When the Night Comes
Page 25
“Are you sure?”
“She’s yours too.”
Skye immediately sat down and held out his arms. The nurse handed him the little bundle, and he sighed, softly talking to our new daughter.
I turned to Lindy, and when she grinned at me, I was able to let out a long breath of air.
“Hi,” I said, taking her hand. “Sorry I was late.”
“Joey was afraid you’d bolted,” she said, grinning.
“Nah, this is my home.”
“She’s so beautiful,” she said.
“Thank you doesn’t even begin to cover what you did for us.” I kissed her cheek.
“Skye and I named her,” she said.
“And?”
Skye stood and carefully moved the blanket away from the baby’s face. “I’d like you to meet Carlie Susan Rask-Olsen.”
Skye placed her in my arms and I stared at the wisp of blonde hair and the brightest blue eyes I’d ever seen. “Oh god, Skye.”
“I know,” he whispered and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.
I was bowled over with emotions and I had to hand Carlie back to Skye before I dropped her. My legs shook and my vision blurred. I didn’t know what to say to anyone.
“Everything will be okay, Daddy,” Lindy said.
As always, Lindy was right. Everything was okay. In fact, everything was pretty damn perfect. I’d never be able to repay Lindy for her generosity, but she said it was what families did for each other. Joey said it was practice for when they decided to have children of their own.
We were allowed to take Carlie home the next day, and as Skye strapped her into her car seat, emotions overtook me again.
“Skye, I need to see Mama.” I choked.
He nodded and drove us to the cemetery. When he stopped the car, I took a few deep breaths before I got out.
“Could you give me a few minutes alone before you bring Carlie?”
“Just wave when you’re ready for us,” he said.
As I walked to Mama’s grave, the sun warmed my skin and the birds sang a bright song. I twisted my ring and smiled as I thought how far Skye and I had come. Even in my wildest fantasies, I’d never thought this would be my life.
It was still early in our journey, but with Skye by my side, the ride was going to be spectacular. Like Mama said, no one was ever promised tomorrow, but my today was pretty fucking sweet.
I sighed and knelt by her gravestone. “Hi, Mama. I have something for you.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out a letter and a very worn, creased photo of two young men lost in their own world. I set the letter, along with the picture, on the stone and took out my lighter.
“Mama, I’m here today because of you. You believed in me and let me make mistakes. I know you wanted to strangle me and shake some sense into my thick head, but you always said I needed to find my own way home. It was a long, hard journey, but I finally did it. I wish you were here to share it with me.”
I cleared my throat and lit the paper and picture on fire, watching as the flames danced across the stone. A gentle breeze blew and the ashes took flight, bringing our words up to her.
“I love you, Mama, and now I want you to meet someone.”
I waved at Skye. He already had Carlie out of the car and was walking toward me.
“Hi,” he whispered.
“Hi,” I answered.
“May I?”
I nodded and tried to keep the tears at bay, but I was fighting a losing battle.
“Susan,” Skye said. “I’d like you to meet your granddaughter, Carlie Susan Rask-Olsen.”
The wind blew again and the final ashes danced up into the bright blue sky.
Carlie squealed loudly and Skye laughed.
“God, I love you,” I said.
“Let’s go home.”
Best idea ever.
Dear Mama,
We took your words to heart, and we’re living the life we want, not one that everyone thinks we should be living. We didn’t settle, and because of that, we have each other.
You were right about a lot of things, and we wanted to say thank you, because we believe you did some intervening on our behalf. Skye firmly believes you made sure I packed his pants with the list in the pocket that night I decided to leave.
Things aren’t always easy, but the good stuff never is . . . You taught us that, and we will teach that to our children.
We love you.
Always,
Tyler, Skye, and Carlie
About Teegan Loy
When she’s not writing, Teegan Loy can be found driving around the country, watching her daughter compete at tennis tournaments.
She’s a huge hockey fan, loves having coffee with friends, and enjoys creating junk journals and scrapbooks. Occasionally, Teegan attends concerts of her favorite bands.
Always on the go, she is able to gather countless ideas for new stories. Life is best lived through experiences.
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