“Yes, yes, yes,” she whispered, twisting in his arms, bringing her hand to his face. “I understand.”
“God, Robin, I do need you. Cole and I both need you, but we… we can't bear to lose anymore.”
“I know. I know. Neither can I, Jake.”
“Then promise me,” he said and leaned back to look down at her. “Promise me forever.”
She looked up at the brown eyes shining down at her, eyes filled with tears of grief and hope, and could not imagine even a single day without him. What the hell had taken her so long? She smiled, brushed her thumb beneath his eye. “I promise. Forevermore.”
Upon the conclusion of Jake's college graduation ceremony, and the reception immediately following, Robin, Jake, and Cole piled into the Chevy Suburban Robin had bought when she sold her Mercedes and drove to the old Victorian house in the Heights they all called home.
They motored down Kirby, Robin singing the wrong lyrics to an upbeat little tune on the radio, then turned onto North Boulevard, laughing when they drove past the house Robin had sold last fall. The new owners apparently liked her pink flamingos so much they had put several in the front flower beds. The rest were around the pool they had built in the back, in the exact spot Robin had thought a pool should go. This, Jake and Robin knew from having peeked over the fence one night.
In the backseat, Cole was twirling the tassel from Jake's cap around his finger, talking excitedly about where he would go to college one day. After months and months of physical and emotional therapy (and, fortunately, no Fran-kie, due in large part to his coming to live with Jake and Robin), Cole had hope for the first time in his life. Just as
Jake had once dreamed, he was a flourishing sixteen-year-old with a girlfriend that both Jake and Robin liked. Cole had a long way to go—because of his injuries, he'd never be a baseball player—but he didn't mope anymore and now had friends and a purpose in life. He was going to be an astronaut if he had his way, and Robin and Jake were prepared to move mountains to make it happen.
Cole's recovery was just one of many milestones they had passed in the last eighteen months since Robin had run out of Hobby Airport. She had moved in with Jake shortly after leaving LTI. When she left the house on North Boulevard, she left her old life behind, including Mia and Michael (who had already separated), and LTI, where Lucy said Evan was now the COO in place of Dad. Robin didn't really know what was going on with that, because Dad had managed to alienate himself from the family again. But curiously, she didn't care about LTI and didn't miss the work. She had become Jake's bookkeeper and office manager, bringing a level of organization to him that enabled him to take on more work. He needed her, was constantly telling her he couldn't do without her. She liked that. She liked what she was doing, too, so much so that she had become Girt's bookkeeper, too. They had determined, after American Motorfreight wouldn't up their offer, that the thing to do was to make Girt the New Queen of Styrofoam Containers—not to be confused with Peanut, the retiring Queen, naturally.
Even Zaney was doing well. He had finally formed that band he had always wanted, and the band had, at long last, performed at their first real live paying gig. Jake, Robin, and Lucy had gone to cheer the band on, and actually had been blown away. Who knew?
The surprise party they were about to reach was another accomplishment, although Jake didn't know it yet. For the first time ever, the Mannings and the Lears would join together to celebrate (music provided courtesy of the Zany Zaney's). Rebecca and Grayson, Grandma and Grandpa, Mom, even Rachel would all be in attendance, as would Norma (who was starting to come around to actually toler-
ating Robin), her sister, Wanda, and Vickie and her crew, of course.
The Chevy turned onto Montrose. Jake was beaming ear to ear, telling Cole what to expect in college. They had become very close in the course of Cole's recovery, much to their mutual surprise—but Jake stopped mid-sentence when they turned onto his street and he saw all the cars outside the house. “What the—”
“Surprise!” Cole yelled as Robin turned into the drive.
Before Jake could respond, they all came rushing out beneath the homemade banner someone had hung across the porch (Congratulations Jake!) clapping and shouting for the graduate to join them.
Cole was the first out, hobbling on one crutch into their midst with Jake's tassel now hanging from his pants.
Slack-jawed, Jake turned and looked at Robin. “I can't believe you did this.”
“You deserve it,” she said happily.
He laughed, shook his head. “No, I don't deserve a damn thing. But I t hank God every day that I have all this.” He reached across the truck, slipped his hand behind her neck, and pulled her close to kiss her. “I t hank God I have you,” he said, and kissed her again until someone pounded on the window. Laughing against her mouth, he let go, got out, and was instantly overtaken by a swarm of buoyant, beer-drinking well-wishers.
Proud of him, pleased with pulling off the party, Robin got out, too, and as she walked around the front of the truck, she caught sight of a lone figure up on the porch, a little stooped, but still… Her heart stopped; she shaded her eyes with her hand and peered up to make sure she wasn't seeing things.
Nope. She'd know Dad anywhere. He was looking at her, his jaw clenched tight, and slowly, uncertainly, he lifted his hand and waved.
And Robin waved back.