Page 26 of RiffRaff's Reward

She stands, takes his hand and walks over to me and says, “This is my mom. Her name is Jillian, but you can call her Jilly oreven Mama J if you want. Then, she moves to where Brick is crouching down so he doesn’t scare Callum since he’s so tall and naturally intimidating with his shaved head and tattooed, muscular arms. “His name is Brick and he’s gonna be our big brother. His wife’s name is Ryleigh.”

Brick’s eyes are comically wide at Kimber’s pronouncement but to give him credit, he doesn’t bat an eye otherwise or refute her statement. It’s as if he’s aware of RiffRaff’s ultimate plan for us or something. “Hey, little man,” he says, gentling his booming voice as much as he can, I’m sure, although admittedly, it’s not much. He’s a big guy with a grumbly, growly sounding tone to his words. Still, his kindness and compassion shine through. “Do you like to fish by any chance? Because I can guarantee that once it warms up, my dad’s gonna wanna take you fishing on the docks like he did with me when I was a little boy.”

“I don’t know how,” Callum replies, his lips now trembling.

“It’s okay, we’ll teach you,” Brick promises.

Ryleigh and I crouch next to Callum, and I reach out and gently touch the spindly curls on his head, remembering when Kimber’s were all willy nilly like his are. “Callum, I’m so sorry about your mommy,” I tell him as he crumbles into my arms and silently cries. “Mrs. Jo says that you can come to live with me and Kimber, would you like that?”

Ryleigh is wiping away tears as she watches our interaction, then she wraps her arms around the both of us and whispers, “It’s okay to cry, little man. We shed tears for those we miss the most.”

“Yes, we do,” I add. “It’s always okay to express your feelings in our home, Callum. Just ask Kimber.”

Kimber giggles and joins our huddled group and says, “Trust me, I’m a teenage girl, and crying is sometimes a daily event. And when my daddy died, I cried a lot because I missed him so much.”

“Your daddy is in heaven too?” Callum innocently asks. His question brings home the fact that he’s too young to understand the connection between him and Kimber. He knows she’s his sister, however, how that relationislinked together hasn’t been digested in its entirety.

And… cue my own tears because it’s an unfortunate bond he shares with my daughter about their father, even though he’s still too young to grasp that fact.

“So, I hear you like motorcycles, Callum,” Brick says. “How would you feel about having a bed that’s shaped like one?”

Callum’s eyes light up and he nods his head, then his eyes dim. I’m sure his emotions are all over the place right now, especially since death is a hard enough concept for adults to comprehend, let alone for those whose minds haven’t matured yet. His whole little world has been destroyed and he understandably is having a hard time coping.

“But… but… if I live with you, Kimber, then Santa won’t be able to find me. I already sent him a letter that I moved, what if it’s too late to send another one?” he whispers. “What if Mama told him what I wanted, and he can’t bring it?”

“We’ll send him another letter and tell him where you are living now,” Kimber promises. “I’ll help you write it, okay?”

I’m so proud of her right now; she’s always been kind and tenderhearted but she’s showing a level of compassion toward her brother I wasn’t honestly expecting.

“We will?” Callum asks. “And it’ll make it to the North Pole in time?”

“Absolutely! I think I have his email address somewhere. There’s an elf up there who prints off the letters for Santa to read. Oh! Wait until you meet my best friend, Katie. She has a little brother about your age, too! This is gonna be so much fun when you come to live with us,” Kimber explains as if it’s a done deal.

Well, technically, I suppose it is because Jo mentioned yesterday that she wants him settled in before the holidays and we’ve literally only got about a week to go. Depending on how well this meeting between us wraps up, the judge, according to Jo, stated that he’d be willing to sign the appropriate documentation even though he’s out of the office for the holidays.

Jo comes over to us and says, “Callum, I’ll get Mrs. Foster to pack up your belongings if you want to go home with Jilly and Kimber. Then I’ll bring them to you along with pizza. You like fish on yours, right?”

I know she means anchovies and realize she’s teasing him when I see his nose wrinkle in disgust. “No, ma’am, Mrs. Jo. I like pepperoni and cheese.”

Jo winks at me then replies, “Then I’ll make sure to leave the fish off, okay?” She then turns to me and says, “He’s in a toddler car seat because he doesn’t weigh enough for a booster seat quite yet. Can I get your keys so we can move it to your vehicle?” Then she leans over and whispers, “I spoke to Judge Johansson, and he is approving a fast-track adoption. By the time New Year’s hits, y’all will be an official family.”

“Thank you,” I say, thinking that miracles truly do happen.

“Jilly, I’ll handle it for you,” Brick says, his voice full of authority as he holds out his hand for my key fob. “And if you give me your house key, I’ll go and get the bed so the prospects can put it together while you do the paperwork or whatever’s next here.”

I mutely hand him my keys, completely stunned at how he’s taking charge. I can see how much of RiffRaff is running through his veins since I’ve seen my ol’ man in action a few times already. He’s a take-charge kind of man and apparently, the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Ryleigh claps her hands together and gleefully says, “Time to go shopping!”

“Yes, it is,” I muse, my mind furiously spinning as I think about everything that has to be done. First, of course, Kimber needs to help him with his Santa list. I’ll suggest doing that while we’re driving home.

God, I wish RiffRaff was here.

Brick returns with my key fob then heads out the door, stating, “We’ll be at the house getting his room squared away.”

“Wait! You need the alarm code,” I advise as he and Ryleigh are at the door.

He turns and winks then says, “Pops already gave it to me.”

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