Page 101 of Every Broken Piece
“Mr. Paxton,” says the man Pax called Luis who I can’t see because Pax is blocking the door.
I step up next to Pax in case this is a trick, and this person is out to hurt us.
Luis is dressed in a black suit and has a name tag that says, surprisingly,Luis.
“I have some boxes for a Tess James.”
I shoulder my way in front of Pax. “That’s me.” Who’s sending me packages?
Luis piles three big boxes inside the front door and smiles.
“Thanks, Luis,” Pax calls after him before closing the door.
I stare at the boxes.
“You gonna open them?”
“I don’t know who sent them.”
Pax bends over to study the labels, then straightens. “Dad sent them.”
Gabe sent me packages?
Pax disappears then returns with a steak knife and hands it to me. With my wrist, it’s difficult so he slices the packing tape, and I lift the flaps then fall back on my heels with a gasp.
Blankets.
So many blankets in so many bright colors. Fleece. Quilts. Cotton. There’s even a weighted blanket.
I press my fingers to my trembling lips.
“Huh,” Pax says, eyeing the blankets spilling out of the boxes. “Weird.”
Not weird. Thoughtful. Damn Gabriel Strong. He’s trying so hard to destroy the walls that I’m frantically shoring up.
Pax drags the boxes into the living room, and I pull the blankets out, caressing each one before carefully putting it aside to reach for the next. There are ten in all. I love my blankets, but I’ve never cried over them until now.
Pax just watches with a confused look.
Me: You bought me blankets? Bubble gum toothpaste and now blankets. I don’t know what to do with all this
Gabe: Create your cocoon on my couch. I hope you enjoy them
Me: Thank you
He doesn’t answer me, and I neatly pile the blankets on the couch, fully intending to create the best, the biggest blanket cocoon ever.
Around dinner my phone rings and my heart jumps a little to see Gabe’s name on the screen.
“Hey.”
“How’s that blanket cocoon?” His voice wraps around me, chasing away the anxieties that’ve been creeping in since the blankets arrived. I don’t know why I can’t shake the feeling that all of this is too good to be true. Well, I do know why. Because whenever anything good happens in my life my mother finds a way to destroy it.
However, Gabe’s voice quiets those thoughts.
“I miss you, Spitfire.”
“Um. Same.”
