Page 112 of Broken Butterfly
I’m a bit surprised. “Brea, you’re a senior in high school and you’re telling me you’ve never had a boyfriend.”
“You haven’t seen the asshats that go to my school. I wouldn’t date one of them for a million dollars. Besides, I have bigger things to do than worry about dressing up on a Friday night for a date.”
“Like what?” I pull one braid in her hair apart and re-do it.
“I want to go to college and study psychiatry.”
I don’t have to ask why to know it’s because of what happened to Hailey.
“I’m proud of you,” I tell her.
“I’m really excited that you’re going to be my sister-in-law.”
“Me too.” I tickle her side.
She plays with my engagement rings. “Ry did a great job. These are absolutely stunning. Why two? I thought the solitaire was the engagement ring and the band was for the wedding.”
I pull my teeth over my bottom lip. “Well, tonight was his second proposal.”
“You said no the first time?” Her voice raises an octave.
“No,hesaid yes the first time. I asked him to marry me. Just blurted it out like a crazy person. Come to find out, he had already bought me the ring and was going to propose. I beat him to it.”
“Ahh, so tonight was him giving you a proper proposal.”
“No, he already did that after he said yes.”
Brea rolls over onto her back. “You guys are so weird.”
I bop her nose with my finger. “Tonight was your brother making a grand romantic gesture,” I sigh dreamily. “Ryder never stops amazing me. I love that man so much.”
“He loves you back just as much, Lizzie. I hope one day I’ll find someone that loves me that way.”
Deciding now would be a perfect time for it, I roll off the bed intending to grab the present I made for Brea that I stashed in Ryder’s room across the hall. “I want to give you one of your presents now.”
“Breaking with Christmas tradition, are we?”
My family always opened our presents to each other on Christmas Eve and left Santa’s presents for Christmas Day. The Cuttons wait to open everything on Christmas morning.
Brea takes the box from my hand and carefully opens it, lifting the top off and peeling back the red and green tissue paper. “Lizzie, this is just, wow. This is wonderful. Thank you.” She one-arm hugs me and kisses my cheek. I scanned in all of Hailey’s poems from the scrapbook I found in the boxes from my closet. The ones that triggered my memories to come back. I used software online to make a hardcover book of them for Brea.
“Merry Christmas, Brea.”
She reads a few of the poems, turning the pages of the book reverently. “It’s like she’s here.”
I want to tell her that Hailey will always be with us, but I decide to let her discover that on her own as she reads my sister’s beautifully crafted words.Merry Christmas, Hales. I love you.
It’s another hour before I leave Brea’s room. Ryder poked his head in a little while ago to see what we were up to. After bidding Brea a good night, I head downstairs to find it dark and empty. The light from the Christmas tree is the only illumination in the room. As children, Hailey and I would lie underneath our tree and look up through the branches, telling each other what we wanted Santa to bring us. I touch one bristly branch, the scent of pine strong. I smile when my fingers trail across, then gently lift, a star-shaped ornament that has Ryder’s name written sloppily in the penmanship of a child. I remember when we made these together in class in the third grade.
Lost in my thoughts, I don’t hear Trevor until he steps up beside me. “Sorry.” He chuckles when I startle.
“Where is everyone?”
“Meredith crashed hard and is passed out in the guest room. Ryder and his dad are out back at the firepit.”
“And Fallon?”
Trevor takes one hand out of his pocket and rubs it back and forth across his neck. “We’ve been talking on the front porch.”
