The student protesters turned embarrassed shades of red. Good. I gestured to the different displays around the room. The architectural model of the twenty small houses currently under construction took up the center space. It was massive and it was extraordinary, but Lexi had also brought models of the solar, wind, and water generators that were the main sources of power for the development. They sat around the room, chugging away as if this were a science fair.
“That’s all right,” I said. “It took me a minute to appreciate it, too. But as the founder of the Sunshine House, a local nonprofit committed to helping families torn apart by substance abuse start new lives, I have recently acquired several tax-reverted lots in the city on which Lexi will be designing more net-zero small house communities for low- to middle-income families who need a new start.”
I heard Lexi gasp. I turned to her and said, “That’s assuming you’re willing to stay for a while.”
She was crying. It looked like happy tears since she was grinning at the same time. I laughed and grabbed her hand, holding it in mine.
“Excellent. With the commitment of those in the community with the ability to look forward to the future, Lexi has broken ground on the first development that will revolutionize urban housing, and secure Phoenix’s ranking as the most innovative city in the country. Now it’s up to us to keep it going.”
It was a good little speech, if I do say so myself. The applause was deafening as people were swept up with the idea of being the hub of innovation. The world was changing, renegades like Lexi were going to lead the way, and this was the moment when the powers that be needed to get with it or get out of the way. I led Lexi around the podium, and we stood side by side, the Daire children, together again. I held out my other hand to Elijah. He leapt forward to take it.
His mother and sister were in the crowd, and I’d return him to them soon, but I wanted to give Elijah what I had never gotten as a child. I wanted him to know that he belonged wherever he damn well decided he belonged in the world. And even more important, he wasn’t alone. I was always going to look out for him and his sister just like I had Lexi.
When the applause died down, Sophie Vasquez came back on stage and invited everyone to mingle, take pictures, and ask questions.
While she spoke, Lexi, Elijah, and I made our way off the stage. Elijah pushed my wheelchair down the ramp, and Lexi and I followed. I glanced at her. She had a sparkle in her eyes, and the color had returned to her face. She leaned against me and said, “Thanks. You saved me again.”
“Yeah, well, sorry I was late.”
She looked at me, and her eyes were filled with confusion. “Why didn’t you tell me about the stroke? I would have understood.”
“I was in a very dark place, Lex,” I said. “I was consumed with anxiety and fear. It made me selfish and stupid, but a certain someone has challenged my negative outlook.”
“Annabelle?” she guessed.
I started in surprise and she grinned. “You can’t keep your eyes off her.”
“Yeah, well, I might have screwed that all up,” I said. “I have amends to make there, too. I’m actually seeing a professional who’s helping me sort through my issues.” I paused. The next part was the hardest bit. “Actually, I was wondering if you’d go with me to a session sometime.”
I held my breath, waiting for her answer.
“Oh, Nicky, of course,” she said. “You know I’d do anything for you.”
Then she hugged me. It was the same full-tilt, hug-the-stuffing-out-of-you stranglehold she used to hit me with when we were kids, and it made me laugh just as it had back then. For the first time in forever, I felt like things might be okay.
“Did you see me, Mom? Did you?” Elijah asked.
Emily arrived with Abigail. All dressed up, Emily hardly resembled the sobbing woman in the parking lot, whose life had been in ruins just a few weeks before. We talked regularly since that night, and when her husband had resurfaced, not a big surprise, she told him he needed to get help before he was welcome back in the family. He had opted to keep drinking. I listened while she cried, and I made sure with the help of the Sunshine House staff that she could stand on her own. It was my intention that she get one of the houses in the new developments that Lexi and I were going to build.
“I did,” Emily said. She was grinning at Elijah. “You looked amazing up there, being Mr. Daire’s helper.”
“Nick,” I corrected her.
“Nick,” she said with a nod. She glanced down at her son. “Want to go see the exhibits before your sister falls asleep?”
“Yeah,” Elijah said. He turned to me and gave me a hearty high five. “See ya, Nick.”
“See ya, buddy.”
“Thank you,” Emily said, but it ended on a yelp as her son pulled her away. I had a driver waiting to take them home whenever they were ready, but I appreciated that they were here. They grounded me.
“Time to own your bullshit.” Jackson’s voice boomed, and I was about to snap back that I was when I noticed the leader of the protesters I had seen from backstage was standing in front of Lexi.
“I . . . I’m sorry, Ms. Daire,” he said. He was tall and thin with a scraggly beard. He looked to be about nineteen. “I didn’t know . . . I didn’t realize—”
“Idiot,” one of his fellow protesters muttered.
The young man turned a deeper shade of red, blushing all the way to the roots of his dark brown hair.
“I grew up in that neighborhood, and I saw the construction happening, and I just assumed it was going to be more of those overpriced town houses that are horrible for the environment and the economy.”
Okay, now it was my turn to get red-faced as I was responsible for a lot of the poorly planned gentrification of the city. Annabelle joined the group, and I saw the wicked twinkle in her brown eyes when she heard what was being said.
“Your heart was in the right place, err, what’s your name?” Lexi asked.
“Jacob.”
“Come visit me at the jobsite,” Lexi said. She grinned. “We can formulate a plan about what to do about those horribly cheesy developments.”
Jacob grinned. “I’d like that.” He shook her hand and then departed, signaling to his squad that it was time to go.
“Impressive speech,” Jackson said to Lexi as we watched them leave.
“Wasn’t Nick amazing?” Lexi cried. She hugged Jackson tight and stared up at him. “I was so nervous. I made a mess out of it, didn’t I?”
“Nah, you were great, babe,” Jackson said. He looked down at her in complete worship.