Chapter 90 Bronson
I look over at Nikki whose eyes continuously travel from me to the book I hold firm in my grasp. I know what this is, I know what this means, but I don’t exactly know how she acquired it. Like the little mind reader Nikki is, she reads me well and answer my nonverbal question.
“Your mom helped with most of it, and Anderson filled in the rest. Your family wanted you to have a piece of the remaining parts of their life that you missed out on. Your father…. he wrote something on the inside. I didn’t look, I think that’s something you should read alone, but if you want, I can be here when you do.”
Her voice sounds so distance, so lost, and I know she is wondering if she made the right decision with this gift. I lean forward and kiss her soft lips, then smile. “This is perfect Nikki. Thank you.”
I look back down, and open the front page, laughing when I spot the first picture, the picture of my parents wedding. This photo meant so much to my mother, she always told us she knew our father was the one because of how stubborn he was. On the left side is a small letter that looks to be sewn into the covers stitching. I read my father’s words as the tears flow naturally.
“What does he say?” Nikki asks from beside me. She could easily lean into me and read it herself but she’s trying to be respectful. The same way she was with the items scattered around the breakfast bar.
“That he’s sorry it has taken us so long to find each other again, but that he’s happy we are back in each other’s lives.”
Nikki lays her head on my shoulder as I read the letter, then flip the book page by page, explaining each photo in detail of what I can remember. When we come across the few photos that I have missed out on, the birth of my niece and nephew, Clara’s art exhibits that were showcased, even my parents fortieth wedding anniversary, I blow out a deep breath and stare at each photo with pride. I may have missed out on so much, but I’m back now, with no intention of being away from them again.
And Nikki, she remains by my side throughout all of it.
And that’s how we spend the rest of our perfect holiday together. We spend most of it in bed, taking beaks to eat, and open even more presents scattered throughout the penthouse. And at night, when it seems like yet again, Nikki has something to speak to me about, it gets interrupted by my family calling to give me the updates with Clara. She would be going home in the next two days and that was when she was more than happy to see us.
I don’t know what Nikki wants to say to me, but each time she starts, something pulls her back in into the
shadows of her secrets. I worry for her, but more than anything, I’m beginning to wonder what her secret could mean to what we have grown.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
