Reagan answered within minutes. Oh my god Sutton. That is nuts. How do you feel about it???
I’m honestly not sure. I’m shocked but still confused. Not sure if I’d want it or not. My dad has always been a great dad but I’ve literally never had him around all the time. It would be a change. BTW, why are you awake right now?
I placed my phone on my stomach and within seconds it buzzed again.
Shane slept over. He had to sneak out before my mom woke up. We had a little fun before he left so now I’m wide awake. She wrote.
Omfg. TMI. I replied.
I laid in my bed tossing and turning for the next hour. Finally, I got up, threw on some shorts, and strolled into the kitchen. The sun was starting to rise but the house was still quiet. I grabbed a mug from the cupboard and filled it with orange juice. I jerked open the back sliding glass door and sat on the patio chair with my feet up on the table. Within seconds I heard the door slide back open. I turned my head around to see a bed-headed Luke yawning and walking towards me. Poppy scurried behind him.
“Good morning sleepyhead.” Luke was shirtless and leaned down to kiss me.
“Did I wake you?” I questioned.
“No. No. You didn’t wake me but I could tell when you weren’t sleeping next to me anymore and I didn’t like it.” He smirked and I stood up to hug him.
We sat together and watched the sunrise. It was breathtaking. The colors were radiant as if the sky was a canvas freshly painted. After the sun rose, a few passing clouds floated by. Luke pointed in the air and I gasped.
“You can’t tell me that cloud isn’t shaped like a turtle,” Luke said, looking over at me. My mouth hung open in awe. It definitely did. I pulled out my phone and snapped a picture to show Gia. “Theo’s sending us messages already,” Luke said rubbing my back.
“Hey what do you say we go cook everyone a great breakfast?” I asked. Luke shrugged.
“Pizza is kinda my thing but I’ll follow your lead.” I grabbed his hand and we wandered back into the house.
“Smells great in here!” my mom said walking into the kitchen grabbing a mug and pouring coffee into it. Aunt Helen was already in the living room watching TV, per usual. We stacked flapjacks on a plate and put them on the table, along with bacon and orange juice. Shortly after, Gia and Ronnie came in and slapped a paper on the table in front of Luke and then on the counter in front of my mom. It was an invitation to Theo’s funeral. “9 Am sharp” It read. “Wear black. Don’t be late.”
We finished up our breakfast and prepped for the funeral. Gia threw on the only dress she had with her which was sparkly and black. Ronnie had already packed a black polo to wear with khaki shorts. It was completely wrinkled from being stuffed into his backpack. Luke biked home to change into his black suit and I ran up to my room to put on a black t-shirt dress.
At 9 o’clock on the dot, we all met in the backyard, My dad included. There was a small hole clearly not big enough in the ground Ronnie and Gia must have prepared earlier. Sand shovels sat on the grass nearby. Gia already had tears welling up in her eyes and Ronnie had his hand on her back consoling her.
“Why don’t you guys run in and grab a box of tissues?” Luke asked. Gia nodded and Ronnie and she strolled inside. Luke immediately sprung into action, digging the hole deeper as fast as he possibly could. When he was finished he stood back up between my dad and I. My dad patted him on the back.
We all stood around the hole and it started drizzling. It was like a scene from a movie except we were all standing around the grave of a dead turtle. Gia and Ronnie each said a few words mostly about the great times they had with him. Before Luke lowered the plastic box into the ground Gia and Ronnie each kissed the top of it. Luke and my dad each took a sand shovel and covered the box. Gia sniffled and Ronnie hugged her tightly.
My dad left town the next day. He hugged my mom goodbye, even though everything was still up in the air. They seemed to be on good terms and that’s all that mattered to me. Gia was constantly drawing pictures of Theo. She also spent a lot of her time with Ronnie and that made her very happy.
Days flew by and the end of summer was approaching. I enjoyed every moment I had with Luke. I spent my days kissing him deeply and holding his hand. When I spent nights away from him I attempted to swallow my tears and the knot in my stomach. The thought of not being with him every day tore me apart.
I sat on the counter of the empty Pizza Shack helping Luke count the money from the cash register. “Okay, all set!” I yelled into the back room where Luke was getting supplies to restock. I turned around to see Luke carrying two cotton candy swirl ice cream cones and walking towards me.
“Follow me.” He said. We exited the Pizza Shack and walked out front and sat on a bench. He handed me an ice cream cone. “You know Sutton Rae, this is what you were eating the first time I saw you and this is exactly where you were sitting.” My heart fluttered and I went back to that day on the bench with my mom.
