Chapter 42 - A Million Rainbows

“Now, grab an egg.”

Charlie did as instructed, pulling one from the carton.

“Okay, so you’re going to crack it on the side of the bowl like this.” I took another egg and lightly tapped it on the glass mixing bowl to demonstrate.

Charlie tentatively tapped her egg. The gentle touch caused no damage to the shell.

“Okay, good.” I laughed. “But try with a little more force. You’ve got to whack it.”

She lifted the egg again, then immediately slammed it down, hitting the edge of the bowl. A mess of egg and shells ran down the sides and onto the table.

“We’ll work on it,” I said with a pat on her back.

This had been Charlie’s idea. She'd had a half-day at school and wanted to make a cake for Mom’s big day. Mom was at the DMV with one of her new friends from AA. She was retaking her test and getting her driver’s license renewed. I agreed it was a reason to celebrate.

The low carb, sugar-free cake, made with coconut flour and Stevia, was because of Charlie’s new diet (we quickly discovered low sugar was key to keeping her stable), so this recipe was new for me as well.

I wiped up the oozy mess of egg, tossing the paper towel in the trash and rinsing my hands at the sink.

I came back to Charlie at the table and handed her another egg.

“I don’t want to,” she said with a pout.

“Come on. How else are you going to learn?” I pushed the egg into her hand. “It just takes practice, that’s all. Now go ahead, the same way you did it before, only a little less force this time.”

She took the egg, hesitated a second, her little shoulders rising and falling as she focused and breathed. Then, with controlled, calculated force, she slammed it down, successfully cracking it and pulling the broken shell apart.

“Awesome!” I said, leaning into her with a side hug. I handed her a long wooden mixing spoon. “Now, just mix it up.”

I was celebrating for my own reasons today: it was Kyle’s and my anniversary.

We disagreed on the exact date. He thought it was October 13—the day we first kissed, the night we watched The Shining on his couch. I didn’t think so because had I known it was official then, I would have written it down. Texted Emily about it. Jumped up for joy. The same stuff I did on the date I thought it was—the 22nd.

The 22nd was the day I stayed at his house, sick in their guest room. The day we both first said it was official. But Kyle says that wasn’t the date because of the kiss on the 13th.

He decided we should reconcile this disagreement by celebrating the entire week. Then he declared we didn’t have an anniversar-ee, but instead an anniversar-week, and he insisted we celebrate every day from the 13th to the 22nd. Which is what we had done for the past nine nights.

Both of our schedules were pretty busy. My online classes allowed a little more flexibility, but Kyle had the standard packed college life and was only free for about an hour, sometimes two, at night.

I wasn’t going to lie. That was hard.

It was hard not seeing him much. It was harder not having him next to me. And it was the hardest when I thought about how long we were going to have to keep this up.

And sometimes I let doubt in, I did. I was vigilant about pushing it out the moment it started creeping in, because I knew I needed to be stronger than that.

But Kyle, being Kyle, seemed to have no doubts. He never did.

He made every moment we had together worth all the moments we spent apart. He kept me believing that anything was possible. And just having Kyle in my life at all was proof of that.

While our normal schedule for seeing each other was Tuesdays and Thursdays, plus the weekends, during our anniversar-week, we FaceTimed every day.

Kyle sent me a basket full of gifts to open—something for all ten days. They were the standard gifts: candles, soaps, chocolates … that sort of stuff, but it was all high-quality handmade items he’d gotten from Etsy.

I told him he had to save the one gift I got him for today: the official day—the 22nd (because that was the day we’d both said it was official). I got him one of those personalized star maps. The ones that show the alignment of the stars for specific times and locations, so the date was actually important. It was one reason I was pushing so hard for it.

I stared at Charlie as she exhausted herself, stirring the batter with both hands, twisting the spoon between her palms like she was trying to start a fire.

An idea bubbled inside me, and I was letting it brew. It wasn’t the first time I thought of this. And like my doubts about whether Kyle and I would make it, it was an idea I usually shoved aside, but …

I blew out my cheeks, hesitating with my question, but it was so hard not to wonder. I mean, really, what was the point of having a psychic sister if you couldn’t use her now and then? And I was feeling sure about this. I just wanted her to confirm it for me.

“Hey, Charlie,” I said. She was still intently focused on the mixing job and had given up the two-hand method, and, with one hand, was now trying to create a whirlpool inside the bowl. “Charlie …”

She looked over.

