Page 82 of Roses and Skulls

The sun shines on my face as Elijah pumps his legs back and forth.

“Higher,” I squeal, gripping the chains on the swing, right above his hands. My head falls back, and I pretend I’m floating in the clouds. I’ve never swung this high. My daddy wouldn’t like that I’m sitting on Elijah’s lap, facing him as we swing together but it’s the best. Way better than doing it alone.

When my head tips back down, Elijah smiles at me. “Do you like this, Rosie?” he asks, not even a bit breathless from all the work he’s doing.

“So much,” I say, biting my lip and encouraging him to go even higher.

“Billie Rose,” my mom hollers. Elijah instantly drags his feet, creating a dust cloud under the swing set. The jerky stop makes me lose my grip and I start to fall backwards but he catches me, preventing us both from falling off the swing.

“Caught you,” he teases before setting me on my feet. He helps me to right myself and then takes my hand, leading us back to where mommy is waiting for us. I look up at him as we walk through the grass. I like that he’s so much taller than me.

He holds my hand out for mommy to take.

“Thank you for watching her while I ran to the store,” she tells him.

“No problem, Aunt Jess.” He ruffles my hair and then a boy from his class hollers across the park from the basketball courts asking him if he wants to shoot hoops. “Can you tell my mom I’ll be home by six?” he asks.

“Sure, we’ll see you later.” My mom drags me away as Elijah jogs over to his friend.

My heels dig into the ground.

“Come on, sweetie, you can play at the park again tomorrow.”

“I wanna stay with him,” I pout, dropping all my weight to the ground.

My little fit doesn’t deter my mother. She picks me up and tosses me in the backseat of Uncle William’s minivan.

I cross my arms over my chest after buckling myself in, my eyes fixated on Elijah through the windshield. It’s not fair, I could have sat on the ground and watched him. I love watching him. He’s funny and I’m never bored when I’m with him.

“Come on, Billie Rose, we have to get back to the house. We’re baking cookies with Penny today. Won’t that be fun?”

My lips curl between my teeth. I’m not talking to mommy the rest of the day. All I wanted was to stay with Elijah. He could have walked us home. Even I know how to look both ways before crossing the street and they only live a few blocks from the park.

My mother sighs. “Hey, I know you like to spend time with him, but he’s a lot older than you and he has friends. You can’t tag along with him everywhere he goes.”

This makes no sense to me. Why does it matter how old we are? Elijah is my friend and I know that daddy is a lot older than mommy. So, I tell her exactly this.

Her eyes meet mine in the mirror as she shuts the engine off after pulling into the driveway. My heart drops when she brushes a tear off her cheek. I didn’t mean to make mommy cry. “You’re right, baby, age doesn’t matter when you’re friends,” she says. “Elijah will be home in a few hours and Penny really wants to bake with us. Maybe you can bake a special cookie just for him.”

And that’s all it takes to get me hopping out of the van and skipping into the house. I know exactly what kind of cookie I’m going to make him. One with extra chocolate chips because Elijah loves anything that’s sweet.

My five-year-old self doesn’t recognize that in this moment, my mother decides it will be my last trip to visit William and his family. A decision made with the best of intentions. She was only protecting what was hers. At all costs. Even from threats that only existed in her mind.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Elijah

So, the dirty looks that I’ve received from both Dirk and Jesse should concern me, but they don’t. Billie Rose and I have gone past the point of no return. Anyone who tries to keep her away from me will be eliminated from our lives. Whoever and however it needs to be accomplished.

Billie Rose is sitting a few feet away from me, a granola bar hanging from her hand as she watches me do my morning workout on the patio.

“Want to grab a bite to eat before we head to the bar tonight. I’ll pick you up at the shop at five.”

She snaps out of the trance she’s in, quickly righting her granola bar as it’s about to slide out of the wrapper. “Like on a date?” she asks, squishing up her cute little nose at me.

“Don’t act like you don’t want to go on a date with me, but no, you’ll know when I take you on a date. It won’t be to some little hole in the wall pizza joint, which is about all there is around here.”

She giggles. “So, where will you take me?” Her eyes turn a shade of purple as her head tips back to look at me. Grabbing the towel beside her, I wipe at my brow. Her lips part as her eyes roam below the waistband of my sweats, my junk hovering just above her.

---