Page 72 of My Three Hometown Alphas

I have a gut feeling what all of this is about, but I don’t know how to bring it up, or even if I should. Causing them more pain is something I never want to do, so I just hug Owen a little more.

If I can give him a little piece of comfort right now, he can have all of me. They all can.

Finally, he steps back, so there’s a breath of space between us. His heavy eyes gaze down at me. He doesn’t say anything and neither do I. We just stand there for a minute, both taking several deep breaths.

I don’t know exactly what’s causing them all to feel their grief so heavily, but I wish there was more I could do. I wish I could take it away from them, even if my own is enough to suffocate me at times.

For them…I would do it for all four of them.Owen, Will, Miles… and sweet Lyla.

Walking outside with the sidewalk chalk in hand, I expect to find Lyla running around like normal. Instead, she’s sitting on the porch steps, staring up at the clouds moving across the light blue canvas.

Setting the chalk to the side, I sit down beside her. I’ve learned it’s best to let Lyla talk to me in her own time instead of peppering her with questions. She’s a lot like Owen in that way.

We sit in comfortable silence for so long the clouds look completely different by the time her voice cuts through the silence.

“Tomorrow is going to suck,” she says, gripping the hem of her denim shorts.

“Why’s that?” I ask, keeping my gaze on the sky.

“It’s the day my mom went to Heaven,” she says, her chin falling to her chest.

Ahh, damn.

I wrap my arm around her until she snuggles into my side. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. I wish she was still here with you.”

She nods against me, and I press a kiss to the top of her head.

“I know tomorrow is Saturday, so your uncles will be around all day. You can always come talk to me or just hang out if you want to.”

Her head tilts back, so she can peek up at me. A barely-there smile tilts at the corner of her mouth.

“Okay.” Her voice is sad, but there’s a tinge of hope hidden in there, too. “Can we draw a picture for my mom? Maybe she can see it from Heaven.”

I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep in the sob that’s threatening to break free. I give her the best smile I can muster. “Yeah, I’m sure she would love that.”

Grabbing the box of chalk, I follow her down to the sidewalk leading away from the front porch. She starts drawing a huge rainbow that takes up several sections of the concrete.

“Uncle Miles always tells me that when I see a rainbow, it’s my mom’s way of saying hi to me. So, this is my way of saying hi to her,” she says, picking up a new piece of blue chalk.

Fuck…

I tilt my head to the side, quickly wiping away the single tear that fell. She’s finally feeling a little better. I don’t want my emotions to weigh her down.

Taking a page from her book, I grab my own piece of chalk. I don’t even know what I’m drawing at first, but soon a beach scene at sunset starts to take shape on the concrete before me.

As I’m shading in the color behind the waves, it hits me what I’m actually drawing.The beach in San Diego…

It’s the last place we went as a family before my mom died. I don’t remember everything from that trip, but I remember a feeling of happiness settling over me as I sat between my parents in the sand as we watched the sun set.

Putting the final touch on the picture, I let my head fall back and gaze up at the sky.

Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad.

I miss you.

Knowing what tomorrow is, I have a burning urge inside of me to check on the guys and make sure they’re okay. I mean, I know they aren’tokay, but…

Sliding out of my SUV, I quickly walk across the parking lot.