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27
Trent
Today is the big day. The one we’ve been waiting on for months. Despite Ally’s reassurance to Erica that everything is going to be okay, and everyone will love her, I know Ally is still nervous. She’s currently in the kitchen, cooking every kind of food imaginable in preparation for our family and friends, who will be here soon.
We got in two days ago. It’s been a bitch keeping people away, especially Dad and Mia. Thankfully, Andrew and Jase have been a big help, telling everyone we needed a couple of days alone to get our bearings after being gone for so long. We wanted to give Erica a couple of days of being here with just us before we introduced her to everyone.
It’s been really good being back home. And Erica seems to be happy. A couple of weeks after we brought Erica home to Ashlyn and Dillon’s, Ally and I sat down with her and scoured the internet for decorations for her new room. We let her pick everything; from the bedframe and bedding to the area rug, dresser, and desk, down to the color she wanted her walls and the curtains for the windows. We wanted to make it as comfortable as possible for our little girl. Andrew and Jase, being the only two people in Jaded Hollow who knew about Erica, were tasked with getting her new room in order before we got there. Seeing the look on Erica’s face when we showed her the new room will forever be one of my favorites.
Dropping my phone on the coffee table after texting Sirena, I get up and move to the kitchen. I stop in the doorway and lean against the frame, taking in Ally and Erica as they slather icing on cupcakes together. Erica has been a trooper in her recovery. The bone marrow went a long way in helping her. She finished her last treatment two weeks ago and we already see a big difference in her. She’s gaining weight, and her cheeks are full of color. She happily announced the night before we left Murfreesboro that she had some hair sprouts on her head. Her words, not ours.
Her energy is coming back slowly and she’s moving around better. The doctors are pleased with her progress. Her latest test results showed no abnormal cells. There’s always a danger of her leukemia coming back, but we’re taking it one day at a time.
Ally is doing good too. She’s recovering in leaps and bounds. And she’s a natural when it comes to being a mother.
I chuckle when they both poke their finger in the frosting and bring it to their lips. “Where’s mine?”
Ally looks over her shoulder with a smile. “Come and get some.”
Walking up behind them, I reach between the two and stick my finger in the frosting, gathering a big glob on the tip. I lick the frosting away.
“That’s really good,” I comment.
“Ally says I have the magic touch,” Erica boasts.
“You made this?”
She beams proudly and bobs her head up and down. “Yep.”
“I think you should make the frosting from now on.”
“Hey!” Ally elbows me in the stomach. “Mine is pretty good too.”
Laughing, I kiss her temple. “Yours is really good… but even you have to admit, Erica’s is better.”
She rolls her eyes, but her lips twitch. “You may be right.”
The doorbell goes off. Ally is so jumpy that she drops the disposable knife she was using to ice the cupcakes. “Poop,” she mutters.
I grab it before she can and toss it into the trash. Gently grabbing her chin, I turn her face so I can give her a kiss. Then I do the same to Erica, kissing her forehead.
“You two stay in here and finish up while I go answer the door.”
Leaving the kitchen, I go to the door and pull it open, not surprised that my parents are the first to arrive.
I’m not given a chance to greet them before Mia walks forward and does a face-plant against my chest. Pulling back, she looks up at me.
“I don’t like you being away for so long.”
“Sorry,” I tell her. “No more long trips.”
“You better not,” she grumbles.
Dad and I clap each other on the back.
“Damn good to see you, T.”
“You too, Dad.”
