Page 183 of A Little Complicated

He.

My eyes close with the weight of her words, making it hard for me to breathe.

“And he wouldn’t want you to feel sad, either,” she whispers.

I know she’s right. He’d probably give me a dead arm if he saw me wallowing after my successful transplant. He’d tell me to stop acting like a bitch and be happy. Be grateful. A lump grows in my throat as the weight of my gratitude sits heavy on my shoulders.

“I think he’d want you to live your life to the fullest,” she adds.

I open my eyes and stare at our clasped hands. “I know.”

“So, I think the real question is…how do we live life to the fullest?” she asks.

My gaze meets hers, and my pulse skips as I take in her beauty. Her sadness. Her strength. Her love. For me and my brother.

“I told Archer we’re gonna name our firstborn after him,” I mutter.

Her mouth lifts. “Our?”

“Technically, I said yours, but toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe.”

She laughs. “I think he’d like that.”

“Me too.” I lick my parched lips. “I really miss him, Opie.”

With a sad smile, she reaches for a cup of ice and spoons some into my mouth. “He’s easy to miss.”

“Yeah, he really is.” Chewing on the ice, I let the moisture soothe my aching throat. “I love you, Ophelia.”

“I love you too.” She sets the spoon in the cup. Her hands shake as she threads our fingers together and brings my hand to her lips, kissing me softly. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

I nod. “Me too. I’ve been thinking a lot about Arch and you and…everything.”

She sniffs. “Same.”

“I’m not gonna take this for granted. I’m not gonna take a single thing for granted,” I clarify. “This life? Fuck me, it’s fragile, Goose. It can be taken from me—from anyone—in an instant. Throwing away my second chance by being sad when I’m lucky enough to be alive feels…” I swallow thickly. “It feels like I’m not grateful or some shit. I’m not gonna do that to him. It feels wrong in here.” I press my hand to my chest, and she covers it with her palm, the steady beat making her eyes water.

Slowly, she lowers her head to my chest and listens to Archer’s heart.

My pulse quickens again, surprising me and causing a strange zing to roll through me. It doesn’t hurt, so I don’t mention it. I simply thread my fingers through her hair, holding her close.

“Pretty sure this is my favorite sound in the world,” she whispers. Her breath slips through the thin sheets and into my skin, warming me. “I love you,” she adds.

I’m not sure if the words are meant for me or for Archer, but I know my brother well enough to reply without hesitation. “This heart will always beat for you, Ophelia Grace.”

And I know it will.

58

MAVERICK

Iwas released from the hospital a few weeks ago. The funeral sucked, but it felt good to talk about Archer. To reminisce with family and friends, and fuck, the place was packed with plenty of both. After the funeral, my Uncle Jake gave me Archer’s laptop from his internship. I guessed his password on the third try. I never asked what he worked on while interning at B-Tech, and that’s on me. But as soon as I found Archer’s last PowerPoint presentation, I understood why they were chomping at the bit to hire him. In true Archer fashion, he found a way to use B-Tech’s technology to store power in unstable countries so they have less downtime on their grid. He also called in a favor from our grandfather, who’s now working on a bill to help subsidize the cost for low-income households, making state-of-the-art batteries more affordable than ever for those who really need them during natural disasters and other shitstorms they find themselves in.

My brother’s still managing to save the world, even in death.

Why am I not surprised?

After giving it a lot of thought, I decided the only thing to do was keep the ball rolling. I’m not afraid to tap into our family’s connections and figure out how to distribute the technology to other countries in need. As soon as Dr. Scott approves itandOphelia’s season with the Lady Hawks ends, I’m hoping we can travel wherever fate leads us to help roll out the first phase.

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