Justin hung on to every story, his eyes never drying.I stayed by his side, my cup constantly refilled by either Seth or Paxon as we raised silent toasts for each memory shared.
Eventually, the stories tapered off, giving way to quieter conversations as people drifted into smaller groups and the room settled into a soft rumble of voices.
Chapter Three
“We have some giftsfor you,” I said.“Some things we wanted to make sure you had.”
Aunt Laura and George joined us as we led Justin into the dining room, seeking a more private space.We wanted him to feel comfortable, free to react however he needed when we gave him the gifts.
I ran into the kitchen and dug out the presents.I had slipped them into a cupboard.When I came back, Aunt Laura was kneeling in front of him, whispering softly.Justin nodded, his eyes a little bloodshot.Again, tears were falling.
“Are you ready?”I asked as Bryan, Toby, Paxon, and Seth also joined us.
Justin cleared his throat.“Yeah.”
“Okay.”I handed each of the guys the present they brought.Present wasn’t quite the right word, but they were still wrapped and ready to be passed down to Justin.We had worked it out ahead of time.Even Aunt Laura and George had something.
We all stared at each other for a moment, daring someone to go first.
George stepped forward again to get things moving, handing over a simply wrapped gift.It ended up being an album full of photos of not only Justin and his family, but also of all the guys too as children.Justin blew out a breath.“Thank you.”
“Of course.”George squeezed Justin’s shoulder and stepped back.
Bryan went next, handing over a jewelry box.Justin opened it to a black bracelet made of rope twined together.There was a black bead in the middle.
“A family photo is in the bead, but if you want to switch it, we can do that easily,” Bryan said.
“Thanks.”Justin looked closer at the photo and even smiled.
Toby went next and practically shoved the present at Justin.“Hurry.Open it.”
“Calm down,” Paxon warned.
Toby huffed and sat down on the floor in front of Justin, his hands tucked under him so his nerves would settle a little and stop getting the best of him.
Justin slowly unwrapped a stuffed turtle.The body was a soft green with the shell a deeper blue.In the middle of the shell was the name Shelly, carefully sewn in white letters.
