Bastian's Storm (Surviving Raine 2)

When he completed his breakfast and headed to the carpeted area of the living room to play with his Legos, I continued to observe him, both stunned and pleased to recognize myself in his mannerisms. I could have watched him all day, but before Raine was even done clearing away the dishes from breakfast, we were interrupted.

There was a short knock at the door, and it opened a moment later. Raine looked up, and her face darkened. I didn’t have to check—I knew it was Landon, and Raine and I both knew what that meant.

It was time for me to go.

“Hey, buddy,” I called over to Alex. “Come here a sec.”

He sighed, put down his Legos, and thumped over in his stocking feet. When he got close enough, I put my hands on his shoulders and peered into his eyes.

“I need you to do something for me, kid,” I said seriously.

“What?” he asked.

“I have to leave for a while. That means I need you to help take care of Raine while I’m gone.”

“Take care of her?” Alex asked through narrowed eyes. “I’m six!”

“Yeah, you’ve still got a bit of growing to do,” I replied with a half-smile, “but you’re the man of the house around here while I’m gone. You take care of Raine by doing what she tells you to do. You also need to watch her really closely.”

“Why?”

“Because sometimes she needs a hug, and I won’t be here to give her one. I need you to do it for me.”

Alex pondered a moment.

“Do I have to kiss her?”

I snickered and rubbed the top of his head with my hand.

“No, no kissing required.”

“Good, ‘cause kissing is gross.”

“Yeah, we’ll see how you feel about that when you’re older.”

“Gross,” he repeated.

I laughed. Alex’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he ran to his room. When he came back, he held out the drawing he’d been working on the day before.

“This is for you.”

I took the paper in my hand. He had added Raine to the picture, her figure to the side of mine. Her hair was drawn all the way to her waist, and the brown dots for her eyes stared out at me.

“You should take it with you,” Alex said. “That way, you’ll remember what we look like until you come back.”

I had to swallow pretty hard to find my voice.

“Thanks,” I said. “Yeah, it’ll be nice to have with me.”

I folded the paper carefully and tucked it into the pocket of my jacket before I reached over and gave Alex a quick hug. He squirmed a little, and then he ran back to his toys. Raine had stood off to the side, watching our exchange with a bemused look, but now that Alex was occupied again, her expression changed.

“You’re going now?” She already knew the answer to her question, but I nodded anyway.

“I’ll be back before you know it.”

She nodded as she brought her hands up around herself and held onto her arms. She looked over to Alex and sniffed.

Glancing at Landon, I saw him tap his watch twice as he turned and exited through the open door, giving us a moment of privacy. I stood and crossed the kitchen and took Raine’s face in my hands. Bending down, I placed my lips against hers, kissing her slowly. When we parted, I could see the beginning of tears rimming her eyelids.