28
RILEY
Age 10
“Beckett?” I whispered. “You awake?”
There was a shuffling, then a quiet, “Yeah.”
“I can’t sleep.”
“I can’t either,” he said. “Today was hard, wasn’t it?”
I sat up, using the blankets to wipe my tears. “Will we see them again?”
Beckett was quiet for a long time. “I don’t think so. I’ve been here four months. The kids who have left haven’t returned. But Tracy says that’s a good thing since they get to go back to their families.”
I didn’t like that answer. It made me afraid. “But I don’t have a family no more. My parents are dead. Does that mean I’m going to be here forever?”
Beckett shifted, then got out of his bed and came over to sit next to me. “I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “But for as long as I’m here, we’ll be together, okay?”
“But what if you leave, too?” I asked through a whimper.
He put an arm around me and for a moment, he didn’t seem to know what to say. Finally, he just shrugged. “I’m here for now. Let’s focus on that. And if I do leave, we’ll stay friends, okay?”
“You promise?”
“I promise, Ry,” he said as he squeezed me.
***
I pulled a sweatshirt over my head as I made my way down the path toward the beach. The air was chilly this morning and I was glad I’d worn jeans. Fall would be here soon, my favorite time of year. I loved the crisp mornings and chilly evenings, and I was looking forward to sharing some of my favorite soup recipes with Beckett.
Lady raced ahead as soon as she saw Amelia sitting on “our rock”, the one we’d always meet up at, and began doing her dance of joy at my best friend’s feet while Quinn moved slowly next to me. His slower pace was making me worry that I’d need to take him to the vet soon. He seemed in more pain than usual these days.
Amelia stood to greet me when I reached her, folding her arms around me in a tight hug. I hugged her back just as tightly, kissing her head. It had been two weeks since I’d walked in on her laying limp on the bed, and this was the first I’d seen her since leaving the hospital to find Beckett. She’d stayed in the hospital for three days, then willingly enrolled herself in a program to help. Now, she had a mentor checking in on her frequently and visited with a therapist three times a week. I hadn’t been able to talk to her much during her treatment other than the occasional phone call, so that was the most she’d shared with me.
I kept my arm around her as we walked along the beach, Amelia throwing the ball for Lady.
“Oh! I forgot to tell you. I got a new job,” she said after a long stretch of silence. “At the Reedsport Inn. I’m the new office manager.”
I gave her a gentle squeeze. “That’s great, Ames. You’ll do great.”
“But, the downside is I won’t be able to work your booths at the fall markets since I’ll be working weekends for a while.”
“That’s okay, I’m sure Sarah will be able to step in again, but I’m happy for you. It seems like things are getting back on track.”
“Yeah, they are,” she agreed. “How’s Beckett?”
A warmth filled my chest at his name, just as it always did these days. It was strange to think that even just six weeks ago, hearing his name could nearly bring me to tears and now it filled me with such hope.
“He’s good,” I said with a smile. “Just talked to him before I came here.”
She gave me a gentle nudge when I didn’t say more. “That’s all you have for me? Come on, Pres. Tell me more.”
I’d already told her about my trip to Atlanta and how Beck’s sister was partially responsible for keeping us apart all these years. Amelia had been both sad and furious with Tosh on our behalf, but I told her the same thing I told Beckett. We just needed to focus on the fact that we’re together now. That was all that really mattered to me, the fact that Beckett had found me and was uprooting his life to come be with me. I still had a lot of anger toward Tosh, too, but it paled in comparison to the joy I felt that Beckett and I were building a life together. It was the life I always dreamed of but never truly believed I’d get to have.
Amelia pinched my side. “Earth to Preston.”
