Chapter 13
After kissing her on the cheek, my mother and I slow danced to the delicate clinking of wind chimes on the front porch. Then we both went to bed.
Sliding between the cool sheets next to Philip’s snoring body, I stirred him awake, his arm coiling around me in a snug embrace. He licked his lips, pulling me into him. “I love you very much.”
I lay awake until the first light of morning sneaked into the room from the slats in the curtains. The room was draped in semi-darkness, but I could make out the silhouette of our bodies pressing against one another.
I didn’t want to leave the safety of Philip’s arms, or the comfort of the bed. But I had to pick up my father’s remains today. I looked over at the clock—5:35 A.M. I closed my eyes, falling back into a dreamy state of unconsciou
