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“Anyone home?” I holler into my parents’ house.

“Daddy!” London’s little pattering feet announce her arrival before she barrels around the corner.

I reach down just in time to snatch her off the ground and pull her into my arms. “Hey, baby girl.”

Luddy wraps her arms around my neck, and I squeeze her tight to me. God, I fucking missed her. She gasps, wriggling out of my arms and flying toward Kylie.

Kylie chuckles, pulling London into her. “Hey, sweet girl. I missed you tons.”

“I missed you too. Are you really staying for good this time?”

Kylie nods. “I sure am.”

“Yes! We can have sleepovers any time we want now.”

That makes Kylie laugh hard. “Absolutely.”

“Come on. Gramma and I are making cookies.” London takes Kylie’s hand and drags her to the kitchen. I follow along like the lovesick puppy I am, rounding the corner to find Mom and Dad at the island.

“Hello, my darlings!” Mom grins at us. Her silver hair is perfectly coiffed in a clip, and the blue eyes I inherited from her are sparkling. She’s the epitome of a fifties housewife while simultaneously being the biggest feminist I know. Her mantra was that being a mother was her lifelong dream, and every little girl should get to follow her dreams, no matter what they are.

“Hey, Mom.” I step around the island to give her a side hug since she’s knuckle-deep in sugar cookie dough. Then I get a back-slapping hug from my dad. “Pop.”

“We’re so glad you’re home, Kylie,” Mom says, kissing her on the cheek.

Dad agrees, hugging Kylie for a long second while her arms tighten around his middle. He doesn’t let go until she does, and we don’t acknowledge her surreptitiously wiping away her tears. With a gentle pat to her shoulder, he murmurs, “We’ll be by your side for whatever you need—for as long as you need it.”

Kylie swallows. “Thanks, Mr. Reed.”

Dad narrows his eyes. “I thought we nipped that shit in the bud. You’d been successfully calling me David for a while now.”

Kylie laughs, as I’m sure Dad intended. “Sorry. That one slipped out.”

“Have you two eaten?” Mom asks.

“I could go for a snack,” Kylie says sheepishly. “Gray made a great breakfast, but this little one’s been making me ravenous.”

Dad jumps into action. “We’ve got some fruit and veggies, chips and dip… Oh, I could make you a grilled cheese! Wait, can you have cheese? I know lunch meat is a bit iffy.”

I roll my eyes at Kylie, but she laughs. “No soft cheeses. Everything else is fine.”

Dad frowns. “What the hell is a soft cheese?”

Mom begins to list off several kinds, telling him about the process of making cheese. Dad finally interrupts her. “I love your brain, woman, but focus. Is cheddar fine?”

Kylie gets the giggles, and soon we’re all laughing. She answers Dad. “I’ll just have some veggies and dip, please.”

I grab the bag of chips I know are her favorites and set them next to her once Dad lays out a ridiculous spread of vegetables.

She eats most of what’s offered as if she hasn’t been eating enough recently. I don’t draw attention to it. My gut is telling me she likely hasn’t been, though whether that was because Chris influenced her not to eat or the pregnancy didn’t let her isn’t clear.

I could see it being both. I heard enough of Chris’s snide remarks that I wouldn’t put it past him.

I’m so fucking glad she’s home.

We hang out with Mom and Dad for a couple of hours, catching them up on how Kylie’s doing and how our road trip went. I’ll owe them forever for encouraging Kylie to stay with me for a little while longer to give herself the time to figure out her next steps.

I’m packing up London’s things to leave when Kylie’s quivering voice comes from the hallway.