Page 107 of Came the Closest

My Last Eight Seconds

Cheyenne

Dawn is ascending over the lake when I go downstairs on my thirtieth birthday. The wooden floors are cool beneath my feet and the eastern sky blushes shamelessly. Colton is already in the sunroom, but he left a gold-handled white mug dotted with blue hydrangeas on the counter. Next to it, the box of Honey Nut Cheerios, a spoon, and a note.

Happy 30th birthday, Fini. I love you.

P.S. Ignore the chip in the mug handle. Milo accidentally dropped it. We decided it gave it character.

Tucking a smile into my shoulder, I pour my cereal. I pause to add milk to the grocery list on the fridge, and Colton greets me with a good morning kiss to rival all others. We sit on the wicker daybed—me eating from my mug and him sipping from his. The windows are pushed up over their screens to allow a crisp August breeze through.

When Milo wakes up, Colton sends me back to bed because they have a surprise. Fifteen minutes later, Milo bursts into my room and jumps on the mattress, Colton and Indi carrying trays of breakfast. A stack of fluffy pancakes teeters on the plate, scrambled eggs are mixed with salsa, sausage patties are heart shaped, and there’s a glass of chocolate milk (that Milo made all by himself). Three handmade cards in store bought envelopes are tucked between the plate and a vase of fresh blue hydrangeas. I tell Milo I can’t possibly eat all the food myself, and he gleefully sits cross-legged next to me, chattering in between bites.

Colton sits in my desk chair and stretches his legs out long, watching us with one of the softest expressions I’ve ever seen on him. Indi is sprawled across the foot of my bed, lifting her head only when Milo airplanes a bite of pancake to her mouth.

There has never been a more perfect morning.

Colton gives Milo a piggyback ride downstairs to clean up the kitchen. I’m curious how big of a mess they made, but Indi insists I take a leisurely, uninterrupted shower. She lays out a birthday outfit on my bed—a flowy white maxi skirt, a lace edged blue camisole, and Birkenstocks. Underneath lies my blue bikini; you never know when you’ll take a dip in the lake.

We walk to Sam’s house for an early lunch, and Jolene and Milo sing a rendition of Happy Birthday that they’ve been practicing for a week. Sam grills lemon garlic chicken breasts, Hazel makes a watermelon-peach salad, and Gran shows off her newly discovered cooking skills by preparing tomato basil bruschetta with Jordan’s help. It doesn’t exactly match the flavor profile, but it tastes delicious.

My brothers bought day passes for the Henry Doorly Zoo, and we pile into three vehicles to drive to Omaha. Dad is strong enough to walk further distances, even with the heat. Love has never swelled deeper inside me than when we’re walking by the big cats’ enclosures. Milo is between Dad and Colton, holding their hands and trying hard to keep up with their long legs. When a gorilla bangs on its industrial grade glass, Milo runs for Colton’s arms, and when Justin gets too sweaty, he stands under the mister for five minutes straight.

We get back to the lake house later that afternoon. Milo resists a nap, but his overtiredness wins out. He and Colton fall asleep on the daybed in the sunroom, their cheeks sun kissed, and their lips parted. I’m climbing the stairs to change into something more comfortable when Indi catches up to me.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she asks. “You have plans tonight.”

“Indi,” I say, eyes narrowed, “we have done everything I wanted to do today. We don’t have plans.”

She sighs heavily and pushes me toward my bed. “Correct—we don’t. You do. You seriously thought my brother would let the day pass without getting you alone for part of it? As if!” She shakes her head dispassionately. “Honestly, Cheyenne. I thought you knew him better than that.”

She has a point. “Okay, that’s fair. But—”

“Butts are for—You know what, never mind. I’m not gonna finish that.” She pushes my shoulders until I plop onto the edge of my bed. “No buts about it.”

“Indigo Del Ray,” I say, and I press a dramatic hand to my chest. “Did you almost make an inappropriate joke?”

She looks offended by the thought. “No. Anyway, back to this. I—”

“What about Milo, though? I told him—”

“Milo will be fine.” She opens my closet door with a flourish, like she’s become my fairy godmother in the past ten seconds. “Unless, of course, you don’t think he’d want to go on the sailboat.” She gasps and yanks a red Rixo dress from the rack. “You, my precious darling, are coming to Indi’s closet.”

“You’re going on the sailboat?”

“Grayson’s offer stands, so I thought I’d take it,” she says blandly. “On the bright side, it’ll be easy to toss him overboard.”

“Indi,” I scold, but my mouth twitches.

“I know, I know. Dark sense of humor.” She closes my closet, the expensive dress draped over her arm, and spins to face me again. “Okay, you know what? Wear that. It’ll be perfect for—”

I narrow my eyes when hers go wide. “For…?”

“For nothing,” she says quickly, and much too enthusiastically.

“Indi,” I say slowly. She inches toward the doors, and I stand up. “If you don’t tell me, you can’t have that dress.”

She looks between the silky viscose material and me. “Cheyenne, I really want to. I do. But if I do, Colton will never forgive me.”

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