Page 94 of The Life We Left Behind

The apartment was lovely. The afternoon sun filtered through the soft curtains at the windows, giving the whole place a warm glow. It was homey and welcoming. And it looked exactly like the kind of place Delaney and I had always dreamed of when we talked about running away to the city.

This was their home.

“This is amazing, Delaney.”

She smiled at me happily as she wandered into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. “And Blake even remembered to empty the refrigerator,” she said, sounding impressed before she closed it and leaned back against the door. “It took some time to get it how I wanted it, but once I did…it felt too much like home to move somewhere else.”

Now I understood why she’d stuck around when she could have afforded something much nicer.

“Plus, the rent is a steal.”

“Come see my room.” Cade grabbed my hand and tugged me toward a closed door with his name on it.

His smile was so infectious that I couldn’t help but feel excited to get a glimpse of his life. He threw open the door with a flourish and then darted inside and threw himself on his bed.

I followed him inside, taking the time to look around and soak up how his life in the city had been.

Delaney popped her head through the door. “I’m just going to pack up a couple of things for Blake that she wants from her apartment. Are you guys okay getting started in here? You don’t need to bring everything, Cade, just all your school bits and anything you can’t live without for the next six months.”

“Sure thing, Mom!” Cade called out, scrambling off his bed and throwing open his closet.

“I’ll start making up some boxes. You sure you’re going to be okay on your own?” I asked Delaney.

She rolled her eyes at me. “No one is going to jump out from under Blake’s bed and murder me.”

I laughed at her melodramatics. “I more meant in case you needed me for anything heavy.”

“Oh, yeah, probably. I’ll call you over if the boxes get too heavy.”

She leaned forward and pecked me on the lips before she disappeared out the door. I watched until the door closed behind her and then turned back to find Cade smiling at me.

“Was that gross?” I asked with a wince.

We hadn’t really talked to Cade much about how it was going to work having me in their life. It had to be weird to see his mom with someone, even if that guy turned out to be his dad.

“No. It’s nice. Not the kissing. Yuck. But it’s nice to see Mom happy.”

“She wasn’t happy before.”

“She wasn’t not happy.” He shrugged and turned back to his closet, putting his hands on his hips as he stared inside. “I think we need to pack everything,” he said seriously.

I looked around the room in surprise. It wasn’t overly big, and for a kid, Cade was pretty neat. And while he might not have had a lot of stuff, it would still take a while to pack.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.” He glanced over his shoulder at me and grinned. “It’s not like we’re moving back here.”

“Did your mom say that?”

Delaney hadn’t mentioned moving to Willowbrook permanently, even if I was desperate for them to. I’d follow them anywhere, but there was something about having them back ina place that felt like home that seemed so right. Besides, Booker was there, and even though I’d leave if I had to, I’d like to keep my one remaining brother in my life if I could. And not just because of his mad breakfast cooking skills.

“No. But we’re going to be a family at the farm. And I can already tell that we’re going to like it there. Willowbrook is where we need to be.”

His words echoed around my head, and I walked into the room to perch on the side of his bed. There had been something I’d wanted to ask him for a few days, but I’d never found the right time to do it. Apparently, it was now while he was pulling arms full of clothes out of the closet and dumping them on the bed beside me.

“Cade? How are you feeling about everything that’s happening? A lot of stuff is changing really fast, and I want to make sure you’re okay with it all.”

He stopped and looked at me curiously. Cade tipped his head to the side while he thought for a moment. “I’m nervous about trying a new school, but not really because it’s just school. I’m happy that I get to hang out with you and Uncle Booker. And I’m happy that Mom is happy.”

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