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But I remember that day so vividly that it could have been last week. Mom picking up the house phone with a smile that was gone a second later. The way she stared at my dad, who was still reading the newspaper across the table from me. He didn’t even notice her watching him, oblivious to the devastation that coated her face as some police officer relayed the news of her father-in-law’s death. And I sat there, cereal forgotten, knowing that, whatever the call was about, it would tear my heart out.
“Doesn’t matter how much time goes by. It still hurts,” she whispers the words and rubs soothing circles on my back.
It’s strange, revisiting the darkest part of my life, which was even worse than when I got sick, and at the same time feeling the highest level of comfort with Holly’s small body pressed against mine.
After sitting quietly for some time, I’m ready to change the depressing mood. This is supposed to be a fun getaway, not a sob-fest.
I lightly kiss her silky, honeysuckle-scented hair and then use my grip on her to stand us both up.
“Enough with this sad talk. I promised you an adventure, and I’m gonna deliver. Put your boots on.” There’s almost a physical pain when I let my arms drop away from her.
“My boots? You don’t expect me to go back outside, do you? It’s below freezing out there!”
She rests her fists on her hips and glares at me like I told her we were going to run naked through the snow. Maybe, if there were snow, I would suggest it. The thought and her sassy reaction have me grinning.
“Don’t worry, princess. We’re not going out for long. And you’ll be plenty warm. See?” I grab the stack of quilts. “I’ll wrap you up.”
She grumbles to herself as she stomps over to her boots. Laces tied, she glares at me from the front door. I’m not worried though; there’s no real heat in it. Instead of just handing her the quilts, I take the opportunity to wrap one around her shoulders and then place the second over her head like a hood before tucking its corners into her palms.
“Hold the edges together. There, nice and toasty.”
“I look ridiculous.”
“Yeah, you really do.” I laugh, and she pulls her trademark move of sticking her tongue out.
Does she know what that does to me? How my stomach clenches and my skin goes hot? The craving I get to cup the sides of her face and meld my mouth to hers, seeking out that tempting tongue with my own?
If she knew, would she still do it?
“You gonna tell me what we’re doing or what?”
I reluctantly move my eyes away from her mouth to find her watching me. “Let’s head out, and I’ll show you.”
After I cover myself in blankets, we walk outside. We’re just twenty feet or so from the front porch when I stop her.
“Look up. Ever seen a sky like that in the city?”
Holly’s stare follows my direction, and I get a rush of satisfaction when her mouth drops open. I move, so our shoulders brush and then look up myself.
Even though I know what will be there, the sight still rocks me, taking me back to my childhood when I was innocent. Full of wonder.
Luckily, we have a cloudless night, and the moon has sunk low. The dark, inky sky sprawls between the tops of the trees, filled to the brim with stars. Each one shimmers on the backdrop, making the universe seem infinite and daunting.
We stand silently, admiring the tapestry, until I can’t fight the urge to hear her voice any longer. “Whaddya think?”
Holly gasps, as if she’d forgotten to breathe for the past five minutes. “This is so much better than my bedroom ceiling.”
I’m confused for a moment before I remember the little plastic stars in her loft bedroom. Seems I chose well.
“Yep. Nothing beats the real thing.”
For the first time since I told her to look up, Holly takes her gaze off the sky to reward me with a grin. “This is amazing. So far, I give this adventure an A-plus.”
Success.
“Is the cold getting to you? Want to head back inside?”
She shakes her head and moves her eyes upward again. “Not yet. Just a few more minutes.”
