Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (69 page)

“That’s
just
the
thing,”
Laird
said,
obviously
fighting
back
those
tears.
“It’s
not.
If
I
cry,
and you know even if it was just me and the dog someone would see it,
the
girls
start
crying.
Then
Tavish
loses
it.
Pretty
soon,
I’ve
just
made
everything
a
million
times
worse.”

“Or
better.
Missing
your
parents
isn’t
something
you
want
to
get
over.
They
sound
like
they
were
amazing
people.
Who
would
want
to
stop
missing
that?”

“Me!
It
doesn’t
hurt
if
I
don’t
miss
it.
I
want
it
to
stop!
I
want
it
all
to
stop.
I
want
to
go
to
school
where
everything
is
so
busy
that
I
can’t
remember.
I
want
to
go
where
I’m
not
surrounded
by
things
that
remind
me
of
how
everything
has
been
taken
away.
I
want
to
look
at
Aunt
Aggie
and
not
feel
guilty
because
I’ve
ruined
her
life.”

“You
didn’t
ruin
her
life!”
Luke
pulled
the
boy
into
a
rough
hug.
“She
chose
this,
remember?
She
had
a
choice
and
she
took
it.
No
one
forced
her.
No
one—not
even
herself.
She
cried
at
the
idea
of
giving
you
guys
up.
In
a
way,
having
you
helps
her
keep
a
piece
of
her
sister.”

“But
Vannie
said—”

“I
love
your
sister
to
bits,
but
she
reads
a
few
too
many
old
novels
that
show
the
world
in
a
very
romanticized
self-sacrificing
way.
She’s
wrong.”

“How
do
you
know?”

“I
know
because
I’ve
lived
this,
Laird.
No,
I
didn’t
lose
my
mom
too,
but
I
lost
my
dad
,
and
if
it
came
down
to
it,
Aggie
would
pick
you
guys
over
me
without
blinking.”

“I
don’t
think
so.”

Luke
sighed,
stuffing
back
his
own
ragged
emotions.
“I
know
so.
She
did
back
when
she
thought
she
had
to
make
that
choice.
She
didn’t
hesitate—even
for
a
second.”
He
stared
at
Laird
for
several
seconds
before
he
added,
“I’m
going
to
be
very
frank
with
you.
”

“Ok.”

“You
have
to
promise
me
that
this
stays
between
us.”

Laird
sat
upright,
already
looking
less
like
a
lost
boy
and
more
like
a
young
man.
“I
promise.”

“You’re
right.
Aggie
chose
a
hard
path.
It
was
a
choice
and
I
know
she
doesn’t
regret
it,
but
it
was
a
hard
path.
Your
mother
chose
that
same
path,
Laird.
No
one
forced
her
to
have
eight
children.
No
one
forced
her
to
marry
a
man
with
a
difficult
mother.
No
one
forced
this
on
anyone,
but
it
is
still
hard
sometimes—a
lot
of
the
time
probably.”

“See—”

“But
with
it,
comes
a
lot
of
blessings.
You
know
that.
You
have
brothers
and
sisters.
You
know
that
sometimes
they
drive
you
nuts
and
you
just
want
them
all
to
go
away
,
but
then
when
you
do
have
time
alone,
you
remember
what
you
love
about
having
them,
don’t
you?”