Page 66 of Stuck with Me

I sort them and choose the next letter based on the stamped envelope and open it.

Dear Leo,

It would seem the universe is trying to keep us apart. But what did we ever do to it? I know you believe in God, and I respect you for it. But I prayed and asked for your number not to be called. I don’t expect to do much praying while you’re over there fighting for a war no one believes in anymore.

I gasp and Nico and I both look at each other and hold eye contact.

“The Vietnam War,” I say, a little breathless.

“He was drafted?” he asks.

I read further.

It’s admirable what you did. Telling your mama to hold onto her money iin case she needs it to pay Marco’s way if his number gets called after he turns eighteen. Do I think you’re batshit crazy for practically volunteering? Yes. But I love you all the same. Maybe even more so. Is that even possible?

I only hope this letter reaches you before you leave. If anything, so you know, I plan on sanding the porch swing and painting it. When you return home, it will be waiting for you. And if it’s not clear, I will be waiting for you.

Your compass hangs around my neck each day. I never take it off. I swear I won’t until you’re home safe with me. I love you, Leonardo Moretti.

Yours always and forever, Giana

Again, we go silent. But this time, my attention goes on the floor. My mind is jumbled. Trying to make sense of a timeline we knew nothing about. Trying to make sense of a relationship that should’ve happened and then didn’t.

Leo was drafted to go fight in the Vietnam war. Gigi promised to wait for him to return. So what happened?

“Guess that explains why your grandma had my granddad’s compass,” Nico finally says.

The mention of the compass causes a dip low in my belly. I slowly drag my gaze up to him. “Maybe now you can stop being so pissed about it,” I tease.

“I think we should keep reading these letters. If nothing else, so we can find out just who should end up with the compass. You or me.”

“Works for me.”

We sort through the letters, each taking turns to read bits and pieces out loud as we learn them. But some things we read quietly to ourselves. At times I smile really big at Gigi’s words. Because they’re just so Gigi. She was such a horndog. But other things make me sad. When she talks about how much she misses Leo, my own heart aches.

Gigi writes letters to Leo, telling him about his birthdays they celebrate without him. She tells him the news that Cammie’s grandma, Nettie, is pregnant. Baby Jack comes first. Cammie’s dad. It all feels like too much. Because Nettie and Pete. And Jack. They are my family.

And yet, I had no idea about this circle we share. Including Nico.

Pete and Leo were cousins. I remember Pete and Nettie traveling for a funeral. But they never told me who. And I’m clearly a selfish dick because I never asked.

As Nico reads silently to himself, every once in a while, he tells me some things I might like to hear. Or shares info that might help us with the timeline and what exactly happened between our grandparents. He holds up a photo of a porch swing that was inside a folded letter.

Theporch swing.

“Your grandma said it took her a few days of sanding and a couple coats of paint. She finished it after he left.”

I take the picture from him and study it. What was once a white painted porch swing has since been sanded down to the original wood and stained. But when I bring the picture close, I spot the carved heart and initials.

“Look,” I hold it out for Nico to see. “The initials are there. That means they’ve been there since before your granddad left Maple Ridge and went back to Texas.”

We share a smile at this realization. I hate that we’re bonding over this. Because I want to hatehim. It will be easier that way.

Nico begins reading again. I try not to watch him. The way he moves his lips as he reads over the words in his head is adorable. The lines in between his eyes deepen when he must discover something troubling. But when there’s something funny, he lets out a muffled chuckle.

“Leo worries about Gigi,” Nico says. “He’s over in Vietnam faced with a shitshow each and every day, but he worries about her.”

My first instinct is to be defensive. He’s got some nerve.

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