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There’s an awkward moment between her and Harrison when he hugs me gently. With a guffaw, he says, “We’re family now, sunshine. My blood is your blood…quite literally.”
“I owe you,” I whisper back, tears clogging my throat with the overwhelming happiness and gratitude.
“Like I said…family.”
It’s funny—I grew up thinking families were a source of endless tension, certain they were just a way to cause hurt and disappointment. But here, surrounded by this incredible group of people, I feel blessed. Even moreso when Parker embraces me softly, pressing a kiss to the top of my head while we follow the entourage to the back of the house. Pausing to take in the scene, I feel like I’m exactly where I’m meant to be.
Home.
26
PARKER
Two months later…
The entire house smells of Summer’s fall candles. A mix of pumpkin spice and maple pecan warms my lungs as I draw in a deep breath. While tugging the hat of Easton’s Halloween costume onto his head, I press a kiss to the tip of his nose. Without a second of pause, he wipes it off with a whine.
“Yuck…yuck, Daddy!” Smacking his hand on my shoulder, he blows out a raspberry that has Dexter trying to lick us both.
The pup is incorrigible. All the rules I laid down for him have been broken. From the non-sleeping in bed with us to the no sharing dinner. I don’t know who’s worse—Summer or East—but between the two of them, Dex lives a sweet dog life.
“Okay…okay! Dex! Stop now!”
If anything, he takes that as encouragement to get crazier. I’m almost on my ass when East tells him, “Down.”
Of course, he listens. Probably for fear that he won’t get a share of tonight’s pizza.
“Okay, buddy, do you remember what we spoke about?” I ask Easton, watching as he tightens his fist between us. “Don’t drop it, all right?”
“Aha…”
“Remember, I got a whole bucket of candy if you help me out.”
“Tinkies and muff tick?”
“Sure.” Today is the one day I won’t begrudge his cake snack addiction.
“Din Don?”
“You ate the last one earlier.”
With a pensive scrunch of his face, he stares down at his closed hand before sighs. “Okay.”
The front door clicks closed, and before I can stop him, Easton is running toward her, and I have no choice but to run after him. The plan we discussed and practiced for the last week falls to pieces the minute she puts her purse down on the entry table and turns to pick him up.
It’s only in the last couple of days that her renal specialist has okayed her to get back to normal. Which includes all the big cuddles they’ve both missed so much.
“What’s that, little man?” she asks, looking at me with wide eyes as East holds out his open hand.
“Wel—”
“It’s a ring!” he answers on my behalf, cutting me off in the process. “From Daddy…for you, Sum.”
Harrison might have been right about making the occasion adults only. I’m not sure whether she’s about to cry with happiness or bolt for the door again when she puts East down on his feet and looks back down at his hand.
“For me?”
“I did have a sp—”
