Love, Davina.
My chest tightens. Emotion crawls up my throat, unexpected and overwhelming.
“Do you like it?” she asks gently.
“I … love it.” My voice cracks embarrassingly.
Davina softens. “Good. That’s all I want. For you to feel like you belong.”
I swallow hard. “Thank you. Truly.”
Charlie brushes a hand over my back, slow and grounding. “Let’s get settled, yeah?”
“We’ll let you unpack and freshen up,” Davina says. “Dinner is in an hour. Wear something comfortable, we’ll be changing into our Hogmanay pajamas later.”
“Hogmanay?” I ask.
“T’was New Year’s Eve.” She beams. “The tradition is matching PJs, whiskey, and dancing until your feet fall off.”
“Told you she would make you wear matching PJs.” Callum smirks.
“It’s tradition,” Davina states. “You boys never spend New Year’s with us, you’re always off somewhere else more glamorous. So, thank you, Derrick, for coming when you did so that we can all be together. It means the world to me to have my boys home.”
“Mum, we’re men,” Arran corrects her.
“You will always be my babies.” She smirks, plastering a kiss on Arran’s cheek. This picture of domestic bliss is somethingI’ve always aspired for, for myself, and one I finally got with my friends.
“And now we have a new family member to keep the tradition alive.” Davina smiles at me. “This place is your home, too, you are welcome anytime.”
It sends me over the edge, and tears roll down my cheeks as the emotions I’ve been trying to hold in tumble out.
“Oh, sweetheart, I’m sorry. Did I say something to upset you?” Davina asks.
“No, not at all, the total opposite …” I tell her, sniffling. “I’ve never had this before.”
“Matching PJs?” she asks.
I shake my head. “A family. Love. Hugs. Traditions. A home. And yeah, even matching PJs.”
Davina’s mouth falls open, and she rushes over and pulls me into her. “I should have come for you sooner,” she whispers into my ear.
“You don’t owe me anything,” I reassure her.
“I was just a child when I ran, but I had hoped that maybe your experience wouldn’t have been as awful as mine.”
I shake my head. “Please, if I didn’t go through what I did, I wouldn’t be here today. Their hate, their coldness, their abuse, made me strong enough to survive them. I’ve never looked back, not once since leaving.” Davina hugs me again tightly.
“This is our second chance,” she tells me.
“It feels like it.”
“We love you, D,” Callum calls out.
“And we love you, Mum,” Arran says.
“Sorry to bring the mood down.”
“You have nothing to apologize for. I am so very glad you are here. I’m not overwhelming you, am I? I just want you to feel comfortable, but I’m known for being a smotherer.”
