“Why didn’t you tell me?” she
whispered.
“Nora didn’t mention him,” Zane answered her quietly. “When
I realized that he was Toby’s father, I didn’t know if she was hiding or
running away from him. I made Lucas come with me to check him out. If he was
any threat to Nora . . . well, Hannah would have been out of luck.”
“You could have told me what you were doing,” she complained
half-heartedly. It was hard to be angry as she looked at the little family on
the couch, all doting on the baby.
“I didn’t want to take the chance on upsetting Hannah until
we knew for sure.”
Akira’s lips quirked up. She might not like angry ghosts,
but after their experience this summer when a desperate ghost had caused
Akira’s heart to stop beating, Zane was even warier than she was.
“And I didn’t realize it would take so long,” he added.
“Why did it?”
She felt more than heard him yawn above her. “Moving target.
When I first touched Toby, Nick was somewhere around Atlanta. By the time I
headed out, he was north of Charlotte. I realized that he was on a plane pretty
quickly, but I didn’t think we’d have to go all the way to New York to find
him.”
New York. Akira shook her head. Only Zane would think it
made sense to hop on a plane and fly hundreds of miles away to check on whether
a total stranger was a safe person for another stranger to see. “I’ve never
been to New York.”
“Really?” He sounded surprised. “Hmm, maybe we should have
our own spectacular New Year’s.”
Akira started to turn into him, lifting her face to be
kissed. She didn’t know whether she wanted to go to New York for New Year’s but
she loved that he wanted to give it to her. Before she could finish turning,
though, a long drawn-out gasp from across the room had her spinning back out. The
sound was filled with a pain so deep that it hurt Akira just to hear it. Still
standing by the tree, Hannah had her fist clenched against her mouth, tears in her
eyes.
What had happened?
“Dat is heah name?” Toby was asking, putting a gentle finger
on his sister’s cheek.
“It was my mother’s name,” Nick told him. “Your grandma. You
never got to meet her, but you would have liked her. And she would have loved
you.” His tone held a hint of humor, but also a thickening of grief.
“Dat is da mean yady’s name, too.”
“My mom wasn’t mean,” Nick said, frowning. “She was tough.
Strict and—well, she could be fierce. You followed her rules or else. Like some
other people I know,” he added with an exchange of glances and a smile at Nora.
Ha, Akira thought. She bet Nick had tried to feed Toby more
than once.
“But she was absolutely fair. And she loved me. A lot. She
did her best for me and she…” Nick stopped speaking and Akira could see that he
was choking up. He swallowed, blinking hard a few times, before continuing. “I
wanted to make her proud, but I never got the chance.”
Akira pressed her lips together. She didn’t think of her own
mother often. She’d only rarely wondered what that absent stranger might have
been like. But for perhaps the first time, she wondered now what her mother
thought of her and whether she would have been proud.
“Stop talking, Dada,” Toby ordered. “You are making da mean
yady sad. She is cwying now.”
“Tell him I was always proud of him. Always,” Hannah ordered
Akira, her tears rolling freely down her face. “Please.”
Relatives. Akira hated these conversations, but what could
she do? With Zane a comforting presence against her back, she quietly relayed
Hannah’s message.
“Ha.” Nick’s smile was wry. “That’s a nice thought, but she
hated my music. Oh, she supported it—she paid for lessons, came to my school
concerts, was right there for me. But she—” He put his hand up and rubbed his
chin, hiding the telltale quiver of his lips.
Akira frowned, confused, before she realized that Nick
thought she was offering soothing
whispered.
“Nora didn’t mention him,” Zane answered her quietly. “When
I realized that he was Toby’s father, I didn’t know if she was hiding or
running away from him. I made Lucas come with me to check him out. If he was
any threat to Nora . . . well, Hannah would have been out of luck.”
“You could have told me what you were doing,” she complained
half-heartedly. It was hard to be angry as she looked at the little family on
the couch, all doting on the baby.
“I didn’t want to take the chance on upsetting Hannah until
we knew for sure.”
Akira’s lips quirked up. She might not like angry ghosts,
but after their experience this summer when a desperate ghost had caused
Akira’s heart to stop beating, Zane was even warier than she was.
“And I didn’t realize it would take so long,” he added.
“Why did it?”
She felt more than heard him yawn above her. “Moving target.
When I first touched Toby, Nick was somewhere around Atlanta. By the time I
headed out, he was north of Charlotte. I realized that he was on a plane pretty
quickly, but I didn’t think we’d have to go all the way to New York to find
him.”
New York. Akira shook her head. Only Zane would think it
made sense to hop on a plane and fly hundreds of miles away to check on whether
a total stranger was a safe person for another stranger to see. “I’ve never
been to New York.”
“Really?” He sounded surprised. “Hmm, maybe we should have
our own spectacular New Year’s.”
Akira started to turn into him, lifting her face to be
kissed. She didn’t know whether she wanted to go to New York for New Year’s but
she loved that he wanted to give it to her. Before she could finish turning,
though, a long drawn-out gasp from across the room had her spinning back out. The
sound was filled with a pain so deep that it hurt Akira just to hear it. Still
standing by the tree, Hannah had her fist clenched against her mouth, tears in her
eyes.
What had happened?
“Dat is heah name?” Toby was asking, putting a gentle finger
on his sister’s cheek.
“It was my mother’s name,” Nick told him. “Your grandma. You
never got to meet her, but you would have liked her. And she would have loved
you.” His tone held a hint of humor, but also a thickening of grief.
“Dat is da mean yady’s name, too.”
“My mom wasn’t mean,” Nick said, frowning. “She was tough.
Strict and—well, she could be fierce. You followed her rules or else. Like some
other people I know,” he added with an exchange of glances and a smile at Nora.
Ha, Akira thought. She bet Nick had tried to feed Toby more
than once.
“But she was absolutely fair. And she loved me. A lot. She
did her best for me and she…” Nick stopped speaking and Akira could see that he
was choking up. He swallowed, blinking hard a few times, before continuing. “I
wanted to make her proud, but I never got the chance.”
Akira pressed her lips together. She didn’t think of her own
mother often. She’d only rarely wondered what that absent stranger might have
been like. But for perhaps the first time, she wondered now what her mother
thought of her and whether she would have been proud.
“Stop talking, Dada,” Toby ordered. “You are making da mean
yady sad. She is cwying now.”
“Tell him I was always proud of him. Always,” Hannah ordered
Akira, her tears rolling freely down her face. “Please.”
Relatives. Akira hated these conversations, but what could
she do? With Zane a comforting presence against her back, she quietly relayed
Hannah’s message.
“Ha.” Nick’s smile was wry. “That’s a nice thought, but she
hated my music. Oh, she supported it—she paid for lessons, came to my school
concerts, was right there for me. But she—” He put his hand up and rubbed his
chin, hiding the telltale quiver of his lips.
Akira frowned, confused, before she realized that Nick
thought she was offering soothing
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