CHAPTER 17
Graham
SEVEN YEARS AGO…
“I’m going to miss you so much, Graham,” a tearful, fifteen-year-old Lauren said sadly during a quiet moment alone at the high school graduation party that her dad was having for both me and Jack.
If Ben hadn’t stepped in to include me with Jack, making this a joint graduation party, I’d probably be alone. My current foster parents—I’d lost track of what number foster family they were—wanted me gone now that I was graduating, and I couldn’t wait to make that dream come true for them. I was off to the East Coast to attend college. And I couldn’t wait to get there.
I’d been awarded a full scholarship to college for playing football there, and I was getting closer and closer to my goals.
Unfortunately, I was having a harder time achieving those goals because my body and mind didn’t seem to be cooperating lately. But I’d get through that. I wasn’t going to blow the opportunity I had right now.
My only regret was saying goodbye to the best friends I’d ever had. But Lauren was already done with high school, and was in college putting her incredible brain to work, even though it didn’t seem like much of a challenge for her.
And Jack was attending college here in Colorado.
“I’ll miss you, too, Peanut,” I said huskily as we sat on a very familiar porch swing together.
God, how I’d miss her. She was the little sister I’d never had, but also like a friend who always had my back.
“I got you something,” she said quietly as she passed me a neatly wrapped, small package. “I don’t have much money, but I had to put a lot of time into finding it. It’s kind of silly, but I couldn’t think of anything else.”
I grinned at her and started tearing off the wrapping paper. “You didn’t have to do this, Peanut. You’ve helped me plenty with getting decent grades to graduate.”
There was no way I could repay Lauren for all the time she’d spent helping me with my classes. She’d been the reason I’d actually graduated.
“I wanted you to have something from me,” she answered. “It’s nothing, really.”
I opened the lid on the small box, and stared at the tiny shamrock inside the box.
I counted the leaves.
One. Two. Three… Four?
I put a finger to the delicate leaves. “You found a four-leafed clover?”
For fun, we’d searched for the elusive symbol of luck many times as kids, but we’d never found one.
“I had to find different locations to search, but I finally did it,” she said shyly.
I could picture Lauren methodically searching for it. “It must have taken days.” I was in awe of her tenacity. It took patience to comb through greenery to find what was beneath my fingertip. More discipline than I’d ever had.
She nodded solemnly. “It took a long time, but maybe it will help you with your football.”
Lauren wasn’t the whimsical type. I got a lump in my throat and my stomach ached from imagining how much she’d had to fight her analytic instincts to look for something like this.
I put the lid back on the box carefully. “Thanks, Peanut,” I said hoarsely. “I’ll always appreciate this.”
There was no doubt I’d keep it with me to remind me of how much somebody believed in me.
She shrugged. “I know it will die, and you’ll eventually throw it away, but I wanted you to know that I’ll be here rooting for you.”
I punched her in the arm playfully. “I’m not losing it. This is the best present I’ve ever gotten.”
Maybe I didn’t believe in luck because I’d had to fight for everything I’d gotten. Sometimes literally. But her gift would always mean a lot to me just because she’d had to comb through fields to finally find it.
And she’d done it for me, even though her logical mind didn’t believe much in luck, either.
“Will you call me?” she asked.
“You know I will,” I answered immediately. Jack’s dad had bought us each a cell phone last Christmas.
“I know you’ll be busy,” she said rationally. “You can just text if you want.”
I grinned at her. “I might need to hear your voice. I might need a friend.”
College was going to be a whole new world, and I was going to have to face it without Jack and Lauren. The thought terrified me, but I wanted to make the whole Swift family proud.
Maybe I’d never needed anybody but them, but now I was going to be totally alone in a place where everybody wanted the position of star quarterback. I was determined to get and keep that job, no matter what I had to do to get it.
“Don’t forget I’m here if you need me,” she reminded me for the hundredth time.
I never got tired of hearing her say it.
We both saw more people arriving, so we stood. She hesitated for a moment before she threw herself in my arms the way she always did when she was troubled.
“I love you, Graham. Be careful on the East Coast.”
My heart thumped as I put my arms around her. I wanted to tell her that I loved her, too. That I’d always loved her like a sister. But the words just wouldn’t come out of my mouth.
“I’ll miss you, too, Peanut,” I said, forcing the words through the enormous lump that was still sitting in my throat.
I gave her a quick peck on top of her head as I released her.
Letting go of the only person who had ever said that they loved me, at least the only person I could remember, was much harder than I thought it would be.