Page 117 of Love Notes & Lifelines
I release my hold on him, horrified to find his fingers white and the skin creased from my grip. He’s quick to reposition our hands though, and this time he holds on for dear life. My mind is messed up and confused, but Mom always told me happiness and love are a choice. You can’t control who you fall in love with, but the decision to stay through the good times and bad is a choice, just as happiness is a choice we make for ourselves.
It’s time I started making some choices for myself.
The sound of a gavel against wood grabs my attention as Danica spews venom at her lawyer.
“File something, you fucking moron. Whatever it takes, and get me one of my judges. This is unacceptable. He cannot have those girls, they’remyfamily.”
We won? The judge chose us? Beck’s gaze is already on me when I glance up. Does he sense how confused I am?
“We won?”
His face breaks into a smile. “We did. I’m their legal guardian, at least until the actual custody hearing next month.” His brow furrows. “Stella, are you okay?”
I nod a little too aggressively, and he bends closer to study my face. “Are you okay?” he asks again.
“Yes, it’s just?—”
“It’s a lot. You’ve been through a lot, but don’t check out on me, okay? Promise me that you’ll talk to me. You’ve got me on your team now, Stella. I don’t know what I’ll do if I get cut.”
Oof. I know he doesn’t mean that as a guilt trip, but dang, it hits like one anyway.
“I will.” My breath comes out in a whoosh when he tugs me in for a crushing hug.
“Well done, kids. Very well done.” Oliver pats Beck on the shoulder as he exits his row.
“Stella?” A woman I’ve never seen before approaches us nervously. She’s soft-spoken and the only word that comes to mind when I look at her is gentle, from her slightly lowered head to her shoulders that seem to get smaller with each step.
“Yes?” I reply when she stops in front of me. Beck looms behind me and her gaze jumps from him to me multiple times. “Is there something I can do for you?”
“No, no, nothing like that. It’s just…” She stares at Beck again. Who is this woman? “I was friends with Cally. My nameis Bella Moonbeam, and I wanted you to know that I think she would have loved you.”
Beck’s heavy hands rest on my shoulders.
“Y—You do?” I ask, stumbling over my words.
“I do,” she says with more confidence. “And she asked me to tell you something,” she says to Beck.
His fingers tighten, digging into my skin. “What?” His voice is gruff and low as if he’s in pain and grunting through it, like when you get a charley horse in the middle of a meeting.
“She wanted you to know she loved you.”
Beck says nothing.
“And that she hopes you’ll, sorry, hold on. She was very specific about this part.” Bella reaches into a bag that probably weighs more than she does and comes up with a small notebook. It’s a few more seconds of her flipping through the pages.
“Here.” She takes a deep breath. “She hopes you’ll give her girls a childhood that storybooks are made of. Help them shine bright, write their own stories, and never allow them to believe, even for a second, that they aren’t loved. Help them shoot for the stars and always be their safe place to fall like—like she was once for you.”
“Shine bright? Again?” Beck mutters, but his expression looks far away.
“Thank you, Bella,” I say. “You were close with Cally?”
She nods sadly. “She helped me fit in when I first moved here. She did everything for everyone, and she’s really missed.Ireally miss her.”
Maybe Cally and I had more in common than I’d realized. A tear falls from Bella’s left eye, and Beck clears his throat.
“Thank you, Bella.” He isn’t terse, but the air around him has changed. “Thank you for being a good friend to my sister. Did she have any—eh—other messages?”
“No.” She glances at her feet. “But could you tell the girls I miss them? I used to come over on Mondays and Wednesdays to play with them. The lawyer picked them up before I had a chance to say goodbye, and dropping by unannounced made my knees shake so hard I couldn’t do it. I’m, ah, not great with crowds.” She glances around nervously. “Or new people.”
