All characters that are from the TWILIGHT saga by Stephanie Meyer belong to Stephanie Meyer. All others belong to me. I do not receive profit for these stories except for the joyous enjoyment of reviews.
This story follows right after When I'm Gone: Third Installment to GONE Saga, so if you haven't read that one or the two before, please do.
The timeline of the story will coincide with Gabriel Michael Laskaris' growing up years, starting at Seth and Rosa's wedding day, April 12th and will progress from there.
AN: I'm so sorry for taking so long to update! I have been crazed with two jobs -we just recently finished Vacation Bible School, which I helped organize and direct. Not to mention working three nights a week at the hospital. Then, there's the other stories I'm trying to work on at the same time. Anyway, I want to say thank you for sticking with me and sending me reviews. I really appreciate knowing y'all are so patient and loyal to this series and myself. Please enjoy as you read and don't forget to review!
Good news -I've got the next chapter in my head!
Chapter Ninety-Four (17 yrs old)
October 29th
La Push, WA
The knock at the front door resonated throughout the house. Putting his pencil down and stepping away from the drafting table where he'd been working on his latest design, Seth stopped by the playpen in the middle of his office space, grinning as his little princess tossed her pink Beanie bear to the side, lifting her pudgy arms for him to pick her up.
Her sweet giggles as he lifted her up over his head had his heart skipping a beat as a second knock sounded at the door, "Let's go see who's come to visit, Shari Sue."
Patting his cheeks with her tiny hands, she wiggled as he brought her into his chest, settling her diapered bottom on his forearm as he headed down the hallway into the living room. He grinned as she let out a squeal at the sight of Gabe as soon as he opened the front door, her little fingers opening and closing in a wave as she bestowed her beautiful smile on her cousin.
"Are you ever gonna let her walk," Gabe asked as he stepped into the living room, closing the door behind him. He didn't reach for Shari Sue –there was no point, considering the little girl went to no one when her father was holding her.
Now, when her mother was holding her, she seemed to have no problem giving her attention to others, but when it came to her Daddy, Shari Sue was happy to stay where she was, and he was more than happy not to share.
"So she'll run away from me?" Seth gave his nephew and Alpha a narrowed look before turning to kiss his little girl's pudgy cheek, "Never, ever, ever, right Shari Sue?"
Gabriel laughed as the cutie pie that was his youngest cousin nodded her head, her cupid's bow of a mouth stretching into a smile around the tiny fingers she was sucking on, "You're going to regret agreeing to that, Shari Sue."
She let out a giggle, soft brown curls brushing her cheeks as she shook her head, her brown-green eyes twinkling. Shari Sue was a beautiful baby, the spitting image of her mama, but where her brothers, who looked just like their Daddy, had Rose's hazel eyes, Shari Sue's eye color had changed from hazel to her Daddy's brown-green. Gabe knew, without a doubt, in about fourteen years, Shari Sue was going to have a long line of boys chasing after her. Then again, considering his uncle had no intention of letting her walk, perhaps boys won't be a problem.
As if.
"Glad you finally had some time off to come over," Seth headed up the stairs to the second floor, Gabe right behind him, making silly faces which were rewarded with belly laughs from Shari Sue as she stared at him over her Daddy's shoulder, "I'm hoping to get the room done by Christmas. You could use some extra money, right?"
"Sure," Gabe averted his eyes as they passed the closed bedroom door with the star plaque at eye-level, "Why haven't you done anything with it?"
Seth walked into the room that had been Marc's, which was now shared by Carlos and Harry, "Just thought I'd wait a bit."
Gabe caught the slight hitch to Seth's words, quickly catching on why he had waited, "It's been over a year, Seth. They're not coming back. And even if they did, Marc isn't allowed on La Push land –you've gotta come to terms with that."
Seth stood in the middle of the large room, pressing a kiss on his princess' cheek before looking over at Gabe, "Have you?"
Gabe shrugged as he moved further into the room, his nose wrinkling at the very faint scent of Marc still clinging to some of the surfaces of the room, "I've made my peace with it, so what are you thinking?"
Seth let out a nearly silent sigh as he looked around the room, "For one, I'd like to repaint the walls –this blue is too dark for the boys. Also, what do you think of all the shelves on that wall?"
Gabe turned, eyebrows rising at the floor to ceiling, wall to wall shelving. Some of the shelves were filled with books, others were squared cubicles holding airplane and car models Marc had liked to build, "Dad built those, didn't he?"
