Chapter 24 - Luna
It’s my big brother’s birthday today and I’m a combination of sad and mad.
I’m sad because it reminds me of all the birthdays we’ve had together where mom went over the top with food, decorations, gifts, and I know we will never have a birthday like that again.
I’m mad because it feels like I’m the only one who remembers.
It’s irrational, I know that. I can’t help it.
I can’t be the only one who celebrates them, remembers the important days that still mean something even though they are gone.
I flip through one of the photo albums my mom made for all our special days.
It has cute stickers and frames around pictures of past birthdays, Halloween costume photos, get-togethers and school events, and I try to keep the tears at bay.
It’s been almost a year since they died.
I should be able to get through looking at these pictures without crying by now. I fail.
When I hear the garage door rumble open, I close the book and slide it back on the shelf with the others.
I’m not in the mood to hang out with Atlas’s best friends right now, not when they didn’t even remember it was his birthday.
I try to make it back to my room before they come into the house but Penny heads me off with a whine that tells me she needs to go outside to do her business.
With a sigh, I turn the opposite way and lead her to the back deck door and let her out.
When I turn around to run to my bedroom, Gage blocks the way with a deep frown on his face.
“Hey, come into the dining room for a minute?”
I shake my head and try to move around him with a “No thanks.” But he puts a hand on my arm to stop me.
“Sweetheart, we need you to come to the dining room. It’s important.”
I press my lips tightly together to keep the ugliness inside me from spilling out all over him and offer a huff of agreement instead.
He turns and I follow his broad back, trying to shake off the nasty mood I’m in.
When we step into the dining room, he maneuvers me into the chair at the end and places a hand on my shoulder like he’s going to hold me in place.
I look up at him with an eye roll, but stay sitting.
Torrin and Jules come in from the kitchen with bags of take-out from my favorite Mexican restaurant and I try not to take a deep sniff of the mouthwatering scents coming off of them.
I can feel the stupid pout forming on my lips at not getting any taco goodness because of my own stubbornness.
I look away from Julian’s smirk as he tosses the bags on the table.
It's when Reid comes in that I can’t stop from pushing Gage’s hand from my shoulder and shoot to my feet.
The tears I’ve been fighting all day flow free and spill over to roll down my face uncontrollably.
Reid walks toward me holding a sheet cake with chocolate frosting.
Written on it in script is, Happy Birthday Atlas.
My voice is thick with emotion as I choke out, “You remembered?”
Gage wraps one of his arms around my shoulders and gives me a squeeze.
“We will never forget him, Luna. We will celebrate all of their special days with you. You’re not alone, sweetheart.”
Reid sets the cake on the side of the table and takes the seat beside me.
His amber eyes are soft and understanding when he reaches over to tug me back down into my seat.
I give him a trembling smile full of gratitude while Gage sits down.
Jules slides the take-out bags down the table to the others and I try not to look at the food as they pull out their meals from the bags.
I only wonder briefly if anyone might have ordered extra that I can beg for before looking back at the frosted cake with twenty-two candles on it.
The sound of crinkling paper bags and wrappers goes quiet until I lift my eyes up to look down the table and see them all looking back at me. Jules snorts, reaches down, and pulls up an unopened bag, then sends it sliding down the table to me.
“Here you go, pouty girl.”
I try to bite back the smile wanting to form as I open the bag and practically push my whole face into it to breathe in the glorious smell of tacos and mexi-fries. When I look back up, they’re all still looking my way but each one of them is smiling.
“Did anyone happen to get extra sour…”
I don’t even get to finish the sentence before four little take-out cups of sour cream come sliding down the table at me from each one of them. Those sneaky tears prick at my eyes again as I start nodding at them.
“Thank you. Thank you for everything. I couldn’t do this without you all. I love you guys.”
I swallow the tears down, duck my head, and dig into the first taco.