* Chapter 10 *

Dedicated to the memory of Margaret Corneille

Joey’s funeral took place three days later. The family had asked Mariah and Rachel to sing but Mariah only agreed when the invitation had been extended to Kevin as well. Rachel played piano while the couple sang a duet of Celine Dion’s “Fly” that the pair had arranged especially for the occasion.

At the burial, Mariah stepped toward the casket and lay a single Kentucky blue rose among the other floral arrangements. A sob escaped from deep within her until she felt Kevin reach for her hand. She leaned into him and strained her ears to hear her boyfriend struggle to whisper, “We’ll miss you, J. Say hi to my dad for me. Thanks for everything.” The couple then walked away.

Back at the house that afternoon, Mariah found Kevin seated on the deck in the backyard staring blankly into the pool’s blue water. She walked around and knelt before him gently placing her palms on his knees. When his green eyes met her hazel ones, they were bloodshot. His cheeks were salty with tears.

Sensing his pain and frustration, Mariah lay her head in his lap. She hoped her touch and presence would comfort him because she could think of little to say.

“I -“ Kevin started.

“I know, Kev…He’ll take care of Joey. Joey will take care of him until you get there - a long time from now.” She turned her face back to his gaze. “He loves you, you know? No matter where he is, you’ll always be his son and he’ll always love you.” Kevin cried in earnest now. “And you know something else? I love you, too.”

Her liturgy complete, she rested her head back in his lap and encircled her arms around his waist. Kevin stroked her hair, an action that served to soothe them both.

“Did I ever tell you about my grandma, Kev? She didn’t wait for his answer. “She was a wonderful person. My family used to go visit her at her house on the lake. It was a beautiful property on a hill that had these wooden steps leading down to the dock.

“I would help her get dinner ready sometimes. We’d bring out lawn chairs and sit atop the hill with a colander filled with green beans and big silver saucepan. We’d snap the ends off the beans before breaking them into pieces and throwing them into the pot. I swear we ate more then than we ever did at dinner.” Mariah smiled at the memory.

“She may have died when I was very young, but I still miss her. She may be gone, but she still lives.” She paused in thought before continuing. “I bet she knows your dad. Maybe she even helped welcome him at the gates.” There were tears streaking her face now. Kevin gently guided her to kneel between his legs and cradled her head against his chest.

“Time doesn’t necessarily heal all wounds on its own, but love can certainly help,” he murmured into her auburn hair. “We’ll be okay, Ri. As long as we have each other, we’ll be fine.”

Chapter 11
I Could Not Ask For More
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