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“First boy you’ve brought home?”
I love the way her face flushes as she looks out the window at the trees racing by. “Maybe.” Her phone buzzes. “Just a left up here. They’re doing works on the usual route so there’s a bit of a detour. Want to stop for food?”
We pull into a small service station and grab some not-so-hot food before I start questioning Eden again.
“So, your brother…Jake, wasn’t it?”
She smiles and rolls her eyes. “Yep. Biggest pain in my ass.”
“And there’s still three more?”
Nodding, she waits to swallow her mouthful of sausage roll before she continues. We’re in the small seating area attached to the petrol station, surrounded by families at the start of their trips, truckies making their lunch stop, and workers grabbing their third coffee of the day. “Rachel’s the youngest. Now she will be obsessed with you. Molly and Charlie are the twins. They’ll run you ragged. Good thing the farm gives them enough space to express all that energy.”
“Should I be scared?”
Shooting me a wicked smile, we cross the carpark and hop back into the car. “Oh yeah.”
We continue driving for a couple more hours, exchanging banter and longing glances when we think the other isn’t looking. Eden falls asleep at one point, so I’m left to drive the winding hills alone.
It looks like someone got a rug of green and covered the whole landscape with it. It’s quiet out here, besides from the automated voice from the maps telling me where to go. Peaceful. Makes me realise how hectic it is in the city. You could swear there isn’t another soul for miles. Until we turn one bend and Eden’s head snaps up.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” I chuckle, watching the way she squints against the afternoon sun.
“We’re almost there,” she mumbles, dragging a hand across her face. “We’ve almost hit the town. Right just before the pub, then another right, and then a left.” I nod and follow her instructions. She sits straighter than ever in her seat, mesmerised by the paddocks racing by.
“Nice to be home?” I ask.
“Definitely,” she grins, winding down the window and taking a deep breath. “Nothing better than the country air.”
She’s right. Already my head feels clearer. There’s something about being so far away that makes all your problems seem smaller.
When I went back home to pack a bag, Jason and Dad were gone. I left them a note and then turned my phone off. Oops. I’ll probably pay for that when I get back, but there’s something so intoxicating about being here. About being here with Eden. I would risk anything for it.
“Just the first driveway on the right.” Eden looks like she could burst in excitement. And it’s infectious. I find myself perking up as the car rocks over the gravel driveway. It winds for a few hundred metres until we come through a patch of trees. There’s a small, white weatherboard house, with a front porch that wraps around the outside. There’s a group of people seated across a variety of chairs and they stand up as we approach. Eden has her seatbelt off and is opening the door before we even come to a complete stop.
“Possum!” I hear someone shout, and she’s off and racing, laughing. An older man, probably her dad, grabs her in a massive bear hug and swings her around, before placing a kiss on the top of her head. As I step out of the car, I feel awkward, invasive. My family doesn’t do happy homecomings like this. I’d be surprised if they would even realise I’m gone.
Eden greets her mum, then her brother and sister. Who I can only assume is Jake gives me a wave, and his smirk is unsettlingly similar to his sister’s.
“So, this must be Oliver,” Jake says, voice carrying across the lawn. And everyone’s heads turn to me. Great.
“Hi everyone,” I say, raising a hand in greeting as I continue to make my way towards them.
“Oh, Oliver! It’s so great to finally meet you! Call me Evelyn, by the way.” Eden’s mum wraps me in a hug, and I don’t pull away. “Eden’s told us so much about you!”
“Has she now? I didn’t know that.” I grin as Eden shoots her mum a glare.
“I’m Mark,” Eden’s dad greets as he shakes my hand. Firm, but not too firm. Hopefully a good sign. “This is Jake,” he gestures to the tall, lanky boy. “And this is Rachel!” He lifts a small, blonde girl into his arms as she nervously smiles at me. I give her a wave in return. “The twins— Molly and Charlie—will come and say hi once they finish their homework.”
“They had to finish their homework otherwise they couldn’t meet you. Only way we could get them to do anything once they found out you were coming,” Evelyn adds, eyes crinkling as she smiles. I can see where Eden gets her features from. Dark hair from her mum, hazel eyes from her dad. “Well,” she continues. “Who wants a cup of tea?”
14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Eden.
It’s great to be home. And as weird as it is to admit it, it’s great having Oliver here with me. Already he seems to have slipped into the family dynamic, so unperturbed by our craziness. I watch as he smiles at another one of the embarrassing stories about me, nursing a cup of tea in our small kitchen. He seems to be suited to the dark wood surroundings, comfortable at our tiny dining table.
