“Skye thinks it’s her baby, actually.”
Coming here was a great distraction.
“That’s because Skye’s the best. I’ve been begging for a Skye for over a year now,” she tells me. “I can’t believe I finally have a dog.”
“Did you have one growing up?”
“No. My dad was allergic; otherwise, we would have. You?”
I shake my head but don’t elaborate.
There’s no good reason we didn’t, other than it would have made me happy, so my dad put a stop to the idea immediately.
She pulls the pup into her chest when Claud comes bounding down the stairs.
“A puppy!”
“Say hello to your new little sister, sugar plum.”
Her head snaps up to Juliette. “Seriously?”
“Seriously. Daddy rescued her for us.”
Harrison steps up behind Juliette and places his arm around her. “The dog was a present for Mom, but if she says we can all share, then that’s okay. But that means we share the responsibilities.”
“I know.” She spins around. “I helped Uncle Leo pick up Skye’s poop.”
“Are you going to help me name her?” Juliette asks Claud, who then squeals with delight.
“Let’s play with her first,” Claud begs.
Harrison takes the pup so he can get down on the floor with her, since Juliette can’t bend.
He gives her puppy rules, teaching her when it’s safe to pet her and setting boundaries, which she says she already knows from Skye.
When they’re all occupied with the puppy, I walk over to the picture wall, and I see there’s already a new one.
Two, in fact.
Rosa’s fast with the printing.
One is of all of us in the Hamptons from a few weeks ago. Leo must have sent her that, and the other one is of Nate, Skye, and me on theEndless Summer.
Nate set up his phone with the self-timer on the boat and then must have sent it off to Rosa, too.
I walk down the row, taking in the new ones from over the years that I missed last time I was here, and then I remember something.
I walk further down the line and stop when I see it.
Ahhh, this makes sense.
Rosa settles in next to me, and I point to the picture of Nate, Leo, Claud, and Skye. “Did you keep me from seeing Skye last time I was here?”
“Of course. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise.” She rubs my back. “It’s good to have you home, Madeline.”
“It’s good to be here. I missed everyone.” I turn back, looking around the room, at the love exuding from every corner of this house. “Terribly.”
Harrison, Nate, and Leo are on the floor playing with Claud, Skye, and the pup.
