Chapter 42
Seven years ago
I pace the length of the tree house, too excited to stay still even for a moment. Sam should’ve been here by now. I huff out an impatient breath and force myself to sit on the sofa, bouncing a leg in anticipation of his arrival. What’s taking him so long?
“Come on, Sam.” I lean back against the soft cushions and tuck my legs beneath my bottom.
Just as I’m about to stretch out and rest my eyes, I hear the faint sound of approaching footsteps and leap to my feet, a huge grin tugging at my lips.
“Surprise!” I call out the moment Sam walks into the tree house, though I keep my voice low.
I don’t want to wake my brother, or worse, my parents—particularly my mother. If she finds us out here, she’s going to whip my butt something good.
“What’s going on?” Sam asks, looking very confused.
“It’s your birthday, silly.” I grab his hand and lead him to the table. “This is all for you,” I announce, gesturing toward the ham and cheese sandwiches, chips, candy, cupcakes, soda, and a small black case.
“For me?”
I giggle. “Yes, for you. Don’t you remember your own birthday?”
“Yeah, but no one else ever does.” He turns away and begins to cry, his thin shoulders trembling with each sob.
I throw my arms around him and squeeze him as tight as I can. “I’ll always remember your birthday because you’re my best friend and I love you.”
“You.” He pauses, sniffling softly. “You love me?”
“With all my heart,” I tell him, squeezing him tighter.
He faces me again and encircles me with his rail-thin arms, squeezing me as hard as I squeezed him. “I love you too,” he whispers with a shuddering breath. “With all my heart.”
The moonlight shines down on us through the window. That and the glow from the television is the only light in the tree house, though I always make sure to turn the brightness down so we aren’t caught.
I pull back and grab the black case off the table. “Open your gift first.”
“Did you buy all this stuff with your own money?” he asks, hesitantly taking the case from my grasp.
“Yep.” I grin at him. “I saved my allowance for two whole months.”
He starts crying again. “You didn’t have to do that for me. I don’t have any money to buy you anything for your birthday.”
“It’s okay, Sam. I wanted to do this for you.” I look down at the case clutched in his hand. “Open it.”
I bite down on my bottom lip as he reveals the digital watch. It’s blue, almost the same color as his eyes. That’s why I chose it out of all the other options.
“You like it?”
He smiles at me, and I smile back, happy to see the sadness leave his eyes.
“Yeah, very much. Thank you.”
I give him a quick peck on the cheek. “You’re welcome.”