would go in his sleep. I didn’t think anything in the world could grab him and take him under, but I underestimated Mother Nature. I snag my phone off my dresser and press two to call Gray.
It rings, and rings, and right as I’m about to hang up, his sleepy voice answers. “Do you know what time it is? Dude, I need my beauty sleep.”
“They’re dead,” I say bluntly.
“What?” he says, a little brighter and more awake. I guess death can do that to people.
“They died. In the snowstorm. Barbara had a broken leg, and they found a cave to ride out the storm, but they froze.” I clear the emotion building up in my throat.
“Fuck, dude. I’m so sorry,” he whispers. “I really liked them.”
“Yeah, me too.” A sad laugh escapes my chest.
“How are you doing? I know it’s stupid, but do I need to come get you? What do you need from me? I’ll do it.”
My shoulders sag with relief. Gray is always there for me. He always has my back. I can always count on him to be there. “I need you to call Dad’s lawyers. It’s in a folder on my computer. I need to see his will. I don’t even know how he wants to be
