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“Oh…” Raina whimpered as she listened to Robin’s response. Even Oaklynn started to look misty-eyed before she said, “She can’t go,” she rasped, clutching Damien’s arm for support. “Not until her purpose is complete. Not until you find someone who loves you as much as she did.”
“Jesus Christ,” Keene muttered, crying harder. “Mom. No. I’m loved. I still have Grandma and Grandpa and the other Grandma and Grandpa. And I have all these guys.”
Oaklynn shook her head. “She wants you to experiencetruelove. Like she never got to.”
“But I’mhappy,” Keene insisted. “I’m okay.”
“Whoa.” Oaklynn pulled back in surprise.
“What?” Keene demanded. “What did she say?”
While Raina rested her cheek on my shoulder as if to seek comfort, Oaklynn sent Keene a small wince. “She didn’t say anything. She just turned away and walked off, clearly done with the conversation.”
“Dammit,” he muttered, scowling around the room. “That sounds just like her. She says what she wants to say and then leaves. There’s no convincing her of anything. Argh!” Balling his hands into fists, he muttered, “Damn stubborn woman.I’m fine!” His shout went unanswered, though. So he turned to the rest of us. “I’m not going to let this happen to her. Ghosts are miserable, depressed,trappedsouls. I’m not going to let my mother go through that.”
“Guess you better find yourself a true love, then,” Hudson said with a shrug.
While Oaklynn defended, “Thalia didn’t seem depressed at all when she was a ghost.”
“Neither does Raina,” I added.
To which Keene snarled at me, “I thought you said your girlwasn’ta ghost.”
“Well, she’s ghost…like,” I argued lamely.
He snorted. “Not listening.” And following his mother’s example, he stalked off down the row of shelves away from us. The next thing we heard was the slamming of the stairwell door.
“Alright, then,” Alec announced, clasping his hands together as the rest of us just stood there, glancing at each other in question. “That didn’t go so bad.”
24
FOSTER
“If I don’t make it out of this coma,” Raina spoke up abruptly, startling me from my thoughts. I was driving us home from Parker’s place after dropping him off at his front door when she turned to me. “I think I’d like to do what your brother does.”
Glancing at her, I asked, “Guide other souls?”
“Well, maybe that too. But he visits,” she explained. “He’s moved on—he didn’t stick around or become a ghost or anything like that—but every once in a while, he checks back in to see how you and your family are doing.”
“Yeah,” I agreed softly. “That might not be so bad. But how about you just wake up from your coma, okay, so you don’thaveto visit? You can justbehere.”
“So you actually want to keep me around, huh?” she teased with a small laugh.
Reaching my house, I found a spot to park before killing the engine and turning to give her my undivided attention. “Well, you can’t just blow into my life, invade every little corner of everything I do, and then blow back out again without even letting me meet you in person. That’s just not right.”
Tickled by my answer, she chuckled some more. “You know,somepeople would be relieved to have such an invading presenceoutof their life.”
Except I didn’t tease back. Falling serious, I shook my head slowly. “I’m not most people.”
Finally tuned in to the fact that I wasn’t joking around, Raina tilted her chin in concern. “Foster?”
I blew out a calming breath and then held up my hand, palm facing her. “Touch?” I asked.
Raina lifted her fingers readily and pressed them against mine. When I felt the pressure of her presence, I closed my eyes and exhaled, comforted by the sensation.
“Don’t die,” I begged. “I just—I’m starting to get used to you being around. Okay?”
After a moment, she whispered, “Okay.” And when I opened my eyes, she sent me a soft smile. “I’ll see what I can do.”
