Page 69 of The Upside of Falling
Walking over to a bin of balls, Rory picks one up and sits a few feet away from Bryan. She goes to toss the ball at him when he begins to shake his head and hand vehemently.
“You don’t want to play ball?”
He does the ball sign again and then gestures toward me.
I turn to Rory, unsure of what to do when she slowly faces me, her expression one of shock. “Do you want to play ball with Colby?”
He does another motion, which I can’t quite read, and I wait for Rory’s cue. Taking a deep breath, she hands me the ball and says, “He wants to play with you.”
“Oh okay. What do I do?”
“You lightly bounce the ball at him, and he’ll hit it back at you. That’s all.”
“Okay.” I take the ball, get comfortable on a bean bag chair—because sitting cross-legged on the floor like Rory isn’t going to happen—then I bounce toss the ball at Bryan. With the whip of his hand, he hits it back at me followed by a laugh.
“Good hit, man.” I toss it again and get ready for the swat back, the whip of his hand accurately sending the ball right back to me. “Damn, that was hard.”
Bryan chuckles again, not looking at me, but more at the ball.
I continue to toss the ball at him, Rory watching the both of us, CCR playing in the background.
Knowing he won’t reply doesn’t stop me from wanting to talk to him a little more, so I say, “Your sister told me you’re on the Special Olympics bocce team here in the Springs. That’s pretty cool, man.” I mimic the smooth, comforting tone Rory uses when talking to Bryan. “I’ve never played bocce ball, but I looked it up on the Internet the other night to see what it’s all about, and it looks pretty badass. You’re going to have to teach me sometime.”
For the next ten minutes, I play ball with Bryan. Rory leaves at one point, just letting the boys have some time. I like it. Bryan doesn’t say anything, but I can tell he’s listening, especially when I talk about the Broncos and the academy. He lights up when I mention his favorite players, and when I talk about flying planes, especially the gliders at the academy, he makes noises and uses his "more" sign to tell me he wants me to keep talking.
When we’re called for dinner, Rory entwines her hand with mine, pressing a kiss to my cheek, her grip incredibly tight on mine. She speaks highly of me at dinner, announcing my accomplishments to her family, and when Bryan has a meltdown, everyone handles it with such poise and loving hearts that I can’t help but admire the Oaks and their understanding souls.
And to be honest, it’s hard to avoid becoming attached to them.
I grew up in a cold home where love was non-existent. My grandpa was the only source of affection, and visits with him became few and far between. When I wasn’t being yelled at, I was sent to my room, never invited to watch a show, play a game, or be involved in thefamily. It was like I was the third wheel my mom and Ted were desperately trying to shake off.
But being in this house, surrounded by these beautifully kind and loving people, I feel wanted, like I belong.
And that is the best Christmas present I could ever receive.
Chapter Twenty-Six
RORY
Ilove him.
There is no denying it. I am head over heels in love with Colby Brooks.
And I know the exact moment it happened.
It was when Bryan laughed after the first toss of the ball Colby sent his way. It was the look on Colby’s face, as if his day had been made by the sweet sound of my brother’s joy.
I fell so hard, I couldn’t breathe.
And then Colby started talking to him, leading the conversation like I would, not skipping a beat when Bryan didn’t answer. And he looked as though he was truly enjoying himself.He’s remarkable. And my brother was happy.It floored me.
When Mom caught me in the hallway crying, she asked where Colby was and if everything was okay. I parted the door for her to see and she immediately understood, whispering into my ear that he was a keeper.
I couldn’t agree more.
After dinner, we exchanged gifts. My parents got Colby a gift card to Olive Garden—andtold him to take me out to dinner, which made me laugh—and I got him a Colorado sweatshirt. It felt lame after his gift to me. But he truly loved it, which made me love him that much more.
And then the gifts he brought my family . . .
