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“You don’t,” he answered with a laugh as we pulled apart to study each other. “You got old.”
I laughed and wiped at the tears on my face. “Yeah.”
“Oh, but that reminds me,” he said, sounding excited. “I’ve been practicing. Raina said you like to imagine what I’d look like if I’d lived to be my present-day age. Well…” Fisting his hands down at his sides, he gritted his teeth as if straining, and then he began to morph and grow until he was an eighteen-year-old.
“Holy shit,” I breathed. “Look at you.”
“Damn Foster.” Raina nudged my arm as she joined us. “Little brother would’ve given you a run for your money in the looks department.”
I rolled my eyes at her, unable to stop grinning the whole time, only to turn back to Hayes. “I miss you so much,” I said, only to fall somber. “And I—I’m sorry about, you know, everything.”
“Hey, there’s nothing to be sorry about,” he assured me.
“But I didn’t—God, Hayes. Why didn’t you tell me what was happening to you? When you were drowning? Maybe I could’ve?—”
“Could’ve what?” he interrupted with a sad smile. “Swam out into the riptide yourself to try to save me and died right along with me? Because I know that’s exactly what you would’ve done. My hero of a brother; you would’ve gone out there yourself. And I didn’t want that. I wasn’t about to let you drown with me. One of us needed to stay back with the family. And I chose you.”
“Hayes…”
As my cheeks flooded, he reached out and clasped the side of my arm supportively. “Everything that was supposed to happendid. I’m happy here. My work is fulfilling.”
“Okay,” I choked out the words and then nodded at him, blinking rapidly. “Okay.”
“And hey,” he added cheerfully. “Now that Raina’s figured out how to dream share, she can bring you to visit as often as you want. The rest of the family too. I can’t wait to meet Breydan and Little.”
Smiling through the sheen of tears, I nodded, rasping, “I’d like that. The rest of the family would too. Mom and Dad, for sure.”
When a distant shout came from up the beach, the three of us glanced over, only for Hayes to snap his fingers. “Oh yeah. I brought my own guest. You want to meet Raina’s sister?”
“Is that Kinsey?” Brightening, Raina streaked past me to race forward and greet her.
Hayes and I stood next to each other as we watched the two sisters embrace.
“She’s quite the spitfire,” Hayes warned, elbowing me. “Let me introduce you.”
As he started that way, I followed along eagerly.
“And look,” Raina was telling the girl with the light brown hair. “I brought Foster this time.”
As the two sisters turned to face me, I took in their similarities and differences.
Surprisingly, they had the same height and frame, same hips and chest size, and yet they wore it so differently. Raina somehow made her beauty friendly and sweet, and Kinsey managed to give hers a seductive bent.
Arching up a curious eyebrow, the older sister hummed deep in her throat. “So this is the famous football player, huh?”
“Nice to finally meet you,” I said, holding out a hand. “Sorry I didn’t get to while you were alive.”
“Oh, be grateful I’m not,” she warned with a saucy wink as she took my hand. “I would’ve been much more savage to you if I was still kicking.” Then she jerked me toward her. “Now give me a hug, boy who’s claimed my sister’s heart.”
With a laugh, I hugged Kinsey and met Raina’s gaze over her shoulder. Smiling big, she squeezed Hayes’s arm and hopped happily as she lifted a hand to her mouth to hide her excitement.
“I love you,” I mouthed to her, and she mouthed it back.
“Take care of her for me, will you?” Kinsey said into my ear.
I pulled back to send big sister a solemn nod. “I am.”
Raina moved to my side and took my hand, and the four of us glanced at each other, laughing as if we had no idea what to do next. So from there, we simply walked along the beach, talking, until we found a place to make a mammoth-sized sandcastle together until dawn when Raina and I both woke, only to hug and hold each other, realizing what a gift it was to get to see our loved ones again.
