“You’ll live,” she says, waving me inside with that look only mothers have when they’reboththrilled and slightly offended.
Once I step into the house, the scent of cinnamon and lemon cleaner hits me right in the heart. It’s like walking into a perfectly preserved memory, one that’s been dusted,vacuumed, and fluffed just for me. The walls are freshly painted, the floors refinished, and I can tell Noah had a hand in the renovations. Mom won’t stop talking about how he did an amazing job. Still, despite the upgrades, it feels exactly the same.
The familiar creak in the floorboard near the hallway is still there. So is the old family gallery wall, with every awkward school picture from kindergarten to senior year still proudly on display, including my unfortunate eighth-grade braces-and-bangs era. It makes my heart squeeze.
The living room is cozy, with the same stone fireplace and the overstuffed beige couch where I used to curl up and watchVampires Diariesreruns with Julia. The only thing that’s changed is the flat-screen TV above the mantel, which my dad probably still doesn’t know how to use without yelling for help.
I glance over at my parents. Dad’s hair is a little grayer than I remember, and Mom’s eyes crinkle a bit more at the corners. It’s subtle, but it’s there. The kind of change that sneaks up on you when you’re away for too long. My chest tightens again, but in a different way this time. Gratitude. I’m really glad I’m back.
They’re both beaming at me like I’ve just returned from a year-long expedition in the jungle. And maybe I have, grad school was no joke.
“I’m so happy to be home,” I say quietly.
“We’re happier,” my dad says, pulling me in for a quick side hug. “And proud. So proud of everything you’ve done, Eva.”
My mom wipes a tear from her eye, pretending it’s just something in her lashes. “We missed you, sweetheart.”
I nod, swallowing the lumpin my throat.
“Okay, okay,” my sister Julia’s voice calls from the kitchen. “She’s been here for five minutes. Can we eat now before my children eateach other?”
That makes me laugh, and just like that, the tightness in my chest loosens. I drop my bag and head toward the sound of chaos and love coming from the kitchen, where I know a very Ross-style family dinner is waiting.
Julia meets me halfway, drying her hands on a kitchen towel before pulling me into a hug. “You’re really here,” she murmurs.
“Yeah,” I whisper back. “Finally.”
In the dining room, I spot Dane at the table, wrangling Milly and Rio with the kind of calm only a seasoned dad possesses. Rio, now seven and full of boundless energy, gives me a gap-toothed grin. Milly, six and as dramatic as ever, jumps up and barrels into my legs like a tiny rocket. I bend down to hug them both as Dane stands to give me a quick one-armed squeeze.
“Good to have you back, Eva,” he says with a smile.
“You too, superhero dad.”
Then I step into the kitchen and there they are, Noah with Everly perched on his hip, Josy at his side, adjusting the baby’s bow headband like the world might end if it’s slightly crooked.
“Look at this little star,” I coo, leaning in to kiss Everly’s chubby cheek.
“She’s been stealing hearts since day one,” Josy says with a grin.
“And she knows it,” Noah adds, bouncing her gently.
“Are you guys ready to eat?” I smile at my family.
“Yes.” They all answer and after everyone gives me hugs and kisses, we sit down to eat.
I convinced Mom to keep dinner simple tonight, which for Beth Ross meant no tablecloths or fine China, but still enough food to feed the entire zip code. The dining room smells like roasted chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, and her famous cornbread muffins—the kind she only makes when she’s really happy. Apparently, having me home is a cause for celebration.
Dad, of course, can’t stop smiling. James Ross has always been the quiet one between my parents, but tonight he’s grinning like he just won the lottery.
“We’re just so proud of you, baby girl,” he says for the third time, raising his glass of sweet tea. “Graduated with honors, finished your master’s, and now you’re back home.”
Julia nods dramatically from across the table. “I told you she was gonna kill it. Didn’t I say that, Dane?”
Her husband smiles while trying to keep their son, from launching a carrot across the table. “You did, babe. Repeatedly.”
Milly is currently trying to play with Everly, who’s sitting in Josy’s lap, chewing on a baby spoon like it’s the greatest toy ever invented.
Noah is sitting beside Josy and watching their daughter like she’s the only thing that matters in the world. The sight of them makes something warm settle low in my chest. My big brother, the man who used to blast rock through the walls and prank me with fake spiders, is now a full-on family man. It’s weird. And kind of adorable.
