Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 125866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Pain. Loss. Longing.
Every tear she let loose was made of all three.
My chest ached with the same emotions, along with anger I knew I’d have to face in the morning. We’d survived the unthinkable. She had gone through it alone, thinking I’d turned my back on her, thinking I…
I shook my head, forcing a calming breath and holding her tighter.
Tonight wasn’t the time.
In the morning, we’d talk. In the morning, we’d make a plan. But right now, I just wanted to wrap her up in my arms, make her feel safe, and kiss her until her breaths evened out and sleep took her under for a blissful peace.
I didn’t know what happened next, but I knew one thing for sure.
From this moment on, we were a unit.
From this moment on, it was us against the world.
Madelyn
Kyle wrapped me in his arms once my bags were unloaded from Braden’s trunk the next night. He pressed his lips to my forehead and held them there, his giant frame enveloping me, his heartbeat calm and steady in his chest.
“I’m going to miss you,” he said, and the words made tears prick my eyes as much as they made me smile.
“It’s two days,” I reminded him. I had houses to show and work to catch up on, as well as swim lessons with Sebastian. Kyle had training with Braden, both of them eager to get into the best shape possible before training camp started in just a few weeks.
“Too long,” Kyle murmured, and then he kissed me in a way that made me feel how much he meant that.
The front door to my house opened, and Kyle and I broke apart, him shoving his hands in his pockets and me tucking my hair behind my ear.
My mom stood as a shadow in the frame, the light from the living room shining behind her.
Then, there was the sound of little feet storming through the house, and Sebastian bolted out of the front door and ran straight to me.
“Mommy! Mommy!”
My emotions were about as stable as a chair with two legs missing, and I fought against the urge to cry as I swung him up into my arms with a grunt.
“My goodness, what did you eat while I was away? I think you’ve grown two feet and gained twenty pounds!”
Sebastian giggled and buried his face in my neck, his arms wrapped around me. “You’re silly, Mommy.”
I kissed his hair, eyeing where Kyle was watching us. There were so many emotions sprawling across his face, but I couldn’t name a single one before he smiled and hid them all.
“Hi, Kyle!” Sebastian said, beaming at him.
“Hey, buddy. How was your weekend?”
“Good. Me and Nana went to the museum.”
“You did, huh?” Kyle bent to Sebastian’s level when I put him back on the ground. “Well, I bet that was pretty cool. Did you see dinosaurs?”
Sebastian nodded proudly. “Uh-huh. And there was a whole room of bugs!”
“Bugs! I bet there were spiders. I love spiders.”
Sebastian’s eyes went wide as saucers. “You do? They’re so scary!”
“Nah, just misunderstood. If we ever catch a spider inside together, I’ll show you how cool they are, and we can get it outside safely instead of killing it.”
Sebastian nodded emphatically, looking up at me as if to say, “Did you hear that? This guy likes spiders!”
“I brought you something,” Kyle said, and Sebastian and I both looked at him in surprise and curiosity. I’d been with Kyle nearly the entire trip. When had he had time to get anything?
But he dug into his pocket and fished something out, holding it in his fist in front of Sebastian.
“Do you know what a meteorite is?”
Sebastian shook his head.
“Well, it’s debris from outer space.”
“Space?”
Kyle nodded. “Like a comet, asteroid or meteor. And there are some places in the world where meteorites have been found. Do you know where Argentina is?”
Sebastian shook his head again, hanging onto every word Kyle said.
Kyle pulled out his phone and clicked on the maps app, showing my son the large country.
“And right here, there’s been discoveries of what they call Campo del Cielo — a group of iron meteorites.” Kyle unfolded his hand then, revealing a small, lumpy object that looked like a cross between a rock and a heap of metal.
“Whoa!” Sebastian carefully took it from him, and then gaped even more, his eyes snapping up to Kyle. “It’s so heavy!”
“It is, isn’t it? There was a store in Denver run by two pretty amazing women who have the same love for rocks and gemstones that you do. They travel the world and collect them. When they told me about this one, I thought it would be perfect for your collection.”
Sebastian jumped up and down, his eyes on his new toy like it was the best present he’d ever been given. “Thank you, thank you!”