Page 62 of A Little Bit Engaged
As the two came closer to the bed, a smile spread across Slayter’s pale face. “You’re here. You’re really here.”
Brody glanced around. “No one can know. You’re not the only one with a bounty on your head.”
“I won’t tell a soul. Promise.” Slayter stared at Cara with total hero worship. “Lyra.”
“Hello, Slayter,” she said, her tone full of affection. “So happy we found you.”
The boy sighed. “Me, too.”
“Remember, she’s mine.” Brody winked.
“I know.” Slayter pointed to Phemus. “If she wasn’t, she’d be his.”
Cara placed her hands on her hips. “Don’t I have a say in this?”
“No,” Slayter, Brody, and Lex said at the same time.
That brought a round of laughs and more play-acting, followed by a hundred questions from Slayter about the final movie coming out at the end of the year, and a special viewing of the brand-new trailer that hadn’t been released yet.
Brody sat on the edge of Slayter’s bed to watch it. “You must be super special because I haven’t even seen this.”
The clip was only a minute and twenty-three seconds long, but Slayter’s smile grew bigger. His eyes, too.
“Wow.” He stared at the tablet where the trailer had played. “That was the most amazing thing ever. Could I please watch it again?”
“Of course.” Brody hit replay.
He ended up pressing the button twenty-one more times, but he didn’t mind. Cara and Lex didn’t seem to care, either. Soon, they were reciting lines. Cara even sang Lyra’s song, a little off-key, but Slayter clapped enthusiastically.
“You’re full of surprises,” Brody said to her.
She shrugged, but the pleased gleam in her gaze told him she was happy.
Slayter yawned. He leaned against his pillow, but his smile didn’t waver.
The visit needed to end, but Brody knew coming today was the right decision no matter what happened when they left the hospital. “We have a few things for you before we go.”
Lex and Cara handed out movie memorabilia to Slayter. Each item—from buttons to a jacket like the one Eleon wore—brought a bigger wow. Brody could almost see the exclamation points each time Slayter said the word.
“There’s one last thing we have for you.” Cara removed a script from the tote bag. “This is from the first movie. It’s signed by the entire cast.”
Brody’s heart slammed against his chest. That was Cara’s copy, a present from Caitlin, and worth…well, more than anything else they’d given Slayter. But the autographs and being able to read the dialogue were what mattered.
Slayter clutched the screenplay to his chest as if it were the most valuable treasure in the world. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Cara said. “Now you can read along with the movie. Though I’m guessing you have the lines memorized.”
The boy perked up. “Almost all.”
Brody’s affection for Cara deepened. He’d forgotten about a script, but she hadn’t. She was always looking out for others, never herself. So special, smart, and caring. When they were back to their normal lives, he was asking her out on a date. Something romantic and special they would always remember.
Slayter yawned again. His eyelids fluttered as if they wanted to close.
“Time to go.” Brody gave him a gentle hug. “Thanks for letting us hang out with you.”
Cara hugged him, too, and then kissed Slayter’s cheek even though she had on a mask. “Take care of yourself. And watch out for bounty hunters.”
Lex followed his goodbye with a high five and then handed the kid a twenty-dollar bill. “For candy and soda. You can never have too much of either.”
