Rule #1. A, B, C. Always be cool. Don’t let life shake you more than you can shake back. If you’re the one who is cool, calm, and collected it always gives you the upper hand.
Rule #2. Be aware of the back blast. Know who is surrounding you. Not just know, but really know their heart and their intentions. If you surround yourself with good, good will follow.
Rule #3. This one is hard for me because I just got off the phone with you and my heart is beating right now, and it beats for only you. I’m selfless enough to know it might not always be that way. There are two types of people in the world. Anchors and airplanes. If the man who comes after me is a plane, Maeve, take the damn flight. Take it no matter where it goes. Don’t make him ask more than once.
You are enough. You are worthy of love. You are everything. Do you hear me? You are enough.
All my love, all my everything, eternally yours,
Rexy
I set the open laptop on the balled up down comforter at the foot of the bed. It was time, and I’m glad I waited until this very moment to read the last words Rexy will ever give. Once my tears have dried, I dress and put on a bit of makeup before I join Turner and Lincoln in the kitchen. They’re both giggling when I sit down at the bar and watch them flip pancakes, badly.
“Are mine almost ready,” I tease, watching them interact. It makes my heart thud.
Turner turns when he hears my voice. He hops off the chair he was standing on and bounds over to me, reaching his hands up for a hug. Big eyes pleading, wanting nothing but acceptance. My throat works to swallow as I bend down and pick him up and hold him close, tucking his head into the nook on my neck.
“How did you sleep?” I ask, choking back tears. Lincoln is watching on with a fondness that makes it difficult to pull it together.
“I love my bedroom here,” he replies. “How did you sleep?”
My gaze flicks to Lincoln, who smirks wildly. “Like a rock,” I reply, pulling away to look at his face. “Did you already eat?”
He nods, messy hair getting into his face. “I did. I’m going to get dressed for school now.” Turner slides off my lap and bounces down the hallway, skating on his furry spider man socks.
Lincoln puts a plate of misshapen pancakes in front of me. “For you, my lady. Just got off the phone with my mom. I told her the official news. That we’re official. She’s happy, though she cut me off because she and Dad were busy… at the beach.”
I press my lips together, but don’t say what we’re both thinking. “Is that… are these in the shape of animals?” I turn the plate of pancakes to view them from a different angle.
He shrugs. “The one on top was supposed to be in the shape of my dick, but I couldn’t be too precise. Little eyes and all.” Lincoln leans over the counter and kisses my nose. “The dog has been out, too.”
Someone bangs on the door, then rings the doorbell several times. Chonk lets loose, barking his head off. He has a bed on the bottom floor, by the windows, and lately, he’s spending a lot of time there. Animals are so intuitive.
“I’ll get it,” Lincoln says, grabbing his duffel bag from a high shelf near the stairs. It’s where he keeps his gun. Hunger all but forgotten, I jog to the living room window.
“It’s Ramona!”
I hear Lincoln let her in and she stomps up the stairs, taking two at a time like a herd of buffalo or something. She’s out of breath. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, I’m just fine. Stavros is here. In the U.S. In Colorado.”
I blow out a breath. “Oh, good. I thought for a second there might actually be something to worry about.”
Ramona stalks over to my plate of pancakes and tucks in. I raise one brow, and Lincoln slowly approaches. He takes one look at my bedraggled friend in near hysterics, devouring my breakfast and hikes his thumb over one shoulder.
“I’m going to take a drive up to the construction site really quick. Isaac is meeting me there. You okay here?” He looks at his watch. “Still plenty of time before Turner needs to get to school. Just make sure he doesn’t look like a clown.” Leaning over, he whispers, “I’ve been letting him pick out his own outfits.”
I whisper back. “Well, I already laid out an outfit for him this morning so there will be no Bozos in sight.” I kiss his cheek, but that’s not enough, so I kiss his lips once—wet and fiercely. “Go. I’ll be here talking Ramona off the proverbial ledge. We’ll be fine. I’ll take Turner to school if you aren’t back in time.” I turn to reply to something Ramona said.
He never let go of his bag so he grabs his keys off the console table and pauses at the top of the stairs. “Maeve.”
I face him. He calls, “Ditto, babe.”
I lick my lips. “Ditto back.”
He disappears down the stairs, and I hear him talking to Chonk. “I’m letting Chonk out again. Don’t forget to let him back inside in a few.”
I call out the affirmative and tell him not to lock it. I hear his truck pull out of the driveway and see it pass the windows in the living room, heading up the mountain. A light snow is falling from the sky, and it looks like it might stick.
“You do have the option to tell the cheating bastard to piss off.
