Page 45 of Cloudless
IT’LL ALL MAKE SENSE SOON
LILA
Kam
So…I probably should have asked if this was okay before I did it.
No, scratch that. I definitely should have asked if it was okay before I did it…
My heartbeat echoes in my ears as I walk through the full parking lot of The Penalty Box. The stale beer smell feels like a permanent coating on my skin after my shift this evening.
Thirty minutes ago, the only thought on my mind was making it through my shift, picking up the twins from Ellie’s, and showering off this grime that feels like it’s embedded in my pores. Now, unease slithers down my spine to settle near my aching feet like lead.
My fingers hover over the phone keyboard like I’ve pressed pause on life. I almost drop my phone as the device vibrates in my hands with an incoming text.
Kam
If you want us to take it down, just say the word.
Take it down? What the hell does that mean?
Lila
What do you mean? Is everything okay?
The bubbles come and go on the screen as he types. With every disappearance of the bubbles, my anxiety doubles.
Kam
Everything’s fine! Just…don’t freak out when you see the backyard…
Lila
The backyard? What happened to the backyard?
Kam
Just come to your house instead of going to Ellie’s. It’ll all make sense soon.
Lila
Okay…I’m leaving now.
Kam
Drive safe, Sunshine.
The sunset bathes the familiar cars that line the street in a wash of warm pinks and oranges. Silence descends like a comforting cocoon as I cut the engine and rest my head against the headrest.
I fight a battle in my mind between curiosity and apprehension as I eye the gate to the backyard. Curiosity wins despite the relentless pounding of my heart against my ribs.
The chill of the autumn air burns my lungs compared to the heat I had blasting on my face in the car. My door slamming behind me reverberates through my bones as the sound of deep, distant laughter drifts on the gentle breeze.
Kam’s familiar laugh calms my racing heart as I dig my fingers into the rough wood of the gate. The shrill squeak of its hinges feels like nails on a chalkboard compared to the melody of voices just around the corner.
My breath stalls in my chest and my feet ground to a halt in the dirt as my friends come into view.
My eyes never stray to the wooden fence lining the property line or to the swaying trees at the back of the yard that hide my neighbor’s house from view. They don’t linger on the firepit that my dad never got to use, or the row of empty flowerpots against the back of the house.
Instead, I blink slowly as I try to process the smiling faces surrounding a swing set that was definitely not in my backyard when I left my house this morning.
I open and close my mouth like a fish as Dax sends an elbow into Kam’s ribs to alert him to my arrival. His smile falls and a crease forms between his brows as his eyes roam over my face.
Swing set isn’t a good enough term for the structure standing before me.
A slide juts from the side of a white cottage that sits proudly on stilts.
A freaking staircase leads to a landing that connects the cottage to another slide big enough for two.
As if a literal staircase wasn’t enough, you can also climb a rock wall to get to the cottage.
Three swings hang between the primary structure and a set of monkey bars that beg to strip the skin from my palms.
How the hell did they build all this while I was at work?
Kam rubs the back of his neck as he inches toward me.
“I, uh, I’m sorry I didn’t ask before we installed it.
I just heard Jasper and Posey talking about wanting one.
I figured it would be the perfect birthday present for them.
Everyone pitched in.” The worry clouding his eyes grows sharper with every step he takes toward me.
“If you don’t want it in your backyard, we can take it down and put it in ours or something. ”
My eyes slide from his to the hockey players behind him. They make the swing set look miniature as they gather the tools that litter the yard. I hate the apprehension I see on their faces as they await my reaction.
“Say something, Sunshine.” I haven’t even realized I haven’t said anything. Kam’s eyes turn stormy as he follows a silent tear as it falls down my cheek.
The waver in my voice must ring clear, judging by the shifting of our friends on their feet. “You did all this for them?” He nods his head slowly, like he’s afraid to spook a wild animal. His eyes follow another tear as the crease between his brows turns into a canyon. “Thank you, Kam.”
His brows fly up as he takes his turn opening and closing his mouth like a fish. “You’re, uh, not mad?”
I shake my head as I launch myself into his arms. His oof ruffles the baby hairs around my face as I tighten my arms around his neck. “Of course I’m not mad! Look at what you’ve done for them! That is so sweet, Trouble. Thank you!”
I block out the voices of our friends behind him as he tightens his arms around me. He muffles his voice as he buries his face in my hair. The warmth from his chest radiates through me to fight off the chill in the air. “I would do anything for you three. Anything.”
I burrow into the warmth of his chest as those distant voices grow closer. The smile in Dax’s voice accompanies the crunch of footsteps in the grass. “I told you she wouldn’t be mad, Cap. You were worrying about nothing.”
A giddy smile takes over Mace’s face as he bounces on the balls of his feet. “Can we call Ellie so she can bring the twins over to see their gift? I don’t know how much longer I can wait.”
Four sets of expectant eyes turn to me. Even Wyatt’s eyes hold a lightness that he deserves to feel more often. I nod as my smile grows. “Yeah, you can call Ellie.”
The world blurs around me as Kam and I are enveloped in a group hug. A grumble leaves Wyatt as Dax’s voice thunders in my ear, “Family hug!”
Family. What an excellent word.