AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I roughed the tops of Elvis and Elvira’s heads. These fourteen-year-old dogs were an integral part of our family. I also knew them well enough to not turn my back on these over-greeters. Goose should be their middle names.
Patty Swazay, the matriarch of the family, was given free-range to hug me first. “Welcome home, Emery. Are you all right?”
I kissed the top of her head and inhaled a familiar vanilla shampoo. “Hi, Mom. Better now.”
My dad, Joseph, shook my hand before pulling me into a bearhug. “Doing okay, son?”
“I’m perfectly fine.”
“Wouldn’t go as far to say you’re perfect. Mediocre at best.” This expected jab came from Alex, the second oldest son. He grinned and wrapped his beefy arms around me. “I’m here for ya, bud.”
“Counted on it.”
The rest of my siblings gathered around, but Mom called out, “It’s freezing out here. Let’s go inside. Boys, grab Emery’s luggage.”
“I plan to stay at my house.”
“Not tonight. You shouldn’t be alone.”
Done deal if Mom said so. On the other hand, I could use the refuge of my childhood bedroom. I pressed the remote and popped the hatch on the SUV. “Yeah, boys. Retrieve my belongings.”
Bryan and Corey, Thing One and Thing Two, as Alex and I liked to call them, exaggerated a wiggle walk as they hurried to the SUV. One would never guess they were thirty-two and twenty-nine-years-old, respectively.
Elvis goosed me with his nose. “Yikes.” Our laughter practically dissolved my anxiety.
Kristen and Jenny looped their arms through mine, pecked my cheeks with a kiss, and led me into the warm house. Our parents loved to tell the reason the family was so large was due to them trying to have a girl. After four boys, never in their wildest dreams did they predict twins.
We entered the two-story family room. For the first time in three days, I relaxed. The soaring beamed ceilings, the brown leather couches and chairs, the patterned area rug, and the blazing fire lit in the stone fireplace brought back memories of fun, loving times.
“I think this reunion calls for a stiff drink.” Alex held up a crystal whiskey decanter. “Who’s in?”
Surprisingly, everyone raised their hands—including Mom. I watched her, trying to detect if she just wanted to join in with a social drink or if she needed a drink. Hair gel spiked her short white and gray hair up on her head. Behind round red glasses, dark lashes lined her blue eyes. If I drew close enough, I’d see yellow flecks, the same as mine.
A month ago, when I last visited for Christmas, she still had a tan from tending the garden and working the equine ranch alongside Dad. While she loved helping with the horses, the kitchen was her domain. She nurtured Dad and the farm hands with hearty meals or fattening desserts.
But the summer tan had faded. A paleness to her skin emphasized the lines on her beautiful face.
She caught me staring and smiled before she gracefully sat on the largest couch. My sisters immediately flanked each side, sinking into the soft cushions and crossing their legs in the same manner as our mom. For the umpteenth time, I was struck by how much alike the three of them were, yet so vastly different.
Both ladies shared our eye color and Mom’s petite build and quick wit. But that’s where the similarities of the three ended.
The twins were fraternal, not identical. Kristen’s ebony-black hair fell past her shoulders. Due to her being fifteen minutes older, she possessed a leader personality. She earned high honors during high school and fast tracked through Harvard University’s undergraduate and graduate law school program. She was set to start with a prestigious law firm this spring. Ingenious Kristen opted to use her down time by becoming an airline attendant, traveling the world—free of charge—before embarking on her career. Smart and thrifty.
“Kristen, I’m surprised to see you here.” I took the offered whiskey glass from Alex who delivered everyone’s drinks from a silver tray. “Figured you’d be in the Fiji Islands. Or somewhere warm.”
She lifted her glass toward me. “You need all of us.”
I clutched the glass tight enough to dig the etching into my palm. Kristin’s bluntness would make her a tiger in the courtroom. Mom patted her knee, as if to say not now.
“Leave it to Kris to jump on the black cloud hanging above Emery.” On Mom’s other side, Jenny, the baby in the family, rolled her eyes while tucking her shoulder length black hair behind her ear. Streaks of purple glistened, the same shade of her polished nails. Mom patted her knee as well.
Jenny leaped from the couch and crossed over to stand in front of me. She looked deep into my eyes, searching, making sure I was okay. “I can’t believe what you’ve gone through. Just know you’re not alone.”
I’d never say it to anyone, but Jenny was my favorite. Likely because she was Mom and Dad rolled into one. Having grown up on a horse farm, Jen loved horses, perhaps even more than our parents. With that passion, she earned a degree in equine medicine. Just like the rest of us, she built a house on fifty acres of land our parents had gifted. Then she signed on as the ranch’s in-house veterinarian. Smart and loyal.
Jen could also work magic in the kitchen.
One twin was outrageously outgoing. The other preferred animals for company.
