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Boston squatted and offered Amelia a high five, and she slapped his hand with everything she had.
“What about me, kid?”
Amelia gazed up at Augie, grinned at him, and then stuck her tongue out. “Nope!”
Farther along the fence, Kelly waved to Amelia, calling her over. “Come have a first-day photo with your cousins!”
Amelia skipped over, and Kelly’s eldest daughter put an arm around Amelia’s shoulders.
Zeph had been right. Seeing all my friends and our family come out to support my girl meant a lot. Tears pricked at the backs of my eyes, and I blinked furiously, trying to keep them at bay.
I couldn’t keep them in when I realized there was still one person missing.
Eve knew. I think Augie did too. Eve picked up my fingers and wordlessly squeezed them while Augie turned away, hiding his own emotion.
The school bell rang, and we all hugged Amelia before she went racing off with Kelly’s kids, not looking back once.
We all stood there, watching her go. A tear slipped down my face.
Eve elbowed me. “Stop or I’ll bawl and I’ll never be able to stop.”
I nodded.
She cleared her throat and raised her voice. “Family dinner at the club tonight, everyone. I expect all of you to be there. It’s been too long since we had one.”
I glanced at Zeph and then nodded to Eve. “We’re in.”
Lleyton and Kat nodded when Eve raised an eyebrow at them. Kelly smiled happily when the invitation was extended to her as well.
“All of us,” Eve repeated. “Family isn’t blood. It’s the people you choose. And the people your people choose. See you all at six.”
Augie was the only one who hadn’t replied. The silence drew out.
“It’s Amelia’s first day of school, Aug. You have to come to dinner. We need to celebrate. Please?” I begged.
He seemed like he might prefer to poke his eye out with something hot. But Eve reached out and tickled him.
He batted her away, but I joined in, jumping on his other side.
“Come on, Augie. Please? Please? You gotta.”
He squirmed and twisted out of our grasp, but there was a smile on his too-handsome face. “Fine. Fine! If I come, will the two of you knock it off?”
I grinned and pushed up on my toes to kiss his blond stubbled cheek. “Thank you, Augie. It’ll be fun. I promise.” I swallowed thickly. “Maybe we can make it a celebration too. Fawn’s birthday…”
Augie stiffened. “Is tomorrow. I know.”
I nodded. “We gotta keep living, Augie.”
“I know.”
And for the first time in a long time, I believed him.
There was nothing we could do to help Fawn now. Nothing except live our lives the way she would have wanted us to. Without any new information on her case, life had to go on.
36
LYRIC
