Racing the Devil (34 page)

I looked at the jostling mob around the picnic table. My family. Paulie and Randall. Wendy, Josh, and Caitlin. Maria, with the new life inside her. Jay. And even, in an odd way, D.W. The family I had been given and the one I had chosen.

Across the table, Maria’s eyes met mine, and I saw the loss and insecurity in them.

Then she smiled.
Goodbye. I love you. Goodbye
.

I tilted my head back and let the sun warm my face, as the laughter and cries from the ball game filled my ears and threatened to burst my heart.