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“Come here,” Seb said, putting his hand on my head and pulling me onto his shoulder. I closed my eyes as he kissed my cheek. “I’m here for you, Lacey.”
“We’re all here for you, Lacey,” Ryan said, rubbing my thigh. I glanced up at him and gave him a smile.
I needed to do this, get it out of the way. I needed to go home, feel at home. But as much as I needed it, doing it seemed so hard.
The car stopped at the bottom of the steps to the front door.
Kane twisted his head from his position in the passenger front seat. His eyes shifted from left to right and then to me. “Are you going to be okay?”
I gave him a weak smile. “I need to do this. But if I have a mini meltdown, ignore me.”
He smiled. Our eyes locked for a beat.
Seb cleared his throat. “Okay Lacey. Let’s do this.”
Tears slipped down my face as I walked into my childhood home. Everything looked the same, but the quietness of the house coated my heart with thick cement. I gazed around the hallway and walked into the main living area. The furniture placed where it always was. Not even the slightest amount of dust had gathered, it had been so well cared for. Everything looked as though my parents still lived there.
The only thing that changed was the deathly still that lingered in the air. I was used to the house being filled with music. My father was a fan of playing anything, but he loved his eighties and nineties tunes the best.
“Eighties and nineties, Lacey. There were excellent musical eras,” he said.
“Yes, dad I’ve heard you tell me once or twice.”
“Or hundreds of times,” mum said and smiled.
I smiled at the memory, remembering my mum and her rolling her eyes each time he’d said it.
“I know you’re hurting because I feel it,” Ryan said as he took hold of my hand, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.
I leaned on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, why don’t you get rid of the link.”
Ryan shook his head. “I like the connection.”
I held his hand. “Thanks, I am hurting, but as long as you’re here I know I’m going to be fine.” I looked around at the four men standing around me. “That’s all of you.”
“Welcome home, Miss Lacey,” Maggie the housekeeper walked towards us. Her smiling face a welcome distraction.
“Maggie,” I whispered, and wrapped my arms around her. “I’ve missed you.”
“You’ve been at university for a little over two months. You haven’t had time to miss me.”
“Oh Maggie, I’d miss you if I was gone a day.”
Maggie held my arms, her arms straight as she gazed at me and gave me an enormous smile. “If you need a hug, a talk, anything. I’m here for you.”
“I know, thank you. I might need a few of your cuddles in the next two weeks.”
“Good, and you know I’m good for them,” she said. I responded with a massive smile because she was.
Maggie was my nanny growing up, not that I needed a nanny as mum was always around and come to think of it most of the time, so was dad. He worked from home a lot.
Maggie’s role had changed over the years and she took over the housekeeper's position, keeping everything running like a perfectly tuned car.
“Maggie, this is Ryan.” I rubbed his arm as he stood next to me. He’s the cute one, too clever for his own good. I leaned into her and whispered. “Look at his dimples when he smiles, he’ll make you swoon.”
Maggie laughed. “I’m in my sixties. I haven’t swooned for thirty years.”
“Oh Maggie, you need to stop working so hard.”
