“I know you miss home,” Sam says. “I have had one idea…”
“What’s that?”
I glance at Sam. I have mixed feelings on this possible plan, but I smile and silently tell him to share his idea. It might be the only solution.
“If you wait a little bit longer, say another eight months until Toby is technically almost two, you might be able to tell people that he’s a second child of yours.” Sam raises a hand. “I know. It sounds crazy, but if he’s older and doesn’t look exactly as he did, you can say he’s a son you didn’t know about until his mother brought him to you because she didn’t want him anymore. Yes, yes, it’s insane. But it might work. You’d obviously have to change his name. Maybe call him by his middle name.”
“A brother could easily look a lot like Toby,” I add.
Costa watches his son laugh as he bends over to lift the ball. “Evan isn’t a bad name,” he says slowly.
“You’d need paperwork, social security number, and such. You will anyway though since Toby Jorden is officially deceased.”
Costa smirks. “I got a guy who can get me what I need.”
“Of course you do,” Sam says with a laugh.
“That actually might work.” A smile begins to take over Costa’s face. “I want to be able to go home. For me, for Toby. I want to show Amy the places that are important to me and be near you two again.”
I lean back and stretch my legs, pushing my feet into the sand. “Sam and I talked. If you don’t think that will work, we’ll go where you need us. The five of us need to stick together. We have to keep each other in check.”
Costa’s face tells me how touched he is. “You’d leave Watermark?”
“Of course. If that’s what has to happen, of course we would,” Sam says.
“What about college? Neither of you wants to go back?”
Both of us shake our heads.
“Nope,” I say. “At least not yet. Maybe one day, and maybe we’ll be forty when we do it but not now.”
“Now,” Sam says, “is all about adjusting and finding stability. Let’s just live. Well, you know, with the occasional death, but let’s just live.”
“Okay. I don’t want you two not doing what you want because of this.”
“We are doing what we want, Costa. Really,” I say. “We’re staying with family.”
Costa thinks for a minute. “Let’s wait and see what Toby looks like in six months. I bet we can pull this off. We should all be able to stay in Watermark. It’s where we belong.”
“Okay. Then, we’ll wait.” Sam looks seriously at Costa. “We’re staying on schedule, right? Tripping once every five weeks or so?”
Costa nods immediately. “Yes. If we can taper down, we will. Oh! I did want to show you something cool that we figured out yesterday. Watch this.” Costa hops from his chair and waves to Amy. “Ready?”
“Again?” she asks with a laugh. “Okay.” Amy tucks her hair behind her ears and narrows her eyes toward Costa.
He calls Toby’s name, and when his son turns, Costa puts out his hands and makes a circle with his fingers. Bubbles, just like the ones blown through a plastic wand, begin to rush out, floating gently through the air right to Toby. The little boy laughs and claps his hands, and then he begins chasing them as they blow in the breeze.
Sam looks astonished. “You got your powers back?”
Costa lifts his bubble-making fingers higher and grins. “I got me a power augmenter, Sammy, just like you.”
“Amy?” I ask delightedly. “Amy is your power augmenter?”
“So, it seems.”
Sam looks at me. “What did I tell you, Stella? Love comes first, and power augmenter comes second.”
“You might just be right about that, Bishop.” I can’t take my eyes off him.
