Page 13 of Married to Number 22
But today I need to alleviate her pain, take some of the weight of that grief away.
“I remember when Grams came to that Winter Open, when you first started competing. Do you?”
She opens her eyes, and I can’t lie that pride ripples through me when I see the amusement in those stormy gray depths. “I remember,” she says, lips turning up. “Mostly because I swore that after she yelled at the judges like that I would never—ever—compete again.”
I chuckle. “She didn’t lose her temper often, but when she did…”
“Kaboom,” Luna finishes.
“Exactly.” I draw her a little closer. “And she was right to yell at them. They totally fucked you over with that low ball of a score.”
“I fell on my axel!”
“One of the other girls fell twice,” I remind her. “And the last one skated off the ice crying halfway through because she realized people were watching her.”
I get her then.
The Luna of old instead of the sad Luna I’m holding who’s full of grief and shadows and pain.
She laughs and it’s not soft. It’s loud and full-bodied and…
Fuck, but how can I still want her now—after all this time, after spending, what?, thirty minutes with her—just as much as I wanted her back then when she forced me to let her go.
But I do.
And it’s not just because she’s beautiful.
It’s because she’sLuna.
“Now,” I say, shoving that thought away to deal with later and setting her beside me on the couch. “I’m going to grab our plates, we’ll to eat our cupcake to celebrate our birthdays, and then we’re going to find somewhere to streamWheel of Fortuneso we can give Grams a proper send-off, okay?”
She’s quiet as I stand up, as I cross into the kitchen and snag the plates.
But as I’m walking back, she whispers, “It’s supposed to beyourbirthday.”
“What’s that, tiny tornado?” I ask, distracted by the sight of her sitting on my couch…and how right it feels to have her there.
“It’s supposed to be your birthday, so why are you the one who’s giving me a gift?”
“First, it’sourbirthday.” I touch her cheek. “And second, who’s to say you’re not giving me one right back?”
Six
Luna
Last thingI remember is thinking that R, S, T, L, N, and E aren’t all that helpful when my brain is inching toward sleep.
Now, I feel rested.
Pleasantly warm and my head is cushioned on something that’s not strictly soft, but also isn’t so hard that it’s left me rising to consciousness with a crick in my neck.
Instead, I woke up because…I’m refreshed?
Which is strange.
I can’t remember the last time I connected more than three or four hours in a row.
At first, it was because Grams needed something in the middle of the night—medication or help to the bathroom. Then it was because I was worried she wasn’t waking me up, that something had happened, even though the night nurse was caring for her.