"I believe so," Seth shifted his little girl from one arm to the other, wincing when she gave his hair a pull, "Think he could build me some bunk beds? They currently share the big bed, but I thought bunk beds will give them more space for their toys."
"I can give it a try, if you'd like," Gabe walked across the room to the wall of windows, staring out into the forest bordering the back of the house, "You got any ideas what you want the beds to look like?"
"I'm thinking some built-in dresser drawers, steps instead of a ladder for Harry to be able to climb up to the top bunk."
"Dad built the ones in Alyx and Andrey's room," Gabe turned away from the windows, catching sight of an easel in the corner of the room, a sheet over a large canvas, "They were designed to come apart and make separate beds for when the twins were too old for bunk beds."
"Sounds like a good idea," Seth nodded as he watched his nephew move towards the easel.
Gabe reached out to pull the sheet off the 32" by 48" canvas, both men sucking in a breath at the revealed painting. Seth moved to stand next to his nephew, both staring at the beautiful portrait before them, Seth marveling at Marc's talent.
As for Gabe, he wondered why the hell Marc had spent many an hour painting a portrait of his mama. It wasn't just any old portrait, though –Marc had painted mama as an Indian princess, her hair adorned with feathers and beads while she wore a fringed top of tanned deer hide, a silver and turquoise necklace around her neck, the cliffs beyond the shore of Hidden Beach behind her.
The painting was beautiful, but it was his mama's eyes constantly drawing his attention –Marc had been able to capture the tenderness that was always there whenever she looked at him or his siblings…it was the tender love of a mother; a love Gabe knew would never waver or fade.
Apparently, a love Marc had coveted.
"I'll have to pack up all this stuff," Seth decided not to bring up the obvious fact Marc had loved Leah –it was written all over that painting, "Put it in storage for now. I'm sure Marc will be asking me to send it all eventually. How about we go downstairs to my office? I've got some rough sketches for you to see."
Gabe nodded, draping the sheet over the easel before turning to follow Seth, continuing with the funny faces as Shari Sue stared at him over her Daddy's shoulder, her brown-green eyes sparkling as she sucked on her fingers, giving Gabe a glimpse of tiny white teeth every time she smiled at him.
Once in Seth's office, the little girl was placed in the playpen before he grabbed a couple of rolled blueprints, moving over to his draft table to spread them out before looking up, eyes locking onto his nephew.
Gabe stood before his uncle's lighted display tables, the ones that held pencil drawings Seth had done years ago. Those weren't the ones holding his attention, though –no, the two 27" by 41" framed posters mounted on the wall was what had grabbed his attention so hard, he'd felt it deep in his chest.
The poster on his right boasted swirls of bright red fabric, dancers in simple shifts and loose pants, all in red. Smack dab in the center were the elegant arcs and classic curves that made up Viviana de la Luna, featured as the prima donna of O luxúria é vermelha, a contemporary dance performance presented by the Lia Rodrigues Companhia de Danças and choreographed by Thalia Amado. In the bottom right hand corner of both posters was the flourished signature he recognized as Vivi's, having seen the many practice ones she'd doodle on the inside covers of her school notebooks. The poster parallel to the first one was an exact replica but instead of red fabric, everything was a shiny black, the title across the top in bright red letters: O amor é preto.
The silence was heavy and thick, practically pulsating as Gabe's eyes moved from one image to the next, shoulders tense with his hands fisted at his sides.
The tense silence thickened, and Seth felt a ripple of apprehension trip up his spine and without giving it much thought, he just opened his mouth and let out the verbal diarrhea, "She sent them about two weeks ago. They've been living in Brazil since the beginning of August and she auditioned with the dance company, which is one of the best in South America – "
"Are those the blueprints," Gabe interrupted his uncle, turning away from the posters, refusing to let his eyes linger any longer on the double images of his ex-girlfriend, "I'll take them with me and have Dad look them over. He might make some changes, if that's alright with you."
He watched as his nephew rolled up the blueprints without looking at them, "I'll let you know if we make any changes by Monday. I have a flight test on Friday I'm studying for, so I'll work on these over the weekend, if that's okay with you?"
"Sure," Seth shifted his weight on his heels, still feeling the tension in the air despite the change of subject, "Get back to me when you can. How's flight school going, by the way?"
"It's going well," Gabe moved across the room, stopping by the playpen to lean down and give Shari Sue a buzz on her chubby little cheek, "I've got one more test after this one before I go up in the air."
