Page 138 of Stay for Me
“Good surprise?”
I lean over and kiss her. “Great surprise.”
“Catherine was a rock through it all. I don’t know that any of us would’ve known what to do, but she protected the family. We were at your brother’s house, and she was there, making sure no one bothered us while she coordinated everything. I was impressed.”
I can imagine it. Catherine is that saying about being small but mighty. Nothing scares her during the crisis.
“How did you find out about the crash?” I ask.
She tilts her head to me. “It broke over the internet, and Melanie was the one who told me.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“I won’t lie and tell you that it was easy. Not that I think finding out any way would’ve been easy, but I don’t know, Jacob, it was hard seeing the headlines and learning about it with millions of others.”
“I’m so sorry, baby.”
And I am. For all of it. One day, I might feel less guilty, but not anytime soon.
“It’s over now. You’re here and safe, and I can touch you.”
I pull her close, needing to comfort her as much as myself. “Yes, you can.”
We fall silent, and I try to imagine how she must’ve felt, hating that she had to go through any of it at all. The limo continues on. We talk here and there, but we don’t talk about the crash. Instead, she tells me about how my brothers are holding up and how great they were.
What I imagined to be the longest drive in history passes much too quickly. We’ve been in our own little world, and I don’t want to leave it. When the limo rolls to a stop, I look out the window at Brenna’s house, and there is a swarm of people on the porch. My brothers, their wives, and the kids. As much as I’m ready to see them, I wish we could stay just like this.
It was fewer than forty-eight hours, and I feel like I missed everything. Maybe it’s because I feel like I aged twenty years in that time.
“You ready?” Brenna asks.
“Can I say no?”
She looks out the window. “It’s probably too late to ask the driver to turn around.”
“Probably.”
Her thumb rubs the top of my hand. “They need to see you too.”
“I know.”
We exit the car, and Hadley is the first one rushing toward me. Connor’s deep voice booms out. “Don’t, Hadley!”
She skids to a stop, and I smile down at her. “Hi, Hadleybutt.”
“Can I hug you, Uncle Jake?”
“Just be a little careful, okay? I had a stunt go wrong.”
She reaches out tentatively, and I pull her as tight as I can before the pain hits. She kisses my cheek and then whispers in my ear. “You’re my favorite.”
I try not to laugh, but fail. “You’re my favorite too.”
The other kids come over, giving me hugs and telling me how glad they are. Then Sebastian is here.
“Jacob?”
“Yeah, little dude?”
