It’s ironic, considering I haven’t felt alive until now.
“Tell us more,” Dad says, and the wobble in his voice has my heart aching. “Are you working? Are you happy?”
I nod slowly. “Yeah, I work at a diner called Daisy’s. Luca—he’s a friend of mine… and uh…” I duck my head, my throat closing up.
“Luca was the man Damien was with after Theo,” Hunter says, saving me like always. “He got away too. They both survived Damien, and now they’re helping each other heal.”
We are, aren’t we? In some ways, maybe. My heart warms. God, we really are. At the very least, he’s helping me. “Yeah,” I croak out. “Luca lives here. In Silverpine, and he invited me to come visit, and then I met Hunter.”
Hunter does another slow sweep of my spine, and I relax some in his warm embrace.
“Anyway,” I say. “Luca works at Daisy’s too, and he got me a job. It’s just part-time right now, but that’s for the best, really. My mental health is kinda all over the place.”
I can practically feel Hunter’s frown. “You’ve been doing really well lately, sweetheart. Don’t discount your progress.”
He’s right, of course. I nod before looking up at Mom and Dad. “It was rough there for a while… Some days I didn’t think I’d even make it through the day. But now I’m on an antidepressant, and it helps a lot. So does my community.”
Mom smiles. “I’m so happy you have that. Do you have room in your community for a couple more?”
Her expression is hopeful, and so is Dad’s. My throat is raw and tight when I whisper a choked-off “Please.”
We talk for hours. About Damien and what happened to me with him—which brings some tears, for them and for me—about my life after, and my depression. How Hunter and I connected.
Mom and Dad fill me in too. The people they’ve met and the places they’ve visited. How much they’ve missed me and how much they’ve wanted to hear from me.
By the time Millie comes home with enough groceries for a small army, we’re all cried out, and Hunter is showing them all the candid photos he’s taken of me since I got here.
I didn’t even know most of them existed. He’s got me riding on Molls and me playing with Lila in the fields, snuggling with my baby chickens. Me with my head thrown back, laughing at something Luca said.
Then more. Me sleeping peacefully beside him in bed. Me turning back to look at him the day he taught me how to ride the four-wheeler, my eyes shining.
I think Mom and Dad see the same things I see. Me. Full of life and in love. And the way that Hunter captures me reminds me of what I saw in the mirror that night. Looking at myself through his eyes is something beautiful and rare.
Millie introduces herself with a smile, and Mom excuses herself to go help cook dinner.
My heart swells as Hunter and my dad talk like they’ve known each other forever, laughing as Dad tells him cute Theo-isms from my childhood.
I close my eyes, resting my cheek against Hunter’s shoulder.
I’m safe. I’m happy. And for the first time in over a decade, I get to sleep under the same roof as my parents. I get to sit around the table and eat a meal with them. I get to exist in their world.
And that I get to do it with Hunter by my side makes me feel like the luckiest man alive.
Mom
I hope you had a good day at work. We can’t wait to visit again.
I smile at my phone as I lean against the wall at the diner. We’ve been slow today, which doesn’t bother me much.
Luca sent Deb home hours ago, and now it’s just me, him, and Arlo.
Me
I’m still here for now, but I’ll call you when I get home. I love you.
Mom
I love you too. Can’t wait to be back in the same town as you.