"That's great," Seth moved towards the playpen, unable to resist his baby girl's toothy grin as she lifted her arms in a silent demand to be picked up, "You enjoying the class work?"
"It's interesting," Gabe walked out of his uncle's office, looking over his shoulder at him, grinning at Shari Sue who had her tiny fingers back in her mouth, her other little hand gripping a tiny fistful of her Daddy's hair, "I'm looking forward to the actual flying, though."
Seth winced as Shari Sue gave his hair a good yank, "Be gentle with Daddy, baby girl."
"Give him hell, Shari Sue," Gabe opened the front door, his smile widening at the sounds of the giggles coming out of his baby cousin as she continued to give her Daddy a good head shaking, "Now that's a good girl. I'll come by Monday, Seth."
"I'll call you if anything comes up and I won't be here."
Nodding in the affirmative, Gabe closed the door behind him, leaving Seth and Shari Sue standing in the middle of the living room. Gently extracting his hair from her tiny fingers, he shifted his little girl into his chest, smiling down into her brown-green eyes, "You and I are going to have a serious talk about taking advice from guys that aren't your Daddy or brothers."
Shari Sue reached up towards his face, her little fingers gripping his nose as she let out a belly laugh, Seth's own laughter egging her on. Dropping his head, he blew raspberries into her neck, her squeals filling the large room, soon joined by little sneakered feet running in through the kitchen.
"Daddy!"
He laughed as his boys crashed into his legs, glad he'd had fair warning to brace himself, "Look, Shari Sue! Your big brothers are home."
And just like that, he'd lost her. When it came to her big brothers, Daddy lost every time.
"What are you doing?"
Gabe looked up from the manual he was reading, giving his brother Zak a nod as he dropped his gym bag just inside the laundry room off the kitchen, tossing a stack of letters on the kitchen table before heading across the kitchen to the refrigerator, "Studying. I have a written test this weekend."
Cracking the top of the juice bottle open, Zak tipped his head back to take a large gulp of the cold liquid, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand after downing half of the bottle's contents, "When do you get to go up?"
"One more test after this one and I'm wings up in the air."
"Nice," guzzling the rest of the liquid in three gulps, he tossed the plastic bottle into the recycling bin, "You got some letters in the mail."
Gabe looked over at the pile, reaching out to sift through the letters until he found two of them addressed to him, one from the Air Force Academy in Colorado and the other from the Naval Academy in Maryland, "What the hell are these?"
"Entrance applications, I'm sure."
"I didn't request them."
Zak leaned against the refrigerator, crossing his ankles as he crossed his arms over his chest, "I did."
Looking over at his twelve-year-old brother, absently thinking how the tall preteen could easily pass for sixteen now he'd started phasing outside of full moon nights, he asked, "Why?"
"It's your dream to be a fighter pilot, isn't it?" Zak pushed away from the fridge, pulling up the waistband of his black gym shorts, "You start at one of those."
"No," Gabe tossed the thick envelopes back on the table, standing up with his flight manual in his left hand, "I'm not going anywhere until we catch that cold-blooded bitch. I've got a duty to this tribe and my pack."
"Gabe –"
"Conversation's over, Zak," Gabe gave his brother a leveled glare, "It's not happening."
Zak watched as his older brother and Alpha walked out of the kitchen, listening as he went down the hall, up the stairs and into their shared bedroom. Letting out a heavy sigh, he moved to the kitchen table, picking up the two envelopes as he thoughtfully went over the past five minutes.
Conversation over, sure…like hell this wasn't happening for him, though. Looking at the clock over the kitchen entrance, he knew exactly who to go to for help with these. There was no way in hell he was going to allow the bloodsucking bitch they were hunting to take one more thing away from his brother. Come hell or high water, his brother's dream to be a fighter pilot was going to happen and Zak was going to make sure of it.
November 3rd
Ricky Laskaris was not a light sleeper, nor was he a morning person. For being four years old, soon to be five in nine more days, that part of his personality was pretty much set in stone. Today, however, wasn't a usual kind of day. Ricky was out of bed and standing on his toes as he looked out the window, the gray sky barely touched by a blush of morning color. Daddy had been out the night before because of the big moon, but Ricky knew he wasn't back because the sun was still hiding.
Dropping back on his heels, he moved quietly through the bedroom he shared with his brother Avy, grabbing a book from their bookshelf before heading down the hallway to the back bedroom where his mama slept. He missed his mama and he wanted to cuddle with her while she read to him before Daddy came back from being a wolf.
