1. Riley
Chapter 1
Riley
I can hear him running down the hall towards me, but I’m too late to catch him as he lands on my chest.
“Mommy! Are you awake?”
“I am now, Nickels.” I grab ahold of my son in a big hug, holding him tight against my chest as we lie together in my childhood twin bed.
“Nana’s making pancakes for breakfast because it’s my first day of school. We got to go eat.” My little four-year-old wiggles to get free. “Hurry!”
I watch him in his little lizard pajamas dart out of my room and back down the hall towards the kitchen.
Smelling the delicious coffee being brewed is my final incentive to get out of bed. It’s going to be a busy week and even though it sounds like a dream, lying in bed all day is not on the agenda. Not with a four-year-old.
Showered and dressed for work, I make my way to the kitchen listening to my son rattle on about all the things he plans on doing when he gets to his new school today. “Morning,” I say as I grab a coffee mug.
“Good morning, sweetheart. I just brewed a new pot.”
I smile, “Thanks, Mom.”
“Mommy. Can I wear my puppy shirt today?”
“If that’s what you want to wear.”
He nods, “It is. I’m gonna wear my fast shoes, too.”
“Sounds like a good idea.”
“I know. Aren’t you going to eat Nana’s pancakes?”
“Not right now.”
“I understand. You need your go-go juice.” He holds up his red sippy cup. “I’m drinking my go-go juice, too. See?”
“I see. Want to toast?”
“Yes!”
“What should we toast to?”
“To school.”
I hold my coffee mug up to his sippy cup, “To a great first day of school.” He smashes his cup against mine, but I’m prepared for it, so it doesn’t splash hot coffee on my hands. Everything my son does, he does with everything he’s got in him.
“Yay!”
“Are you all done with breakfast?”
He gives me a hard nod.
“Okay, then. Go get cleaned up and get dressed. I’ll be there in a minute to help you.”
“’kay. Thanks, Nana.” He climbs out of his booster seat and runs back down the hallway to his room – his uncle’s childhood room.
“You’re welcome,” Mom calls after him, but neither of us thinks he heard her. “I’m so glad you two are here. Nicholas has breathed life back into this house. It’s been a long time since there was a little boy running around this place.” Her smiling face lets me breathe a bit easier knowing she’s talking about River who’s been gone for over five years now.
“Thank you again for taking us in. I didn’t know where else to go.”
“Riley, you can always come home. Always. Your father and I love you and Nicholas more than you’ll ever know.”
I tilt my head, “I don’t doubt that, Mom. I love Nicholas more than I ever thought possible.”
She gives me a small smile, “You’re right. You do know, don’t you? Well, times that by ten because having a grandchild is pretty special.”
“We love you, too.” I sip my coffee. “Where’s Dad today?”
“He’s down at the travel agency finalizing our plans for our trip this Saturday.” Her face lights up. “I cannot wait to go. Are you sure you and Nicholas will be okay on your own?”
“Yes, Mom. We’ll be fine. I want you and Dad to go on the trip of a lifetime and not even think about us. Just enjoy yourselves. A thirty-fifth wedding anniversary doesn’t come along very often. Neither does a three-week European cruise. Go and have a blast. You both deserve it.”
“I am excited, ya know. When your father surprised me with these tickets…” she holds her hands to her chest, over her heart, “well – I just couldn’t believe it.”
For all the heartache my parents have been through, they deserve this vacation. This will be the first thing they’ve done for themselves in years. A month after River’s funeral, I called them to let them know that their little girl was pregnant with River’s teammate’s child. Nick was a nice guy, and I really liked him, but I’d be doing this parenting thing all alone since Nick was killed at the same time as River. So were three other soldiers that day.
That year was filled with so many emotions from losing my twin brother to getting pregnant to having a son. It was chaotic and draining. But when I looked into Nicholas’ eyes when the nurses laid him on my chest for the first time – I suddenly felt like I had a new purpose in life.
“I’m ready!” Nicholas comes running into the dining room wearing his favorite shirt with a puppy on the front, his ‘fast’ shoes which are just some sneakers that light up with every step he takes, and a cape.
“Um, I don’t think you’ll be needing the cape today, Nickels.”
As if I was the dumbest person on the planet, my son all of four years old, looks at me, “Ah, yeah, I do. What if I have to fly out of there and save you, Mommy?”
“Save me from what?”
“Whatever makes you sad.” He starts running around the house making whooshing sounds like he really is flying.
“Well, who can argue with that logic?” Mom laughs.
“I wouldn’t dare to try.” I put my empty mug in the sink and grab my stuff for work. Event planning is a fun job, and I’m so lucky to have been able to purchase a client list from Sydney Winters when she moved to Colorado. She set me up with her clients when I first moved back and now I’ve been able to create my own contacts as well. I’ve been pretty lucky to land this job with Mia McIntosh to plan her grand opening that’s scheduled for this Friday night. I only have a few more days to finish up the details. I check my phone for any messages – work or otherwise.
“Have you heard from him lately?” Mom has worry in her voice.
I shake my head, “Not since that night we left Atlanta in May.”
“Good.”
I nod and then look at my son. “Ready to go, Nickels?”
“Ready!”
“See you tonight after kickball practice, Mom.”
“Have a good day. You too, Nickels.”
“Bye, Nana.”
Once Nicholas is buckled into his car seat, I drive to his new preschool. He’s never been a shy child, and everything seems to be one big adventure for him. During the entire drive to school, he chatted about everything from the puppy on his shirt to what he plans to eat for dinner when he’s a hundred million years old. I wish I could bottle this energy for myself.
We walk into the Little Tykes School, Nicholas leading the way. A woman who is about ten years older than me greets us at the door.
“Welcome. My name is Miss Rachel.” She kneels down to Nicholas’ line of sight. “What’s your name?”
“Hi. I’m Nickels.”
Miss Rachel looks up to me like I’m an idiot for naming my child after coins. “Nicholas Ashford. His name is Nicholas.”
My son turns to look up at me, “That’s what I said, Mommy.”
I smooth down his hair, “I know you did.”
The teacher smiles in understanding, “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Nickels.”
“Mommy, can I go play?” He points to where there are other kids running around and playing.
I look at Miss Rachel and she nods.
“Nickels, you’ll have to ask Miss Rachel if it’s okay.”
He looks up at her and she nods at him.
“’kay. Bye Mommy.” He waves over his shoulder as his cape flies in the air behind him.
I look at the teacher, “He’s a bit excited about school.”
“I see that. Let me get you the rest of the paperwork so you can get out of here.”
I complete the paperwork, listing both my parents as authorized adults, but also list that no one else is allowed to pick him up or talk to him. When Miss Rachel reads what I wrote, she looks up at me. “Is there anything we need to be aware of?”
Shaking my head, “No, I don’t believe so. Well, there was an issue back in Atlanta, but that’s why we moved back here to Hibiscus Harbor. It’s fine now.”
“The father?”
“No.” Is all I answer her. She doesn’t need to know the details. “Just me and my parents. That’s it. Okay?”
“Of course.”
I look at the clock on the wall behind her. “Okay, anything else? I’ve got a meeting in a half an hour.”
“Nope. It looks like Nicholas is fitting right in.” We both look over and I see my little boy running and playing with the other kids and it makes my heart melt. God, I love that kid.
“Okay, well, here’s his lunch and snacks. And don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything.”
“Everything will be fine, I’m sure, but we’ll call if there’s anything we need.”
With one last look at my son, I leave him to a day of playing and learning as I go to meet the catering company to finalize the menu for Friday night at Magical Moments’ grand opening.