“I tried texting you,” he says as he walks toward me, voice lower now. “I didn’t want to just show up, but… I was worried.”
Guilt settles low in my chest.
“Sorry,” I say. “I’ve been busy. My sisters are coming tomorrow, and I’m trying to get everything ready.”
The timer goes off downstairs, sharp enough to break the moment, and Aiden turns without hesitation, heading toward the stairs. Nathan follows after him, leaving me alone with Finn as the house fills again with the quiet sounds of movement below.
“I didn’t mean to barge in on whatever’s going on here,” Finn says, and there’s a tightness underneath the words that makes me soften a little.
“You’re not barging in,” I tell him. “They’re helping me out. Aiden is using my oven. He is baking for the farmer’s market, and he needs all the help he can get. It’s a lot of work.”
“Aye,” he says, a small smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. “The famous bread maker.”
I laugh, the tension easing slightly.
“Did you need something from me?” I ask.
His eyes meet mine then, the frustration fading into something quieter, more vulnerable. “I kissed you, and then I didn’t hear from you. I’ve been spiraling a bit.”
I reach for his arm, my fingers curling lightly around it.
“I’m sorry,” I say. “I didn’t mean to ignore you.”
He covers my hand with his, warm and steady, and for a moment neither of us speaks.
I rise onto my toes and press a small kiss to his cheek.
“Thank you for helping with the bed,” I murmur. “That was really kind of you.”
His breath leaves slowly, his expression easing as he nods.
“Aye, anything for you, lass.”
Twenty-four hours later, I’m driving into the Newport Municipal Airport with my heart beating faster than I expected.
George let me leave work early so I could make it here on time, and I spent the entire drive telling myself to calm down, that it’s just my sisters, that I’ll see them in a matter of minutes. But the closer I get, the more the excitement builds, settling warm and restless in my chest. I didn’t realize how much I’ve been missing them until now.
I park and step out, the wind carrying that familiar coastal chill across the small lot. The sound of engines hums in the distance, and when I look toward the runway, I see the charter plane already sitting there, sleek and polished against the blue sky.
Of course they’re arriving like VIPs.
I start walking, shielding my eyes against the light reflecting off the tarmac, and I spot them stepping down from the plane one after the other. Even from this distance, they’re unmistakable. April moves first, animated and bright, her energy impossible to contain. June follows behind her, slower, more reserved, her bag slung over her shoulder.
April turns her head, scanning the area, and the second she spots me, she lifts both arms.
“May!”
Her voice carries across the runway, and then she’s running toward me, laughing like we’re kids again, like she hasn’t seenme in years instead of months. I barely have time to brace myself before she crashes into me, arms wrapping tight around my shoulders.
The impact nearly knocks the breath out of me, but I laugh into her hair, holding her just as tightly.
“Oh my God, I’m so happy to see you,” she says, her voice shaky with emotion. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I missed you too,” I murmur, squeezing her again.
June reaches us a second later, and suddenly all three of us are tangled together in the middle of the runway, laughing and holding on like none of us wants to let go first. April’s eyes are glossy when she pulls back, her face bright and emotional, and I feel something settle in my chest at the simple reality of having them here.
For a moment, it feels like nothing has changed.