“Um … I have a question for you. It’s about me and Kyle.” I bit my lip, reconsidering, realizing it had been a stupid idea. “Never mind.”

Charlie put the spoon down and wiped her hands on her shirt. She brushed a strand of copper from her eyes and twisted to face me. She lifted her hands, palms up. “I can show you.”

I laughed, my pounding heart, divided. “Really? Should I? I mean, it’s good, right?”

Charlie pushed her hands closer, trying to get me to take them.

I placed my hands over hers, our palms slightly touching. She closed her eyes, and I followed, closing mine.

A smile stretched on my face immediately. I felt it first, a rainbow flooding my soul.

Then a picture formed …

Kyle was sitting next to me, looking a little different, maybe older, but not much. We were on a couch, in a living room I didn’t recognize. It was small. An apartment. Kyle was talking, smiling. His dimples, deep. His eyes, sparkling with life, filling me with happiness. He had an arm around me, then two arms, pulling me to him. It was all so warm and good. His soft lips on mine. His warm breath on my throat. His arms, holding me. I inhaled, breathing in the moment, wishing I could stay…

My phone buzzed, stirring me back to the present. I looked at Charlie, my eyes wide with disbelief. “What was that?”

Her cute strawberry smile beamed. “It’s a close one, Bree.”

I laughed, my phone still buzzing. I picked it up from the table, smiling when I saw his name.

“Dover?”

“Hey, Kyle,” I said into the phone, my smile stretching. “You won’t believe what just happened.”

“Tell me.”

I looked at Charlie, still coming back from whatever world she had just tossed me from. I took Kyle and the phone and sat down at the table, my knees shaking. “I think Charlie just showed me you and I live happily ever after.”

Kyle clicked his tongue disapprovingly. “Bree … you’re cheating. You can’t use Charlie for that.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it.”

He laughed. “Nah, I guess it’s not really cheating. Because I could have told you that. We do live happily ever after.”

I was a bubble of hope, so full, about to burst. Kyle always brought that out in me.

“So what’d she show you?” he asked.

“It was me and you. We were back together. Living together, I think. It just felt so real, you know. Like you were really there. I’m tempted to have her show me again just to feel you next to me like that.” I sighed.

“No, don’t do that,” said Kyle.

My shoulders slumped. “Okay. No, you’re right. I won’t.”

“So what are you doing?” he asked, a curious note in his voice piquing my interest.

“Charlie and I are making a cake for Mom. Why?”

“So you’re home?”

There was a knock at the door, and I could have sworn I heard it coming through the phone as well.

I twisted in my seat and stared at the closed door, my mind refusing to believe Kyle might be on the other side. It was a weekday. He was in California.

“Yeah, I’m home,” I said, pushing out of the chair.

I held my breath as I moved the curtain, peeking out the window. I always did that before answering the door, and I was expecting to see the UPS guy or someone holding a Bible.

That’s not who I saw.

“It’s you,” I breathed into the phone.

“Yeah, it’s me.” Kyle was standing on the porch, smiling at me through the window, looking all gorgeously Kyle. A vision of everything that was good in the world encapsulated in one human. Kyle was probably an angel. I never said that to him, but I thought it at times.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, stunned by his presence, and falling in love with him all over again, the rhythm of my heart skipping to a happy tune.

“It’s our anniversary, right? Someone told me it was the twenty-second … officially, that is.” He winked at me.

I laughed and was crying happy tears. “Yeah, it is. But what about school?”

He shrugged. “Eh, it’s just one day. I have to leave tonight. Are you gonna let me in?”

I moved to the door, and in one fluid motion, I swung it open and jumped into Kyle’s arms. I pressed my lips to him, his mouth, his cheek, his neck. “I can’t believe you’re here.”

“I wasn’t going to miss our first anniversary, Bree.” He squeezed me tight, kissing my cheek. “Shit, I’ve missed you.”

“Yeah,” I said.

We hadn’t seen each other in person since I left him in California at the end of August, and every inch of my body knew that: my skin, my nerves, my blood. Every part of me was dancing, reaching for Kyle, trying to absorb him like he was my sunshine.

“Kyle!” screamed Charlie. She could say his name now, and she ran over to him.

Kyle and I pulled out of the hug, but he kept an arm around me. “Pumpkin Patch!” He knelt beside Charlie, embracing her with his free arm. “I missed you,” he said, and I could tell by the way he said it, he actually did.