Ricky liked it when mama read to him. She never used her finger to point out the black squiggles and never made the words long and choppy like his sister Emmie. She said she was teaching him to read, but Ricky didn't like reading –the words never looked the same and when she used her finger to point them out, they wiggled and moved, making it hard for him to know which letter was which.
Pushing open the jarred door, he stood still for a couple of seconds, listening to the comforting sound of his mama's breathing before tip-toeing to the side of the bed where his mama was. Leaning against the mattress, he stared at her pretty face, leaning in until he was on his toes, his nose touching hers. He giggled when she opened her eyes, crossing them playfully before reaching out to stroke his cheek.
"Good morning, baby."
Rubbing his nose against hers, he plopped the book on the mattress before grabbing on to his mama's arm and scrambling up onto the bed, "Moning, mama. Read to me?"
"Of course," she wiggled to make room for him, wrapping her arms around him as soon as he cuddled into her, his small back against her stomach, "Which book did you bring?"
"Marcs book."
He heard the smile in her voice as she took the book from him and held it open to the first page, where the Indian Princess that looked just like mama stood in a field of flowers, blue-purple mountains in the background.
Snuggling in deeper, he tucked his head under her chin, his small hands tucked under his cheek as her warm honey voice lulled him back to sleep as images of Princess Mama and Wolf Daddy merged with his dreams.
Kissing the top of his sandy-blond head, she kept reading, knowing if she stopped abruptly, he would wake up again. Once the story was over, she carefully closed the book and set it aside, looking over at the window where the first hint of the sun rising creeped around the drawn curtains.
Running her fingers through his hair, she breathed in his little boy smell, her heart squeezing as she thought of how next year he'd be going into first grade, and as such, will be away from her for the entire day instead of just half a day. It was a milestone she was not at all excited about.
The sound of the back door opening and closing had her smiling as she looked over at the clock. Her husband was home and would be heading straight into the bathroom. She knew an hour or so after he crawled into bed –having to forsake their morning romps due to the impromptu third guest in the form of their four-year-old boy –her early risers would be stirring, which meant she would be getting up and making breakfast while Rick slept another two hours.
He would join their late risers for a second breakfast, then they would all head off to school, leaving her for the first part of the day. Perhaps, after she picked Erick up at noon, she'd go into Tacoma and take him to lunch at The Old Spaghetti Factory, then to America's Car Museum.
"Morning, agape mou," her husband's deep voice settled over her like a warm blanket, his lips brushing her shoulder as his nose nudged the thin strap of her baby doll nightie, "Erick isn't in his bed."
"He came in to have me read to him," Leah smiled as she turned her head, his lips settling over hers as he wrapped his arm around her and their youngest, "He really likes Marc's book."
"Considering the princess in the book is the spitting image of you, I'm not surprised."
She smiled, his lips curving with hers before he deepened the kiss, their tongues moving in a slow, familiar dance of love and desire. Tucking his knees behind hers as he pulled her into his body, he let her feel his body's reaction to being near her.
The sound of the bathroom door closing had them breaking apart, Rick resting his forehead against hers as they listened to Emmie in the bathroom getting ready for the day, while Andrey was upstairs doing the same. They both knew Zak was out at First Beach, getting in a few waves before coming home for the second shift breakfast and getting ready for school. Xavier was probably in the living room, watching early morning cartoons.
The rest of them –Gabe, Alyx, Tyra, and of course Erick –were still in bed.
"Need to start breakfast," Leah kissed Rick once more, about to get up, but her husband stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, giving her a smile along with his offer, "I'll make breakfast for the early lot. If you move, Erick will wake up and be cranky all day."
He could taste her smile as she kissed him once more, "I've got plans for us next week…no moon on Saturday, which means we have twenty-four hours to get naughty."
Chuckling, he nipped her bottom lip, giving her tight ass a good hard slap as he climbed out of bed, silently chuckling at her muffled squeak.
Letting out a happy sigh, she turned her head to bury her nose in her baby boy's hair, placing her long fingered hand on his small chest, the reassuring beat of his heart below her fingertips filling her with joy and contentment.
