Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 68369 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68369 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 342(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 228(@300wpm)
“Christ, Ma’s already cryin’,” Ryan said. “Brace yourself, kid.”
I exhaled shakily and swallowed hard.
That had to be Willow. She was glued to Ethan’s side, and she was wearing headphones.
Darius glanced up at the building, and it looked like he made a face.
“I don’t know what to do with my hands,” I said anxiously. Did they go in my pockets? Just hanging limply at my sides? Did I fold my arms over my chest?
“You won’t have to worry about that for long. Come on.” Ryan gave my shoulder a squeeze and nodded toward the entrance. “I should’ve brought tissues,” he muttered.
“For your mom?”
“No, for me.”
Oh.
Family reunions and videos of service members coming home to their pets, right?
My stomach tightened beyond what I wanted to handle. We were walking closer to the revolving door, and so were the Quinns on the other side. Only, they couldn’t see us yet. You could only see out.
Breathe.
I tried.
The younger generation took care of what little luggage they had and let the older couple walk first. Mary and James. James had an arm around Mary, and she was definitely emotional. She kept dabbing a tissue under her eyes.
They looked to be in their late seventies.
“I don’t wanna bawl my eyes out in the lobby,” I said, clearing my throat.
I didn’t even recognize the guy behind the front desk. It wasn’t Gina or the other two ladies who occasionally sat there.
“You should’ve thought of that before I asked you to meet me here,” Ryan replied.
I shot him a look, but he had his easy smirk fixed on the entrance.
“Maybe you won’t be my favorite uncle for much longer,” I said.
He snorted. “Please. I have zero competition.”
It depended on the quality of Darius’s dad jokes.
I refocused on the others as the revolving door whirred to life, and I sucked in a breath when I locked eyes with Mary Quinn.
Please like me, ma’am.
“I’m not even gonna try to hug her first,” Ryan muttered. “She’ll leave me hanging.”
Mary emerged with her husband, and a new round of tears filled her eyes immediately. Her feet carried her faster, low heels clicking against the floor, at the same time as it looked like her husband had to hold her up a little.
The distance between us disappeared too fast for me to be able to process it, and I stood there frozen in both mind and body. I just registered her falling apart, her blue eyes, her thin coat, the purse she dropped, and—
“Oh, I see him in you, sweet child.” She let out a sob and threw her arms around my neck. “My darling boy—I see him in you.”
I screwed my eyes shut and broke inside, and I hugged her back awkwardly. Emotions surged forward so quickly that there was no chance I could build up a defense to hold them back. My eyes burned, it suddenly felt like someone was standing on my chest, and my nerves were officially shot.
Mary smelled of a sweet perfume, like you expected old people to.
“Oh, Jake, Jake, Jake,” she wept. “You look so much like him, Leighton.”
I sniffled and clenched my jaw, refusing to make a sound. That tears rolled down my cheeks couldn’t be helped, but I wasn’t going to embarrass myself.
Mary eased back and cupped my face in her hands, and she smiled through her own tears.
“To learn Jake had a son…” She laughed tearfully and shook her head. “He left behind the best kind of legacy.”
Oh Christ.
I blinked hard and inched away to hurriedly wipe at my cheeks.
The best kind of legacy.
She was killing me.
I wasn’t alone anymore?
I swallowed repeatedly, and Mary made room for James, who walked forward and extended his hand to me.
“It’s good to meet you, boy,” he said thickly. As Ryan had predicted, as soon as I grasped James’s hand, he added a second and squeezed mine firmly.
“You too, sir.” I nodded once, unable to speak another word.
I guess I look like you, Dad.
I mean, I’d seen it—some of it. Some of my features. But the rest of the family had decades of memories. A few pictures couldn’t compare.
Mary surprised me with another hug, and a whimper almost broke free. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I needed to get my shit together.
“I can’t wait to get to know you, sweetheart,” she cried. “I’m sure Jake loves you so, so much, wherever he is right now.”
“Okay, Ma—let’s not… He’s overwhelmed as it is.” Ryan cleared his throat and stepped forward. “C’mere, you.” He saved my ass by gently pulling Mary to his side. “Leighton, meet Darius and Gray.”
I coughed and discreetly wiped at my cheeks once more, then summoned all my strength to face the next two. I’d done my best to avoid looking at them because I could only handle one emotional attack at a time.
Gray couldn’t be much older than me. Like, fuck, a few years, maybe? He was way younger than Darius. And he smiled warmly and snuck in for a quick hug.