He stood back up, pressing another kiss to my forehead. He looked at me, a cute glint in his eyes. “So you’re not busy today? We can hang out? Because I knew this was a little risky. But I wanted to surprise you.”

I stared at Kyle, unable to remove the smile from my face. “I might have to rearrange my schedule a bit, but I’m sure I can fit you in.”

Kyle smiled back. “I’m glad to hear that.” He turned to Charlie, standing near the mixing bowl. “So what are we making, Pumpkin Patch?”

“A cake!” she shouted, clapping her hands together.

Kyle dipped a finger into the batter, his expression unsure as he tasted it.

“It’s sugar-free,” I explained.

“Ah,” he said, tilting his head up as that info registered.

“Do you want water?” I asked.

Kyle followed me as I pulled two glasses from the cabinet. The kitchen was messy, with dishes in the sink. “Sorry, this house is a mess.”

Kyle wrapped his arms around my waist, brushing my hair aside and nuzzling a kiss at the back of my neck. “What house?” he muttered.

I twisted to face him, blissfully sinking into his arms, the glasses in my hands clinking together as I held on. “So what’d you do?” I said. “Hop on a plane as soon as we hung up last night?”

“Yep. Something like that,” said Kyle. He was nibbling on my ear.

“You must be exhausted.”

“Nah, I slept pretty good on the plane, actually.”

“And you leave … when?”

“I have to leave here at ten.”

It was noon, which gave us ten hours. “So what do you want to do today?”

“I have some ideas,” said Kyle, moving his kisses to my lips. He was pressing into me, pinning me against the counter, turning me into a happy swirl of heat as his hands roamed my back.

“Okay,” I said breathlessly. “I’ll just finish making this cake first. And if you brought your gift, we could exchange those while you’re here.”

“My bag’s on the porch. I’ll go get it.”

Kyle released me, and I took a second to collect myself. I filled the glasses, then tossed the rest of the cake ingredients together, mixing it up and putting it in the oven.

“So, Pumpkin Patch,” said Kyle, coming back with his bag. “What are you going to be for Halloween this year?”

Charlie twirled on her spot and shot an arm into the air. “Xena!” she shouted.

“Xena? You mean the Warrior Princess?”

“Yeah, because we now have Netflix,” I explained.

Kyle smiled. “She’s growing up.” He looked at me when he said that. We were both thinking the same thing: warrior Charlie wouldn’t need me forever.

“Yeah,” I said with a steady nod.

“I hope you’re not too grown-up for Frozen,” said Kyle. He ruffled Charlie’s curls. “I was hoping we could go see the new movie when I’m back for Thanksgiving. Have a date night with both of my girls?”

Charlie jumped up with a happy squeal. She wasn’t too old for Frozen, not yet.

“Good,” said Kyle. He was still staring at me. “So, gifts? Then …” He raised his eyebrows expectantly, gesturing down the hall.

I blushed. “My gifts are in my room.”

“Perfect,” he said with a wink.

I blushed again and grabbed his hand, but Charlie followed us to the room and any wanton fantasies we had were thwarted.

Kyle and I sat down on my bed, and Charlie started into a story about school, telling Kyle all about her new teacher, Mrs. Tracey.

“I had Mrs. Tracey when I was in second grade,” said Kyle.

I smiled. “Yeah, me too.”

Kyle and I paused on each other. I was trying to remember something specific about him from second grade, but all my memories of Kyle kind of blurred together, just one long strand of cute-boy perfection until that magical moment when he entered my life.

Kyle was looking into a memory too, his eyes shifting up for a second, then finding me again. “Do you remember the field trip we took to the New England Aquarium?” he asked.

It took a second for it to come to me. “Yeah,” I said, reminiscing. “They did that show in the penguin exhibit. We both volunteered. We fed them fish together, didn’t we?”

He nodded. “I used to want to be a marine biologist.”

“Yeah, me too.” A marine biologist had been in my Rolodex of dreams at some point, and in second grade, it was at the forefront.

There was a warm spark in Kyle’s eyes. “And somehow we didn’t know we were soulmates.” He bunched up his lips regretfully.

I smiled, wondering how I ever got so lucky as to have Kyle Roberts as a soulmate. “I guess you don’t have to know. Soulmates always find each other, right?”

Kyle nodded.

