Begin Again

Chapter 23

Mack POV - (Next week May 2025)

"No, mama! You can't leave! You can't! Please don't go!" Riley yells and cries while pulling on Alex's arm.

I bite my lip and Alex kneels down, whispering into Riley's ear.

I can't hear what she's saying, but I can see that Riley is visibly calming down.

She sniffles and runs to the living room.

Alex looks at me and sighs, "I hate when she's so upset."

I wrap my arms around her, "Me too. But she will be okay. Facetime when you land later?"

She leans in a presses a kiss against my lips and pulls back.

"Definitely. I love you." I whisper.

She smiles, "I love you too, honey."

"See you later this week?" I ask.

She nods, "Yup! And on FaceTime, maybe even some private FaceTime?"

I chuckle and shake my head, "Definitely. I get lonely without you."

She smiles, "Char? Let's roll!"

I watch as they gather their things and Riley runs back in and clings to me while sniffling.

"I hate when they go, mommy." She whispers.

I press a kiss to her head, "I know baby, me too. But they'll be back, okay?"

She sniffles and I keep rubbing circles on her back.

"I love you two." Alex says and presses kisses to our cheeks.

"I love you guys too!" Charlie yells and wraps her arms around my legs.

Riley just nods.

Alex looks at me and presses a kiss to Riley's head.

"Alright, call when you land. Have a safe flight you two!" I say.

They walk out the door and I sigh.

"Mommy, what happens if they die too? Just like momma did?" Riley whispers.

I squeeze her and walk to the couch, sitting while holding her.

"RyRy?"

She looks up with tears in her eyes, "They aren't going to die like momma, okay?"

I take a breath, "What happened to momma hurt us really badly, huh?"

She wipes under her nose, "Yeah, mommy. I miss momma so much."

I nod, "I do too, baby. But even though we lost momma, the universe brought us Alex and Charlie."

"Rainbow after the storm." She whispers.

I nod and smile, "Yeah, baby. And momma is watching over us."

She looks down, "Momma visits me sometimes."

I smile, "She visits me too, baby. She's always with us, okay? It's okay to be worried."

She nods, "I'll try to be better."

I shake my head, "You feel how you feel, baby. But we have to trust that they'll be okay and they'll come home to us."

She wraps her arms around me and squeezes.

"I love you, baby. You're okay." I whisper and squeeze her.

'You're okay.'

Alex POV - four days later

"Mama! We missed you!!! And Charlie!!" Riley yells and runs into my arms.

"Ugh, we missed you too!" I say and Charlie wraps her arms around her too.