December
“Auntie... I got it. I was drafted, finally, and to a great team. An amazing team. I hope you’re proud of me. I… I’m proud of me.”
I tried to give my son a moment with his aunt but couldn’t help myself from listening in. Dorian knelt at Paige’s headstone.
How I wished they could have met. My sister left this world too soon.
Of course, it wasn’t just her who had gone too soon; I’d lost my brother, both of my parents, and my stepmother. Our family had a lot of trauma.
But today was a day of celebration. My son was drafted to a professional football team—drafted—and I was proud of him, too.
Dorian looked so big next to Paige’s headstone. If she were here, that size difference wouldn’t have mattered. My sister’s large energy definitely made up for her size.
My mother’s headstone was beside hers. Our family had traveled all the way to California to visit them both today.
Dorian noticed me coming up behind him. He looked so much like his father. They were both handsome and blond, but my child had my dark eyes, which warmed in my direction. “Hey, Mom. Just telling Auntie the good news.”
As soon as Dorian was drafted, and after the celebrations were over, he asked to fly out to see his aunt and grandma. He’d already told my brother, Charlie.
Charlie had been close in age to Dorian, so Charlie was more like a brother to Dorian. Charlie was buried near his parents: my dad and stepmother.
Again, our family had held so much tragedy, but we’d been able to find some light. Today, my son got to tell his aunt and grandma all about his recruitment.
“I already told Grandma,” Dorian said. He’d laid a bouquet of flowers on my mom’s and sister’s headstones. Dorian placed his hands on both of them. “I wish I could have met them.”
He’d said that before, so many times.
“You basically have,” I said.
The weather was so cool and perfect today. I was able to wear a sundress and a wide-brim hat. I took the hat off and my dark hair slid across my face in the wind. I smiled. “They’re basically you.”
My son had my mother’s kindness, her goodness, but he also had his aunt’s didn’t-give-a-fuck energy. I think seeing both of them so often in him kept Mom and Paige around.
Something warm touched Dorian’s expression. He faced the headstones one more time before getting up. He wrapped his big arms around me, and it was so hard to believe my college boy was about to go off into the world. He was about to live his own life and was going to be doing so with the woman he loved. His girlfriend, Sloane, was going with him. The two planned to live together, and I was sure a wedding was around the corner.
I could only hope for some grandkids before I got too old.
“You’re both finished already?” Royal, Dorian’s father, asked when I got in the passenger side of the car Royal had rented for us. It was a sleek Audi, like the one Royal drove at home.
“Yep. Auntie and Gram were excited to hear the news,” Dorian said, sliding into the back seat.
Royal smiled, then started the car. “No doubt, if I know Paige,” Royal said. He was Paige’s best friend growing up, so he knew her well. Royal frowned in the rearview mirror. “And maybe put your seat belt on before texting Sloane.”
Thatmade me laugh. He was talking to Dorian like his little boy, and he was quite protective over him.
Dorian placed his phone down, then made a show of clicking his seat belt on. He waggled his eyebrows at Royal before picking up his phone again, and probably went back to texting Sloane. I was surprised that she hadn’t come with us to California, but, apparently, she wanted Dorian to have some time with Royal and me. Since she and Dorian were moving soon, Sloane knew the time Dorian had with us was limited.
Did I mention I loved my son’s girlfriend?
This wasn’t surprising, since she was the daughter of my best friend, Ramses. Ramses was such a good person, and he had a great daughter.
My husband wasn’t too keen on our son poking at the whole seat belt comment. Arching his eyebrow at the mirror, Royal opened his mouth, I assumed to say something to Dorian, but I put my hand on Royal’s.
“He’s fine,” I said, immediately rubbing my husband’s hand when I noticed the red creep up his neck. Royal Prinze was the epitome of eye candy, from the way his white polo stretched across his firm shoulders to the way his dirty-blond hair swept back lazily. I loved him in a suit and tie, but Iadoredhim casual like this. He was like a male centerfold, and I was completely living for it. I squeezed his hand. “You don’t have to hover so much.”
“I don’thover,” he grunted. He put the car into drive, and it was so funny to see him so steamed. He was normally the epitome of cool, calm, and collected.
He drove us out of the cemetery. “He just needs to have his seat belt on. It’s not safe.”
