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My mom stood at the edge of the porch, her hands nervously clenched together.
“Mom,” I breathed.
I didn’t consciously move toward her, but a few seconds later, we were only a couple of feet apart.
“Hi.”
“Esther.” She smiled. “You’re blooming.”
“Almost halfway there,” I whispered, my hand going instinctively to my belly.
“Where’s Noel?” Ephraim called obnoxiously, leaning against the car.
“Come meet my husband.” I reached for her hand.
“We don’t have all night,” Ephraim added.
“I better not,” my mom said quietly, squeezing my hand before letting it go.
I glared at my brother. “Otto, come meet my mom!”
He’d been giving us space but immediately strode down the steps, his shoulders straight. My chest filled with pride.
Ephraim had nothing to say.
“We’ve met,” Otto said kindly, reaching out to shake my mom’s hand. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“You found your brother,” my mom said, putting her hand in his.
Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I wasn’t going to miss a second.
“I did,” Otto replied with a nod. His hand moved to my lower back. “Found Noel, too.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, glancing over her shoulder at Ephraim. “Is she coming out?”
“Yeah, Mom,” I assured her. “She was just saying goodbye.”
“You know how Ephraim is,” she said apologetically. “Always in a hurry.”
“Why didn’t you drive?”
“Oh—” She waved me off. “You know I’m no good driving at night.”
I didn’t have a chance to contradict her because Noel and Heather came out the door behind us.
“Noel,” my mom gasped, staring at my sister’s battered face.
“She’s alright,” Otto reassured her. “Just a few bruises. She and Titus got jumped at the park. My aunt’s a nurse, and she looked them over, though.”
It was the story we’d all agreed to. There was no reason for my mom to know anything about what my dad had been into if she didn’t already. After forming her life around him for so long, she was going to struggle when he never came home. If she knew it all, I was afraid it would send her into a tailspin she might never recover from, and Noel was going to need her.
Heather stepped forward and grabbed my mom’s hand. “Hi, I’m Otto’s mom, Heather.”
“Nice to meet you,” Mom replied. “I’m Savannah Allen.”
I couldn’t catch the rest of what they said when Noel pulled me into a hug.
“I’ll come see you whenever I can,” she whispered. “Promise.”
