Page 23 of This Blood that Bonds Us

I’d locked myself in a spare room. Luke was the first person to notice I was gone. The one who always came looking for me.

“Can I come in?”He’d knocked softly on the door despite the brute he was.

“Sure, if you want to get under the covers and sulk with me.”

He opened the door and took the spot next to me. The bed shifted under his weight, and I fell into his shoulder.

He waited. That was one of the best things about Luke. He’d wait and listen. Zach bolted the second things got awkward, and Aaron often would fill uncomfortable silence with babbling. But Luke was never afraid of quiet.

“I’m really going to miss Brooklyn.”I sniffled. Unaware that I even cared that much, then a tear fell.“Oh, great. We can still cry? What’s that about?”

I leaned into his shoulder.“What about our quilt? Or all the beanies Mom crocheted me?”

I cried more, and he wrapped an arm around me.

“It’s not just the clothes.”Though, I’d spent a long time collecting specific pieces from thrift stores, and I knew I’d never find them again. Which was a tragedy all its own.“What about my trip to Italy this summer? I saved for forever.”

Hours of shopping and time spent dog-sitting for the money for the trip was all wasted. All of it was gone and left back at the house.

Luke rubbed my shoulder, waiting between my blubbering.

“And my love notes!”I buried my head in my hands.“I wanted to keep those forever. Julie Goodman wrote me the most beautiful poem about the color of my eyes.”

I’d saved all the notes we’d passed during art class. Along with all my old artwork. I’d thought it was all terrible—Mom had put some of it on the fridge though.

“I know.”He squeezed me harder.

“This isn’t fair.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“Mom will be okay, though?”

“Yeah, I promise. She’s safe.”

My tears ended. It was hard to keep crying into Luke’s shoulders when he was so damn comforting.

I gasped.“No! I left Mr. Bear in my closet!”

I’d had all of five minutes to grab things from my room and had forgotten my most-prized possession. Mr. Bear, my favorite stuffed animal, was too important to leave out on a shelf where someone could come into my room and snatch him. Okay, fine, he was embarrassing, but I wouldn’t tell Mr. Bear that and hurt his fluffy feelings. Mr. Bear was special because he was Mom’s favorite toy, and of all my brothers, she’d chosen me to keep him.

“Well, Mr. Bear knows you had to go on an adventure.”

“What if he misses me?”

Luke smiled.“No, Mr. Bear has plenty of bear friends to keep him company. He told me. And a little bear family.”

Luke was right. Mr. Bear didn’t need me to be happy. He was outgoing and charismatic. He’d have company in imaginary bear world. Luke always knew what to say. I wasn’t in front of Zach where I had to pretend to tough it out, I was with Luke. Theprotector of every secret. Nothing was too embarrassing with him.

“You won’t tell anyone I cried over Mr. Bear, will you?”

“Never.”He wrapped me in a hug.“It’s okay to be sad. This is my fault.”

“I don’t care whose fault it is,”I said, with my face smashed up against his chest.“I have everything I need.”

There was another knock on the door, and Zach poked his head in.“Are we good?”

Zach cared too. He was just afraid of intimacy. Closed-off bastard.