Sliding into Home - The Bradford Series Book Two

Chapter 10

Riley's hands have been full as Aiden and Harper have been on the phone with our parents and Grandma, Derrick and Tyler putting a plan together for our early return and finding out more details about Maddie. Blake made the arrangements for us to leave in a couple days. He insisted that we give ourselves a few days to mourn, to let the news settle before we travel home. Blake said the press was already circling for a statement.

We're quite an emotional mess tonight. Memories of Maddie are all over the place. This is a place our family came to escape the stress of our world. Maddie loved the beach. She snorkeled, surfed and was even a master diver. She was meant to live in the water.

We used to tease her that she should have been a mermaid. She swam like a fish, with the fish. She even swam with dolphins and sharks once. It scared Isabelle to death when she found out Cade took Maddie diving off the Mexico coast. The pictures she took were amazing. I'm going to miss her.

This was Maddie's favorite time of day. When the heat of the day was gone and the sun was just barely visible over the water. The watercolor sky slashed with clouds and streaked with color are a beautiful masterpiece in the sky. She would set up her easel or a drawing pad and take that masterpiece into memory by painting it. She was a talented artist.

I can't seem to think about anything but her. All the memories I have of our times here, at Grandma's house, on the football field, there's so many times she laughed, cried. So much life she enjoyed, so much life she'll never have. Why did she have to die?

It's a question I don't have an answer for.

This was supposed to be this great summer for us. A time to celebrate the ending of a really tough, really difficult, school year and the threshold toward our future. It was to be our goodbye to Aiden and Riley, as they move to Arizona to move on with their lives together, and Sawyer, as he moves to New York and becomes a man in the corporate world.

Their futures are so bright, with so much just waiting out there for them to experience. If I know Aiden, he's got a plan in place for his next step with Riley. I wouldn't be surprised if he proposes to her before the end of the year. He loves her. It's obvious that she is the one. I'm happy for them. They deserve to be happy. I think it will be a while before any of us feel any kind of happiness now.

As the sun dips below the horizon, the fire begins to crack and snap as the wind swirls around us, whipping the smoke and cooling us down. A chill shivers down my spine, goosebumps rise on my arms and I rub my hands up and down my arms to warm my skin. I should have brought my sweatshirt. I know it gets cool out here once the sun goes down. I know how easily I get cold.

I wasn't thinking about it. I wasn't thinking of much besides Maddie and Ash and little Dalton. I hope Cade doesn't get too angry with Ash after he explains everything to him. This is certainly a twist in an already upsetting situation.

Cade and Isabelle are devastated. Their first born, their prideful princess is gone. I didn't know what to say when I talked to Mom and Dad earlier. What do you say about a loss like this? Dalton is still in the hospital. Isabelle and Cade are staying in New York with him. Grandma Viv and Grandpa Alan left Point Conception this morning to help them.

Grandma and Grandpa Jim made the family media statement and asked for privacy. I saw the clip on my phone. I've never seen Grandma look so old. She's always had a youthful glow to her skin. Today she looked drained, pale, pained and really old. I know she's not a spring chicken but Georgia Bradford has never let that stop her. In that media clip, she looked destroyed.

I guess that's how we all look and feel right now. There's no way to get through this kind of thing without a broken heart and a lot of tears. We've all shed plenty today. Grandma is the strongest woman I've ever known. This broke her.