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Desiree sighed. “It was a terrible time for you both. Losing your parents, and then Luna losing you thanks to your suffering and grief. I don’t think the blame lies at anyone’s feet, not really.”
Jim cleared his throat. “We should probably take this inside.” He nodded toward the limousine. “I think we’re drawing enough attention without airing our grievances out here.”
Aiden nodded at the driver, who nodded back and climbed into the vehicle before the long vehicle glided forward onto the road and out of sight. Aiden then followed Luna and her parents inside the house, with its now aged and faintly musty scent.
That there were photographs of Luna on almost every wall didn’t go unnoticed. Despite her disappearance from their lives, they loved their daughter and held onto her in the only way they’d known how.
“I made us dinner,” Desiree informed. “But I think we could all use a pre-dinner drink.”
Jim nodded and headed to the bar, his movements tellingly stiff. “Allow me to pour us all a drink.”
Luna went straight to the kitchen and removed a stack of plates from an overhead cupboard. Clearly nothing had changed, everything was where it’d always been, if one discounted the fact the once vibrant cobalt of the kitchen had aged into a dull, brittle blue. “I’ll set the table.”
“I’ll help,” Aiden confirmed, and removed the cutlery from one of the kitchen drawers.
By the time they sat at the table, Luna’s mother had retrieved cold sliced roast beef, potato salad, coleslaw and garlic bread straight out of the oven, and Luna’s dad had poured them each a rich, red wine.
“Help yourselves,” Desiree said, her lips pursing into a smile as she looked around the table. Her eyes suddenly grew damp. “I never thought I’d have my family back around the table like this again.”
Luna looked down at her empty plate, her shoulders taut. “I’m sorry it took so long to come back,” she said in a small voice. “It’s just...I felt like such a failure. Then one day turned into another and I couldn’t bear to face anyone and hear their questions. Then I-I thought you’d both hate me for not coming back or even contacting you.”
“How could we ever hate you?” Jim asked, his voice shocked. “The day we brought you home was the best day of our lives.”
“You completed us,” Desiree said.
Luna balled her hands into fists, then burst into tears. “I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. “I don’t deserve either one of you.”
Aiden’s shoulders bunched, then he pushed back his chair and said, “I’m the one who should be sorry. It was my fault for turning my back on Luna when she was the one person I should have turned to. My callous rejection unraveled everything good to those people I loved the most.”
He walked to Luna and bent to embrace her. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.
For a minute or two, nobody moved or seemingly breathed, then Jim cleared his throat and said, “I’m so glad we’ve aired the past. Now we can all move on, into the future.”
“Here, here,” Desiree said, her voice husky with emotion. “Now, let’s eat. We can’t let all this good food go to waste.”
Chapter Fourteen
