Mallory was beyond grudges. She hadn’t realized how tired she was until she began to let go of some of the baggage. She felt so much lighter after the conversation with her father that she wanted to see what else she could accomplish. Forgiveness took strength and courage, and with each decision she made to move forward, she felt stronger.
“I’m tired,” was what she managed to put into words.
Instead of responding verbally, he pulled her into a hug. His embrace was warm and strong, and she felt completely safe forthe first time since she was a child. Christian’s arms felt like home, but there was something different about a hug from a protective brother. He may be younger than her, but he would never let anything happen to her. She squeezed him back as she inhaled his comforting scent.
“I’ve missed you,” he said softly as he buried his face in her hair.
“So, where do we start?”
He sat back and looked at her; studying her as if trying to memorize her every feature. “I’d say this is a pretty good start.”
“Okay in that case, what’s next?” she asked, refusing to spiral into a bout of self-pity over all the time they had lost.
“Have you eaten? Stay for breakfast. Your sister-in-law happens to be an amazing cook.”
She didn’t want to intrude. It was already out of character for her to show up unannounced, and it felt like a huge imposition to stay for breakfast, invited or not.
“I shouldn’t. You worked last night so I should let you sleep. But let’s make plans for dinner or something.”
“You are staying.” Alyssa appeared in the doorway holding a box of pancake mix. “I’m making pancakes. I didn’t work last night so you don’t have to feel bad. We all have to eat. Please stay. Please …”
Mallory caved. Alyssa was genuine and likeable. It was no wonder she and Christian had grown so close. As she looked into large hazel eyes, there was no way she could say no. Mallory looked down and smiled to herself.
“Okay. I’ll stay for breakfast. But then I have to get home.”
It was Saturday, but she had plans with Dan. They’d rescheduled their weekly dinner because they’d both made plans with their significant others. She felt much better about moving their plans around when they both needed to do it. Tonight would not be getting cancelled no matter what. She still had tofinish catching Dan up on everything with her dad, and now add to it the fact that Christian was out of town for an undetermined amount of time, and here she was clearing the air with Michael.
They moved the conversation into the kitchen so Alyssa wouldn’t be stuck in there making breakfast alone. She flitted around the kitchen talking and cooking as if she did things like that all the time. The sister-in-law who had avoided the family for years and years showed up on their doorstep after a particularly loud argument in a public place… and she was humming and talking as she made pancakes. Mallory was beginning to relax a lot more as she watched how relaxed her sister-in-law was as she whipped up breakfast.
“Do you need any help?”
“I’d rather you just sit back and relax,” Alyssa answered quickly. “I’ve got it.”
“You hate anyone in your way while you’re cooking, don’t you?” Mallory knew that response all too well.
Alyssa gave her a sheepish grin. “Guilty. You aren’t offended, are you? Nothing against you, I’m just weird.”
Mallory laughed. Maybe she had more in common with her sister-in-law than she realized. Michael gave her a knowing look as if he knew she was the same way. It was possible since she started cooking while she was a teenager and still living at home, but she was still surprised he remembered how annoyed she used to get when anyone came into the kitchen while she was cooking. He probably remembered more than she realized.
“If that makes you weird, then I guess we’re both weird.”
Michael chuckled at his wife’s look of surprise. “I told you.”
“Told her what?” Mallory asked, quirking an eyebrow.
“I told her sometimes she does things that remind me of you."
This was even more surprising than the fact that he remembered anything about her at all. After already getting a wakeup call that she had been wrong, seeing it up close andpersonal really brought it all home. The feeling of anxiety was replaced with a feeling of regret as she realized how terribly she’d treated everyone. Her grief was not anyone else’s fault, and it was no one’s cross to bear but her own.
“I’m really sorry for everything,” Mallory repeated. “Why I was invited inside and to stay for breakfast is beyond me.”
“Stop,” Michael warned. “We’re moving past it, remember?”
“Yes. Be kind to my sister-in-law,” Alyssa joined in.
Shifting in her chair, she realized how unaccustomed she was to these new feelings of happiness and contentment. She spent so many years training herself to not feel her emotions, yet within the past few weeks she felt as though she was constantly feeling all of them at once.
“Are you going to stay on the road until you go on leave?” Mallory changed the subject.