Lifting the book he'd brought with him, she stared at the glossy hard cover, her eyes moving over the title The Indian Princess and the Wolf-man then lingering on the words at the bottom of the cover:
Written and Illustrated by Marcos Andres De La Luna
Rubbing a thumb over the edge, she deftly opened it to the dedication page, her heart throbbing slightly at the one sentence dedication:
This book is dedicated to Leah, who taught me what a mother's love is all about
Closing the glossy-paged book, she set it on her bedside table, wrapping her arms around her baby boy as she closed her eyes. She could still remember the look on Marc's face the first time they'd met. He'd stared at her with those big dark brown eyes, so much sorrow and pain swimming in them she couldn't help reaching out to him with a mother's love.
At first, it had been meant to keep the animosity between him and Gabriel from breaking out, but with time, she had seen what a wonderful little boy, and person, Marc was. With time, a special bond had ground between her and Marc, one she'd ensured to keep strong by being honest with him.
Despite what had happened between him and Gabriel, she was happy he had found himself a successful and fulfilling career, one where he could use his talents. She hoped, with time, he could find love and happiness, along with an assurance of his own humanity.
November 13th
Misiones Province, Argentina
He stared out at the panoramic view spread out before him, the height advantageous as he surveyed the lush landscape, the sky above a bright blue without a single cloud in sight. The roar of the Iguazu Falls was deafening, the scents of wildlife, vegetation and moist earth beneath the strong smell of water tickling his nose and filling his lungs with every breath he took.
This weekend trip served several purposes, among them research for his next book; considering he was halfway done with the current one based on a Brazilian myth he'd titled Princess Guimara and the Little Man. It was turning into quite a complex undertaking, the illustrations full of color and detail, but his agent was excited for the outcome. Ashley had assured him this third book would garner at least one of many children's literature awards.
While The Indian Princess and the Wolf-Man had placed him on the known spectrum of children's literature writers and illustrators, his next book, The Indian Chief and the Warrior Bride, not released until January of the coming year, was going to propel him up the list of best-selling authors. Without coming off as conceited, he knew this third one would be the one to make him into a household name, especially among those with children.
Taking in a deep breath, the honeyed taste of sweet pea settled on his tongue just as her arms wrapped around his waist, her cheek pressed against his back. Covering her small hands, resting against his hard abdomen, with his larger ones, he looked over his shoulder at her, "Thank you for coming with me."
"I will follow you to the ends of the earth."
Smiling, he turned within the circle of her embrace, wrapping his arms around her shoulders as he rested his hands on the sweet swell of her beautiful bottom, "Good, because I plan on keeping you by my side wherever I go."
Her beautiful green-brown eyes sparkled as she smiled up at him, the cool breeze picking up the long strands of her dark hair, which fell heavy and straight down to her hips. Dipping his head at the same time she lifted on her toes, their mouths touched softly, their hearts beating the same hard rhythm as they breathed each other in.
The kiss was sweet and slow as they explored each other's mouths, their bodies pressed together from chest to knees, arms wrapped around each other so tight they practically inhabited the same space.
Pulling back to take in air into his starved lungs, he closed his eyes as he placed his forehead against hers, their noses nudging each other as they both worked at getting their hearts under control.
Lifting his hands up to cup her face, he pulled back as he stared into her eyes, a smile spreading across his lips as he took in a deep breath, "Smell that?"
Her face flushed as she shifted on her feet, "You're not supposed to point it out. It's rude."
Laughing, he dropped his hands to her waist, pulling her hips into his as he dipped his head to whisper into her ear, "Not what I'm referring to, although I'll make sure and take care of that once we get back to Rio."
Biting the inside of her cheek as she arched her back, pressing her aching center against his hard crotch, "What exactly are you referring to, then?"
Tapping her nose, he arched an eyebrow at her, "I'm talking about dinner, borboletinha. There's a jaguar a good twenty miles north of here."
"And here I thought I would be dinner," she teased as she pulled back, their fingers lacing into an unbreakable hold to keep them side by side as they hunted the big jungle cat.
Giving her a wink over his shoulder, he squeezed her hand before picking up speed, "No, boneca…you're dessert."
La Push, Washington
3:32AM, December 26th
He closed the door behind him, making sure not to make any noise, knowing full well his little brother Xavier would wake up at the slightest noise. Gabe was exhausted, having done the ten to three patrols, along with Brady, Quil and Seth. Zak, Bailey and Bradley had relieved them for the next set of patrols; considering everything was quiet around the reservation and even into Forks, Gabe had no qualms at passing responsibility over to his little brother and cousins.
