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“Hi, honey.”
“Hi, Mom.”
I lean in and kiss her cheek.
“Where’s Haylee?”
I clear my throat. “She had some things to take care of. She should be here shortly.” I hope.
“Oh, okay. I’m sure she’ll be here soon. That girl is always on the move.” She continues down the hall.
Good, she bought it; now I just have to hope that Haylee does keep her word and show up.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and check it for what seems to be the millionth time since she stormed out this morning. Why hasn’t she responded to any of my texts? An unnerving feeling settles in my chest as I think of all the unanswered texts from my sister over the years.
No, stop thinking like that, Zach. She is nothing like Dani in that regard. Get your head out of your ass.
As I go to pull up her contact and call her, my dad and Brian come around the corner from the kitchen.
“Zach! Come join us. Your mother and Natalie are bringing in some appetizers and lemonades. Sit.”
My dad motions to the couch, so I join them in the living room and take a seat. I stare out the front window in hopes of seeing her blue Honda Civic pull into the driveway. My leg won’t stop bouncing on the ground.
“Son, you okay?” I jump at the sound of my father’s voice. “You look like you have a lot on your mind.”
“Is it finally the moment? Are you going to pop the question? That ring must be burning a hole in your pocket. I can’t believe you haven’t asked her yet. You need to get down on one knee and do it.” Brian light-heartedly jokes, but I know that he is as anxious as I am for me to ask her.
I scoff. “Trust me, it’s not for lack of trying. Something always seems to come up. But no, that’s not it.”
If only it were as simple as asking my girl to spend the rest of our lives together—that is a cakewalk compared to this. How am I going to explain to my parents that after three and a half years, my sister has finally called out of the blue? How do I explain that she’s coming to stay with us? I have no clue whether she would or had called them yet.
Just then, Mom and Natalie walk in with a tray of lemonade and a plate of assorted finger foods. They are always going above and beyond for these get-togethers. I think they like to keep busy.
My mom hands me a glass of lemonade before taking a seat next to me. I take a rather large swig to calm my nerves. As I go to place it down on the table in front of me, I almost knock it over. I quickly recover and wipe my sweaty palms on my pants. Damn, did they crank the heat up in here or something?
“Sweetheart, are you okay?” My mom places a hand on my jittery leg.
Okay, it’s now or never, before I completely ruin our day with anxiety. Just as I go to open my mouth, the front door flies open.
“I’m sorry I’m late, everyone.”
I look back out the front window and see Haylee’s car parked next to mine. How did I miss the sound of the car in the driveway or the driver’s-side door shutting? I am quick on my feet, rushing to her as the front door closes. I reach for her, and she comes willingly into my embrace. I hold her tight as she buries her head in my chest.
“Oh, thank God you’re okay. I’m so sorry, baby. I wasn’t thinking. I was a fucking idiot.”
I pull back and take that time to run my hands over her face, brushing her hair out of her face. My girl is perfect, though when her eyes meet mine, I see that they are puffy and red-rimmed. It breaks my heart a little more knowing that I upset her so much.
“Are you okay?”
She smiles softly at me and, just barely above a whisper, says, “Yes. I’m okay now. I just had to step away from the situation for a little bit.”
“Where did you go? You had me so worried.”
“You had a chance to talk to your sibling; I needed time to talk to mine. It’s okay though. I came up with a plan. I’ll explain it all later, but I think first thing’s first: we need to tell everyone she’s coming home.”
I run my hands over my face, expelling a loud breath, knowing everyone is just in the other room. Haylee steps close, pressing her body against mine. She rises on her toes, her mouth now inches away from my mine.
“It’ll be okay. I’m here. We’re going to do this together. You and me against the world, okay?” She presses her lips against mine.
