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"Will, you need to come"

"I don’t want to!" I screarandfather just nodded and sighed What else could he have done? What else could he have said? My entire life had just been ripped from me and I wasn’t about to listen to reassurances frorandparents I didn’t want to hear it

My grandfather hesitantly took a few steps away fro back inside, he turned around one last ti for you He’s scared So when you’re ready"

I immediately snapped my head in his direction "Caulder?" I said "Caulder’s not"

My grandfather immediately shook his head "No, son No Caulder’s fine"

It wasn’t until those words ca hit me all at once My chest swelled and the heat rose to my face, then my eyes I pulled my hands to my forehead and I rolled onto rass, and I completely lost it Sounds came from deep within me that I didn’t even knoas capable of I cried harder than I’ve ever cried before--harder than I’ve cried since I sat on the lawn of that hospital and I cried tears of joy, because Caulder was okay

"Are you okay?" Julia asks, breakingto push back the memories of that day "I’m fine"

She readjusts her position on the couch and sighs "I don’t want her to have to raise Kel," she says "Lake needs the chance to live her own life I’d never burden her like that"

"Julia," I say, speaking confidently from experience, "it would burden her not to have hi the choice to raise Kel would kill Lake Just like it killed ht I’d lost Caulder It would absolutely devastate her

Julia doesn’t respond, indicating I may have crossed my boundaries with that comment We both sit quietly on the couch for a while I feel like neither of us has anything else to say, so I stand up

"I’ll take the boys somewhere this afternoon I’ll uys will have tienuine sood I respect Julia’s opinion and having her disappointed in me feels almost as bad as when Lake is disappointed in me

I nod, then turn and leave I make my way back inside the house and back into the bedroo I ease onto the bed at her side and take a seat

"Lake," I whisper, trying to wake her successfully this time

She doesn’t roans and pulls them back up

"Lake, wake up"

She kicks her legs, then throws the covers off It’s well past lunchtime and she acts like she could sleep twelve more hours She opens her eyes and squints, then finds ot mascara smeared underneath her eyes, some of which is still on my pillowcase Her hair is in disarray Her ponytail holder is on the sheet beside her She looks like hell A beautiful hell

"You really aren’t aperson," I say

She sits up on the bed "Bathroom Where’s your bathroom?"

I point to the bathroom across the hall and watch as she leaps off the bed and darts for the door She’s definitely awake now, but I can alo to the kitchen and make us both a cup When she comes out of the bathroom I take a seat and place her coffee next to me

"What time is it?"

"One-thirty"

"Oh," she says, shocked "Wellyour bed’s really coe her shoulder "Apparently"

We drink our coffee and she doesn’t say anything else I have no idea where her head is at, so I re her to think When we finish our coffee, I put the cups in the sink and tell her I’ in a few minutes I’ll probably take theive you and your mom time to talk"

She frowns at o to a matinee?"

I lean forward across the bar "You don’t need to watch a rab my keys and jacket and head toward the front door