Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45918 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
We all gather in the living room, sitting on the couches. Haven, Cat, and Luciana are in and out, taking care of all of us, bringing us food and drinks while we reminisce about Ledger.
From the time I was eight, I don’t have a childhood memory that doesn’t have Ledger in it. He was probably the wildest one of all of us, and when he went into the Army, it made him grow up fast. But when he was with us, he was the Ledger we all grew up with. He was the jokester and the instigator. He was the most competitive of all of us, even more than Dom and Holden, which is saying something.
Gabe is sitting next to me, his hand on my back. We’re squished next to each other on the couch, but neither one of us seems to want any distance between us.
Holden leans up in his chair. “Do you remember when Chrissy went on her first date at the movies? What were you, fifteen or sixteen?”
I laugh, thinking back on it. “Sixteen, and that was not a date.”
As if just remembering it, Dom laughs. “Oh yeah, that was hilarious. It was with that twerp… what was his name?”
“Miller, and he wasn’t a twerp. He was captain of the chess team.”
King laughs. “Yeah, by the end of the night, I felt sorry for the dude.”
I nod in agreement. “You should have felt sorry for him. He had no idea what he was getting into.”
Dom waves his hand in front of his face. “Come on, it wasn’t that bad.”
I lean forward. “Ledger was on leave, and when he found out you guys were”—I hold my hands up to make quote symbols—“‘letting me’ go on a date with someone, he freaked out. He had been in the Army for three years by then, and he was all jacked. He answered the door and scared the crap out of Miller. And then when all of you showed up to the movies and sat right behind us, he was literally shaking.”
Holden starts laughing. “He was so nervous he spilled his Coke all over you and then ran out of the movie theater because he was scared Ledger was going to kick his ass for ruining your dress.”
I lean back on the couch, and Gabe’s hand moves to my shoulder. “Yeah, and I didn’t get asked out again all through high school. You all ruined my dating life.”
King just cracks his knuckles. “I wouldn’t change a thing, sis.”
“I was mad then, but looking back on it, I’m thankful I had all you guys looking out for me. I wish…” I let my voice trail off, but Gabe’s not going to let me keep it in.
He squeezes my shoulder. “You wish what?”
I shrug and look down at my hands in my lap. “I wish Ledger was here, bossing me around and telling me what to do.”
Gabe releases his hold on my shoulder and brings his hand to mine. He threads our fingers together and rests our hands on my thigh. A calm comes over me, and I lean my head on his shoulder. After the stress from last night and then working most of the day, and now everything with Ledger, I’m feeling the exhaustion. I burrow into Gabe and wonder if I can convince him to stay with me because I have no doubt the nightmares are going to come back tonight.
12
GABE
I see the way my brothers are looking at me and Chrissy, but I don’t care. Right now, the only thing that matters to me is that Chrissy is going to be okay.
She fell asleep a little while ago. She started next to me, but the longer we’ve sat here, the more she’s burrowed into me, and it’s then I realized that she needs me just as much as I need her. Eventually, I moved her onto my lap and held her against my chest. She’s curled up on my legs, and my arms are locked around her. Her face is pressed against my neck, and I can feel her hot breath on my skin.
King continues talking. “So Ledger will be here on Wednesday. I’m planning the funeral for Thursday, is that okay?”
I nod, and so do Holden and Dom.
“What can I do, King? This shouldn’t all fall on you.”
King just shrugs. “You know Ledger. He had it all taken care of. Everything was laid out how he wanted it.” King nods toward Chrissy. “Does she know that he made her his beneficiary?”
I think back a few years ago when Ledger got King, Dom, Holden, and me together. He wanted to know what we thought about him putting Chrissy as his beneficiary. It’s what he wanted to do, but he didn’t want any of us upset with him about it. We all agreed and thought it was a good idea. “No, she doesn’t have a clue.”