Page 65 of Reckoning

“So, what did Tate give you for your birthday?” he asked.

“He named a star after me. A real star from a heavenly galaxy. I have the certificate of authentication and a map of where it is in the universe. Oh…and a Star Wish Build-A-Bear. It’s the cutest thing ever.”

Roger blinked. “A star? There’s now a star in the universe with your name on it?”

She nodded, took the last drink of soup, and picked up her birthday card. “Time to get back to work. If we’re lucky, we’ll have a roof on this house before quitting time today.”

Roger watched her exit with a mixture of awe and regret. In awe of who his daughter was growing up to be. Regret, knowing the only thing he and Mariah had given her was food, shelter, and grief.

* * *

That night before Briar went to bed, she walked out onto her front lawn and looked up at the star-studded sky. Somewhere up there, a tiny, insignificant star now bore her name. She already had her own place in the heavens, and she didn’t have to wait until she died to get there. It was a fanciful thought, but the gesture was the most loving thing she’d ever received.

“Hi, God, this is me, Briar. Thank you for my Tate. Thank you for the blessing he is to this world. Thank you for saving his life. I could not have done it without your help.”

She gave the heavens one last look, then went back inside, locking the door behind her, then walked through the house to make sure everything was safe and secure.

The empty cake box was in the garbage. She smiled, remembering how many times the guys had come through the kitchen today, cutting off one more bite for themselves. She wandered back into the living room and sat down to wait for her dad to finish showering so she could go to bed.

Then her phone rang. It was Tate.

“Hey, you. I needed to hear your voice one more time today before I closed my eyes,” she said.

Tate was already in bed, but he couldn’t sleep. Making love to Briar had turned on an ache that was never going to go away.

“If we were lying side by side, I would love you to sleep. As it is, I’m going to have to settle for memory. Did you have a good birthday?” he asked.

“Because of you, yes. I went outside to look for my star tonight. It’s the most precious thing I’ve ever been given…except…”

He chuckled. “Understood. You are forever my guiding light. You ground me. You make my crazy life okay.”

“Thank you, love. So, what did you do this afternoon?”

“Helped Mom in the garden. We picked green beans and tomatoes. She’s on a canning mission tomorrow.”

She sighed. “Dad came home at noon with a birthday card and money. He beat around the bush forever before finally asking me what you gave me for my birthday. I told him about giving me a star with my name. Kinda blew his mind…like it did me.”

“I would give you the moon, but it’s not for sale. I just wanted to hear your voice. I love you, Briar Rose. So much.”

“Love you more,” Briar said. The call ended, and a few minutes later, Roger came down the stairs.

“Bathroom’s all yours,” he said.

“Thanks. I’m so tired. I cannot wait for the day when we get our house back. See you in the morning.”

Roger sat down on the sofa. “Good night, honey. Rest well,” he said, then watched her steps dragging as she went up the stairs. He checked the front door to make sure it was locked, then turned on the TV and stretched out on his makeshift bed.

* * *

Mariah drove into Savannah, then straight to her parents’ house and up the narrow circle driveway hidden behind a wrought-iron gate. She punched in the code to open the gate, wincing at the squeak the huge gates made as they swung inward. As soon as she parked, she hit the remote again, and the old gates squeaked shut.

As the gates were swinging shut, they reminded her of her narrow escape from going to prison, versus what was happening to her now. She’d traded one sentence for another, but this one had no parole, and it was going to last until the end of her parents’ lives, or the end of hers. Whichever came first.

* * *

A few days later, Tate was down at the garage with his dad, helping change the oil on Lilith’s car, when a car pulled up at the pumps to get gas.

The driver, a thirtysomething man with shoulder-length dark hair, got out to swipe his card at the pump, then began to refuel, but all the time he was refueling, he was staring at Abel.