Opening the fridge, he pulled out a bottle of cranberry juice, gulping it down without taking a breath. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he tossed the plastic bottle into the recycle bin next to the trash can, he easily maneuvered around the dining table and chairs despite the lack of light in the large kitchen.
Just a few feet into the living room, he caught sight of his mama sitting in the middle of the couch, the Christmas tree by the front windows still twinkling merrily in the darkened room, "Ma? What are you doing awake?"
She patted the spot beside her, smiling when he easily stepped over the coffee table to sit next to her, "Waiting for you."
He smiled as she reached up to brush his hair away from his forehead, mentally reminding himself to get a haircut, "What for?"
"I have something for you," she leaned forward, taking a large box, the kind used to hold dresses or coats, "I didn't want to give it to you in front of the others."
Gabe grinned as he took the gaily wrapped gift, playfully leaning into her as he pressed a kiss on her smooth cheek, "They already know I'm your favorite, ma. A gift wouldn't come as a shock to any of them."
She smiled, reaching out to squeeze his hand, "It's not from me."
"Oh."
His eyes dropped to the box he held in his lap, chest growing tight as his mama explained, "A week before you took Megan to California for orientation, she came by the house. She asked me to hold this for her, and to give it to you if she wasn't around for Christmas. She wanted you to have it, even if she wasn't the one to give it to you."
He stared at the box, the tightness in his chest making it hard to breathe, his shoulders tense as his mama reached up to run her long fingers through his dark hair, her soft words causing a knot to form in his throat, "She loved you…in a way very few people know how to love. She once told me it wouldn't matter if you two didn't end up together, or if you broke her heart, because you taught her what she was worth. She learned who she was and what she deserved because you showed her. This…this was her way of saying thank you."
He swallowed as tears trekked down his face, his lungs expanding as he sucked in much needed air. Not unlike many teenage boys his age, Gabe worked hard at keeping his emotions to himself, not allowing others to see when he was hurting. When it came to his mama, though, Gabe knew there was no safer place to let things get the best of him.
Wrapping her arms around his broad shoulders, she pulled him into her embrace as he rested his head against her chest, his entire body shaking as he cried. She kissed the top of his head, rocking him side to side, much as she had when he'd been a baby in need of comfort. For Leah, it didn't matter how old or how big her children were –they were all her babies and she would never refuse their need for her to comfort them.
The guilt he still carried at having exposed Megan to his world was heavy and hot, pressed up against his heart as he finally got his tears under control. Gently pulling back from his mama, he let her wipe his tears away with her thumbs, giving her a sad smile as she kissed his forehead.
Unwrapping the box, he lifted the top lid, his hand trembling slightly as he picked up the folded piece of paper sitting atop red and green tissue paper. Taking in a deep breath, he unfolded the paper, his heart thumping against his ribs as he recognized Megan's pretty handwriting:
Dear Gabriel,
I love you. I don't know if we're still together when you read this, but I do know I'll still be loving you when you do. Whatever happens, before now or after, I want to say I'm so glad I got to be with you -you have been my best friend, my champion, my protector, and most importantly, my everything.
Thank you for showing me I am worth so much more than what I was settling for. I've learned I have so much to give to others, but most importantly, I have so much to give to those who love me. I've given you my heart, knowing there's no guarantee of a forever, and I don't regret it.
You've taught me to love -to truly love, without thought of how it would benefit me, but simply because I have the amazing ability to do so. No matter what happens, know I don't hold you responsible. I know you have been the best of yourself with me, and I'm so glad I got to have you for myself, even if it was just for a brief time.
I love you and know I hope you chase your dreams, and know life is worth living to the fullest, no matter what. You are amazing, and I am so blessed to have known you.
Love,
Megan
Re-folding the paper, he wiped his cheek with the back of his hand before setting it carefully aside. Lifting the tissue papers, he sucked in a breath at the sight of brown distressed leather and a black case for glasses. Opening the case, he found a pair of Cartier aviator sunglasses with gray gradient lenses. Closing the case, he set them aside and pulled out what turned out to be a Hammacher Schlemmer Army Air Corps leather flight jacket, the lambskin soft under his fingertips.
Bringing the jacket up to his nose, he breathed in the scent of leather, his eyes burning with the need to cry once more.
"She believed in you, baby," Leah reached up to run her fingers through his hair, giving him a smile as he placed the jacket back in the box, "Make her proud."
"I will, mama," he rubbed his thumb over the curve of the case before placing it on top of the folded jacket, "I promise."
