AllFreeNovel
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“They were.” He points to my journal, with my new list sitting on top. “Whatcha been working on?”
I place the paper in his lap. “It’s still a work in progress, but I wanted to come up with my own bucket list. This way, I have something to focus on after I finish my mom’s.”
Bryce’s eyes scan the page, and his eyebrows knit together. “This looks ... fun.”
“I was hoping you could help me complete some of it. You know, after the summer ends.”
After the summer ends is our code for after I go back to living seven hours away.
He’s quiet while he stares down at my handwriting. “Sure.” Then he clears his throat, and gives me a gentle nudge as he pushes to his feet. “I’ve gotta get back to work. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Hey.” I wrap my hand around his wrist, an unsettling feeling twisting my stomach. “You okay?”
He nods, but his smile doesn’t meet his eyes. “Just tired.”
I sit up on my knees, and cradle his face in my hands. “I can give you a full-body massage tonight after a hot bath.”
He rests his forehead against mine, and exhales, his warm breath tickling my lips. “I’d like that.”
Then he kisses me, and it’s no different than any of the other epic kisses he’s given me thus far. My nerves roll back out to sea as I watch him disappear around the side of the building.
But a small voice in the back of my head whispers, Something’s wrong.
I lift my knuckles, and tap them against the bride’s door. “Hey, Kristy. It’s Charly.”
“Come in.”
I creak open the door, and quickly close it behind me when I step inside. “I brought mimosas.”
“Oh.” She sniffles, and dabs the corner of her eye with a tissue. “Don’t mind me. I’m a mess.”
“What’s wrong?” I rush to her side, and kneel down in front of her. “Did something happen?”
“I’m just missing my mother. I wish she was here today.”
“She wasn’t able to fly in for the wedding?”
“She passed away last year. She had breast cancer.”
My stomach twists. “I’m so sorry. I lost my mother to cancer too.”
“Cancer is a bitch, isn’t she?”
I huff out a humorless laugh. “She really is.”
Kristy toys with the tissue in her lap. “I’ve always dreamed of this moment, you know? I never imagined she wouldn’t be here to share it with me.”
I nod, letting her express what she’s feeling.
“And it’s not just the big moments. It’s all the little ones, all the things she’s missing out on.”
“I’d like to think our moms are watching over us, so they’re not really missing much. We’re the ones missing out on them.”
She places her palm over her stomach. “I’m pregnant, and I couldn’t even call her to tell her.” Her eyes widen. “Don’t tell anyone I told you. I just found out last night.”
I set the mimosas down on the floor beside me. “Congratulations, Kristy. That’s wonderful news.”
She nods, tears filling her eyes again. “We didn’t plan for it to happen this soon, but we also didn’t try to stop it from happening. We just said let’s see what happens.”
