Lennon and Bre chatted in the backseat of my car while River fiddled with the knob on the stereo, flipping through stations. It was another reason I knew she was feeling pretty chill. The woman hadn’t been in my ride before and even if she had, I didn’t think she’d have felt comfortable enough yet to take control of the radio.
Suddenly the mood in the car changed as music drifted from the speakers, the lyrics to a song I didn’t know playing, but was feeling every word.
It was her song.
And possibly just as much Bre’s too.
River tensed in her seat, her easy-going mood changing as the words not only blasted from whoever was singing on theradio, but another voice accompanied it from none other than the backseat.
Bre can sing.
I wasn’t sure if the girl even realized she was belting the words out for everyone to hear at first, but it was as if the song took her over and she couldn’t help herself. Glancing in the mirror, she seemed to be in her own world. My gaze moved to Lennon’s, but he wasn’t looking at me, he was watching his sister with admiration.
Needing to pay attention to the road but also feeling the pull to see River too, I glanced over to my right at the woman who now had her eyes closed, a tear streaming down her face, but also a small smile playing on her sweet lips.
Looking back to the road, I itched to take her hand in mine.
The lyrics may have been hard to hear, talking about her untold story and needing to get it off her chest so she could take back her life, along with the light that was stolen from her. But then something powerful came, talking about being a survivor.
And being a warrior.
My pulse pounded with every word and Bre's heart-wrenching, but boldly beautiful voice ripped through me. She was singing not only for herself, but also for her mother.
I knew then that the smile I saw on her face was because of how her daughter’s voice made her feel and how proud she was of her.
Not able to stand it any longer, I snuck another look at River. Her violet eyes shimmered with tears and were trained on me. I held my right hand out over the console and looked down. She followed the direction of my gaze and without hesitation, she put her hand in mine as I turned back to look out the windshield once again.
A deep sigh released from my chest.
One day, was she going to tell me what those words meant to her?
Because I had no doubt in my mind they represented her past, present, and future.
“Thank you for listening toWarriorby Demi Lavato folks. We’ll be back with more music in less than sixty seconds,” the radio show host announced.
I said a silent thank you because now I knew what the song was that was made just for my girls.
What I was just thinking hit hard but it wasn’t a surprise. I’d felt it from the start with River and it didn’t take long for me to feel the same way about Bre.
In my heart, they weremine.
Lennon too.
Again, I wasn’t sure how it would all work, but I planned to fight for them and never give up.
I brushed my thumb across the top of River’s hand and felt her give it a gentle squeeze.
Baby steps.
And I’d take a trillion of them to get her to accept me as hers too.
Chapter Seventeen
RIVER
I’d have thoughtI would’ve been out like a light.
Between the incident at Gemma’s, the wine, and the emotional car ride home, I was tired.
