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“Nope,” she says with a laugh. “I get just as nervous now as I did when I was in high school. But it’s good to be nervous. Shows you care.”
“Yeah, that’s what Ally always tells us when she forces us to read our essays to the class. She says we should be proud and happy that we’re nervous.” I roll my eyes. “And that’s coming from a woman who’s really shy.”
Mom chuckles. “She was so shy, she refused to have a solo when she was part of the choir in high school. And she has such a great voice. Zack helped her come out of her shell.” She sighs wistfully. “I miss those years.”
“Ugh, Mom. You’re making me dread growing old. I hope I don’t drift away from my friends.”
She lets go of the steering wheel to grab my hand. “Of course not. You and your Musketeers will be best friends for eternity, just like me and my Musketeers.”
“How can you be so sure? Liam will be a successful chef and might tour the world, and Willow will have a super successful career in tech and who knows where she’ll live, and—”
“I also worried about that when I was your age,” she tells me. “We all did. But you see it all worked out in the end. Besides…” She winks. “Edenbury has a way of making people stay. I guess it’s the love in the air.”
That has me giggling. “That was so cheesy, Mom.”
“Haven’t you heard? I’m like the queen of cheesy. I should win a crown.”
We’re both laughing as we pull into the driveway. Before Mom gets out of the car, she says, “Sorry we haven’t been spending a lot of time together lately. There’s always some new drama happening with your sister.”
“It’s okay,” I tell her.
“Just remember that you can talk to me whenever you need or want to, okay?”
“I know. Thanks.”
She wraps her arms around me and kisses the top of my head. “I’m so proud of you. I can’t believe you’ll be going off to college soon. Where have the years flown?” Tears gather in her eyes.
“Mom,” I groan. “You sound like Dad.”
She chuckles. “He must have rubbed off on me after all these years.” She places her hands on my shoulders. “Isn’t Kendell graduating this year?”
“Yeah.”
“Will she name the next editor-in-chief, or will it be a vote?”
I shrug. “Knowing Kendell, she’ll probably choose someone herself.”
“You think you have a shot?”
“Me? There are so many better writers on the team.”
“Don’t sell yourself short, sweetie. I read every one of your articles. You’re super talented, way better than those other kids—”
“Mom…”
“And you definitely deserve it. You’d make a great editor-in-chief because you care.”
“You have to say that because you’re my mom.”
“True, but I’m also a journalist. And I always speak the truth.”
I snuggle close to her. “Thanks for being one of the most amazing parents in the world.”
I feel her melt into the hug. “Thanks for being one of the best kids in the world.”
Chapter Six
Liam
