Page 85 of Magic or Madness

We all laugh somberly, and I find relief in his small joke, seemingly breaking the ice for the rest of us.

“I think she wanted to see us again, back home, as a unit like we once were,” I say softly, taking Fallon’s hand in mine. “And to meet some new faces.”

“Hi, Masha!” Fallon smiles, waving at her tree and tipping her red cup toward her in salute.

“God, she would’ve loved you,” Lex breathes, and I feel a single tear escape my eye, trailing down my cheek.

I’ve always thought so, but hearing someone else say it aloud is fucking liberating.

“Ozzy always says that,” she whispers, stroking my hand with her thumb.

“Maybe she sent you to us, and that’s why she asked us here this year,” Oliver muses, and everyone’s heads nod in agreement.

Even Journey agrees, his silence speaking volumes as he was the most affected by her death – besides me.

Masha took to Journey immediately, saying he reminded her of her big brother who’d died when she was a teenager. They were close, and he wasn’t always a hard-shelled asshole with us on opposite sides of a fight, he once was someone we all admired.

“I remember when I met Masha at one of those stupid parties Doc would throw. She hated every second of it, hiding in thecorner and glaring at anyone who’d look her way,” Cami chimes in, a big smile on her face as she sips her champagne.

“You were so wild back then, Cams. It’s still baffling how you two ever got along.” Oliver kisses her cheek, and I can’t escape the smile forming on my face.

For some reason, Oliver and Camila just work so well together, even when they fight, and I’ve deduced that he’s an idiot if he leaves her behind again.

“I know, I was lucky she even looked at me, especially given how drunk I was at that party. She showed me so many beautiful parts of this world that I still see daily. That’s just the effect she had on people.” She wipes the tears pooling on her cheeks, shaking her head as she tries to keep her emotions in check.

Max wanders off, the pain of the day seeming to creep over him, but I shake my head when Fallon asks if we should check on him.

Death is hard for Max, after losing his entire family in a car accident and being the only survivor. He was only fifteen and watched as his parents, twin sisters, and a few-month-old brother all took their last breaths, while trapped inside the confines of the family minivan.

Unfortunately, that date is only a week apart from Masha’s, and his grief is everlasting this time of year. As much as we try to be there for him, he pushes us away year after year, claiming that he can handle it on his own.

“You know, I’ve spent a lot of time here the last few years. I know I didn’t mark that tree, or spend as much time with her as you guys did … but it’s been pretty lonely around here since you guys left and well, I felt comfort when I sat with Masha,” Cami whispers, and Oliver wraps his arms around her.

“Come home with us, Cams. Back where you belong.”

Everyone smiles, staring directly at Cami until her decision is made.

“You mean that?”

“More than anything. You’re a part of this family, just as Pepper and Fallon are,” he says softly, and we all nod in agreement, willing her to say yes.

Camila may be a train wreck, a hurricane, and a pain in the ass, but Oliver is right – she belongs with us.

Seeing her only solidified that, and we were all kidding ourselves on the way down here, making fun of Oliver and their dynamic. She’s the only woman who could ever handle him, and it’s evident by the smile that hasn’t left his face since she joined us at the club last night.

“Alright. Take me to North Carolina,” she laughs, holding her red cup in the air.

We all clink the plastic together, opening up another space in our hearts and making room for her in this dysfunctional family.

Just as we do, the sky opens up, dumping warm Florida rain over our heads, and soaking us within minutes.

We all shake our heads and smile, knowing exactly who was trying to communicate with us. We’re complete again, and the nagging sensation in my heart is leading me to believe that Masha was leading us home to Camila, not her.

I glance over at her, snuggling under Oliver’s arm, and something tells me that we were brought here to find her and bring her home where she belongs.

“It just got louder in the dealership, that’s for sure,” Fallon laughs at her own joke, the champagne always making her giggly.

“Oh, Fallon. You and I are going to get into trouble together, I can feel it in my bones.” Cami winks, and Fallon shudders against me, almost as if she’s turned on.

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