Page 37 of Came the Closest
Compassionate to her core, Cheyenne reaches out to squeeze my sister’s hand.
Indi swallows, gratitude shining in her eyes, and continues. “I try to get him to bed by eight to eight-thirty, and he typically wakes up around seven. Always keep his aquatic water bottle half full with lukewarm water on his nightstand, the nightlight on, and the bedroom door halfway open.” She glances at Cheyenne. “He loves bathtime, but if he decides a hurricane should blow through the tub, everything will be soaked.”
“Got it,” Cheyenne says.
My shoulders relax at her easy smile.
“Food aversions?” I ask. It seems like a logical, levelheaded question.
“Not that we know of,” Indi says. A wry smile curves her lips. “Unless you consider not enough food to be one. He eats like you.”
Cheyenne looks over at me, grinning slightly. “Might need a hefty weekly grocery budget, Casanova.”
I groan. “Not you with that nickname, too.”
“Now you know what it feels like,” Indi quips.
“Nah.” I grin. “I’ll still call you Blue, Blue.”
She glares at me, but she smiles at Cheyenne. “You’re right about the grocery budget. I’ll get you a list of his favorite snacks and meals. Oh! We also made a—”
“Hold on, let me guess,” I deadpan. “Another list?”
“Maybe you should try it sometime,” she counters. “Yes, another list. Milo, uh…” She glances at the boy, who is currently lost in the full color pages of Sailing: The Basics, and lowers her voice. “Sometimes he has nightmares. They started when Mom got sick, but they’ve become more frequent since she’s been gone. We made a list of positive things he can think about when they occur.”
Cheyenne nods. She’s probably taking the information in stride and not mentally overloading like I am. “If you want, you could just email me all the lists you have and I’ll print them out to keep handy. I texted my brother about using his room. I’ll move the clothes, but he said Milo is welcome to any of his toys. I’ll ask him to confirm, but I think the shop where he got those boat bottle kits from is still open. Maybe we could pick one or two out and save them for a rainy day.”
“Oh, he would love that. If there’s one positive about the Pierre family, it’s their wealth.” Indi’s mouth twists, part grimace and part wryness. “That didn’t give Milo a good dad, but it indirectly gave him his father’s affinity for all things nautical since Vincent’s house is on the water. We walked the marinas nearly every day last summer. He especially loves sailboats. Ask him to look at boats, and it’s all he’ll talk about for the rest of the day.”
“Noted,” Cheyenne says. “Also, I want you to know that you’re welcome here any time. I don’t want to take Milo away from you.”
Indi smiles absently, folding the cuff of her sweater again. “Thanks. I appreciate that. I just…” She shakes her head. “This is good for him. To have family around, not just me.”
Cheyenne reaches for Indi’s hand again, squeezing gently. “You’ve been his entire world, not just a piece of it, Indi. We want to share that responsibility, yes, but it doesn’t take away your importance in his life.”
After yesterday with the throw pillow, I expect one or both women to let their emotions get the best of them. And if they do, I…what? Stand here? Try to awkwardly pat both of them on the shoulder? Pretend I’m completely immune and I don’t notice? Comforting Cheyenne is one thing, but both of them?
I’d be in well over my head.
Fortunately, I’m spared. Indi tips her chin back up, Cheyenne withdraws her hand, and—and when did Milo come over here?
“Hey, Ch…” He wrinkles his nose and tugs on Cheyenne’s lightweight striped shorts, poking his thumb over his shoulder. “Hey, you. Wanna read with me?” A dimple winks in his round cheeks when he grins. “I mean, look at pictures.”
I can’t look away. Not when Milo looks up at Cheyenne adoringly, and Cheyenne regards him with such tenderness it makes my own heart ache. It’s a look I’ve never seen on her, one that speaks of hope and sadness at the same time.
My throat tightens, because there’s relief mixed in there, too. A smile for her rosy lips, relief for her tightened shoulders, tenderness for the apprehension in her blue eyes. She becomes elation, personified.
“I would absolutely love that,” she says, letting him take her by the hand. “Hey, by the way, you could call me Annie if you want to? It might be a little easier than Cheyenne.”
Gutted, I do look away this time. The only person in the world who calls her Annie is her father. I rub absently at my sternum, but it doesn’t ease the ache there. I’m starting to wonder if it will ever go away, or if it’s become so deeply embedded that it’s permanent.
Milo’s smile turns impish. “Annie like the pretzels at my sister’s mall?”
Cheyenne laughs brightly. “Unfortunately, I don’t know how to make pretzels. But yes, the same name.”
Clearing my throat, I bump my shoulder into Indi’s. “I know you have a thing for fashion, but I didn’t know you owned a mall, Blue.”
My sister glares up at me before she takes off down the hall. “Help me with Milo’s stuff, would you?”