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All of these questions and more ran through my head, keeping me awake till four in the morning, only to finally fall asleep and sleep through my morning alarm two hours later.
When I spoke to Haylee earlier today, she reassured me that it would all be okay and just to breathe. She is my rock in life, keeping me sane and together. I just wish she would be at home with me when Dani arrives.
“Shit!” I yell as I slam on my brakes once again.
I hate that people don’t know how to drive in traffic. I look down at the clock on the radio. Dani should be arriving soon. Just what we need—Dani arrives and no one is home. What’s keeping her from running then?
I grab my phone from the cupholder beside me and dial Kyler’s number. I pray that he is home. The phone rings and rings before his voicemail picks up. At the beep I leave a message and cross my fingers he gets it in time.
“Hey, Ky. I got stuck at work, and traffic is a nightmare. If you’re home when my sister arrives, can you let her in and I don’t know, entertain her? I should be home soon. Thanks.” Click.
I’m sure he can hear the stress in my voice.
Over the weekend, Ky proved how epically awesome he is by being cool with Dani staying with us for a little bit. He even helped me make the guest room a little more comfortable for her. He didn’t pry about our phone conversation and what prompted her to decide to come home. I think he could tell that alone was overwhelming to me. He has been here from the day she left and has seen what we all have gone through.
My grip on the steering wheel tightens as I drive through traffic. My mind races, wishing Haylee would be there to calm me down. My sister. My sister will most likely be at my house when I arrive. I have dreamed of this day for so long.
How long is she going to stay? What happens if she leaves again? How will she react to Haylee and me? Can I really keep this from her?
My thoughts keep me busy, and before I know it, I’m turning onto our street. My heart jumps out of my chest as I see Dani’s SUV parked in front of the house. I pull in to the driveway next to Kyler’s truck, thankful he was home and hopefully got my voicemail and wasn’t caught off guard by her arrival.
My phone buzzes as I turn off the ignition to the jeep.
Haylee: Hey, babe. Ky texted that she was there. It’ll be fine. I love you. XOXOXO
Could this woman be any more perfect? I send a quick response, anxious to get inside.
Me: Wish you were here. Love you too. I’ll call you later.
I grab my workbag and jacket and make my way up the pathway. I take one last breath before opening the front door. In front of me, I finally see her. Dani is standing in front of the wall Haylee had decorated with a bunch of photos from over the years. She hasn’t noticed me standing in the doorway yet, so I take this time to take her in. She looks the same, just thinner, and from her profile, still sad. It’s when I notice the photos she is staring at that I choose to break her from her trance.
“Holy shit, Dani, you’re actually here!”
She turns around, surprised, and I race to her, scooping her up in my arms. I thought maybe I might have dreamed the entire thing, from the phone call the other night to Haylee moving out to now, but as I hold my sister in my arms, I know that it wasn’t a dream. She is here.
I pull back and place my hands along her cheeks to look her over. Still the same sister; I just notice the emotion written all over her face. I want to remember everything about the version of the girl in front of me, just in case this is only temporary. God, I hope it’s not.
I pull her over to the couch and take a seat. “Have you been here long?”
She shakes her head. I notice how she still looks around the room—guess it might be weird for her realizing I’d grown up while she was gone.
“Your roommate let me in.”
I don’t miss how she accentuates the word roommate. I guess she figured out one of the two pretty big details about my life now that I had left out.
“Oh, you met Ky. He’s a good dude. We met freshman year of college. We hit it off right away.”
Of course, if she had stuck around, she would know that. In the few months she was actually here, she was so closed off that I felt like I would crush her should I try to talk to her about my personal life. Not that I think she would have even paid attention.
Dani’s lip visibly begins to tremble, and I fear that I said the wrong thing. Her focus goes back to the wall, and I realize where her mind has drifted. Emmett. I go to say something, but thankfully Kyler chooses that time to walk into the living room.
“Hey, man, you’re home.”
I nod.
“You headed out to—”
I quickly cut off his asking if I was going to see Haylee tonight since I had been over at Cami’s the last two nights visiting. “Nah, I’m home tonight to catch up with Dani.”
