Page 23 of Embers in Our Souls
“I really appreciate that. It’s definitely gained a lot of traction.” Tyler gives her a small smile.
Who is this guy? He’s acting all shy, and nothing like the bad boy from high school.
Am I living in the upside-down? And is he winning over my best friend when she was all pissed off after I told her what Ty did to me in that letter?
“We should really get going, right Kalli?” I give her a look.
“Huh?” She looks over at me. “Oh, yes, we should,” she nods. “It was so great meeting youHunter.” She winks. She fucking winks atmyhusband.
No, Indy. DO NOT REFER TO HIM AS YOUR HUSBAND. That’s how we start going down a dangerous path.
“Noah, sweetie, we should go.” I wave for him to come down.
Noah starts to make his way over. I hear him thanking everyone for showing him the truck. Luckily, he’s not making a fuss about leaving, which is a win in my book.
The guys thank him for the drawings and the pride on Noah’s face is priceless. Although we ran into Tyler, seeing the happiness on my son’s face has made this trip worth it in the grand scheme of things.
Noah recognizes the person beside me as he approaches and starts running, “Hunter!”
“Hey, buddy! Good to see you’re doing so much better,” Tyler greets him.
“Yes. My mom said I was super brave.”
“I agree. The bravest actually,” Tyler tells him.
“I made you a special picture,” Noah tells him. I watch as Noah pulls a picture from his pocket. I wasn’t aware he had another. It’s then I see he has a folded one in his back pocket.
Tyler kneels to look at it.
“I made this one for you. My aunt Kalli helped write your name,” Noah says.
“You did a good job. Let me guess—this is me.” He looks over to Noah for confirmation and receives a nod. “And this is you and your mom?” Another nod of approval. “And is this a cat?”
“Yes, that’s my cat. His name is?—”
“Oh, can I guess?” Tyler jumps in.
“Yes!” Noah laughs.
“Snowflake?” Tyler guesses and quickly looks up at me. I suppress a gasp.
“No!” Noah laughs harder. “His name is Darth.”
“Darth? That’s an interesting name. Like Darth Vader?” Tyler laughs.
“Yeah! You like Star Wars too?” Noah asks, his smile wide.
“I do, actually. Why did you name the cat Darth? You like the dark side?” Tyler glances at me real quick, but his gaze returns to Noah without missing a beat.
“Star Wars is my favorite movie, and Darth is a funny name,” Noah says as if it’s the most normal explanation.
“Noah is obsessed with anything Darth Vader. He fell in love with this kitten, even though he possesses no Darth qualities. He’s very sweet and doesn’t belong on the dark side. Isn’t that right, Noah?” I add.
“Well, Uncle Julian says he’s on the dark side.” Noah laughs and Kalli snickers.
“You’re right. He’s not a fan of Uncle Julian.” I smile.
Tyler smiles at our interaction and I remember I’m in his company and my smile fades. Ty turns to Noah, “I love this picture. Thank you. I’ll keep it with me all the time.”