Charlie ran out of the room when she heard Mom come into the house, and I used the opportunity to get up and shut and lock the door.

I sat back down on the bed next to Kyle. I had one foot on the floor, the other leg bent, resting on the bed.

Kyle was sitting the same way, opposite me, and he kicked my stockinged foot, wiggling his toes with mine. “So we made it,” he said with a sweet smile. “Two months down, only forty-three left to go.”

I scooted a little closer to him because I just wanted to be closer. I grabbed his foot, pinched his toes, smiling at his Tide-white socks. “You’re counting the months?”

He nodded. “Yep. I am. I’d be counting every second if I could count that high.” He twitched his eyebrows up twice. “I’m breaking it down into bite-size pieces, Bree. Trying to make four years more manageable.”

“Okay, yeah,” I said, liking that idea. “Bite-size pieces. That’s easier.” I pulled in an anxious breath, keeping my focus on Kyle right in front of me—focusing on now—because forty-three bite-size pieces still seemed like a lot.

He patted my knee, meeting my gaze. “Hey. Remember. We can alter and adjust if there’s ever a point where we feel like it’s too much. And four years is my absolute limit … if you’re not in California in four years, neither am I.”

“Yeah, I know.” My nod was steady. “And hey, maybe it won’t even be that long. I’ve been looking into schools over there, thinking about transferring someday … if it feels like I can.”

“Yeah?” The sparkle in Kyle’s eyes was a little hesitant. But only because he knew it wasn’t certain. That sparkle would have been a blazing sun if it were a sure thing. I loved Kyle, and Kyle loved me—I had no doubts about that.

I smiled. “Well, yeah, because, you know, I have this soulmate who lives over there in California, so I’m feeling rather drawn to it these days.”

Kyle’s dimples were very deep. I planted a kiss right on top of one. “Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

I reached under me and squeezed his foot. “How do you keep your socks so damn white?”

He squinted, a funny look in his eyes. “My socks?” He reached for me, pulling me with him, and we fell back onto the bed. Kyle squeezed me to his chest, interlocking our legs and rubbing his feet with mine. “You’re seriously asking me about my socks? Where did that come from?”

“I’m just curious. I mean, if we’re living together one day, I’m going to need to know your laundry secrets.”

Kyle laughed. “The secret is I don’t like to do laundry. So I’m always buying new socks.”

My mouth fell open, a dumbfounded laugh escaping—that was definitely a rich kid privilege.

I settled in Kyle’s arms and rested my head over his heart.

“So, tell me, what exactly did Charlie show you?” he asked.

“I thought you said that was cheating?”

“Yeah, it is. But you did it first. If you’re going to interdimensional hell for this, I’m going with you.” He squeezed me again. “Tell me. It’ll give me something to look forward to.”

“Yeah, okay.” I smiled, thinking of the memory. “We were living together. I’m pretty sure we were. We didn’t say it, but I felt that. Like we were actually together. Not just visiting.”

“Do you know where we were? Here? California?”

“I don’t know where we were. But we had a turquoise couch.”

“Turquoise?” said Kyle. “I think that was you. You must have picked that out.”

“Yeah, I did like that couch.”

“What else? Did we have a dog?”

“It was an apartment. So no dog, I don’t think.” I was recalling the memory pretty vividly, seeing things I hadn’t noticed before. “There was a pile of peanut shells on the coffee table? You like peanuts, don't you?”

“Okay yeah. That would be me. Bad habit, I guess, I’m not going to be breaking anytime soon.”

I laughed. “Yeah.”

“Anything else?”

“We were happy.”

“Of course, we were happy,” said Kyle. He moved me up his chest, kissing the top of my head.

“Do you know what’s funny?” I said. “The TV was on, and I think we were watching a show that’s not even out yet. I didn’t recognize it. But I recognized the actress who’s in it, and I think she’s currently in a totally different show.”

Kyle laughed. “Charlie’s actually kind of magical, isn’t she?”

I smiled. “Yeah, she’s magical.”

Kyle scooted out from under me, pushing me over and rolling on top of me, my arms, finding their place around him like that was their home. “So are we doing gifts? Or …?” He was kissing my neck.

“The gifts can wait,” I muttered. I knew his actual gift, the one he had picked out for our “official” anniversary … would be pretty special—diamonds or gold, or something just as amazing.

But I had Kyle in my arms.

I had all I needed.