a hard time. Her baby girl is back and she wants it to still feel like its home for you.” He chuckled and I leaned forward to keep hugging him. I put my head on that perfect spot between his shoulder and chest where it fit snuggly. He brought his hand up and smoothed it down my hair. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing Dad, I just missed you that’s all.” I leaned back and gave him a reassuring smile. Then, hearing my Mom coming down the steps, we both looked up. She and I looked like sisters. Everyone loved Tessa Tucker. She was part of the quilting group in town and everyone said hello when she passed them in the street. My Mom was very caring, gentle, and had little laughter lines around her mouth and by her eyes because she was forever smiling.
“Emilyn, oh honey how I’ve missed you!” Mom came over and hugged me while I was still in my Dad’s arms so that it became a group hug. She kissed the top of my head and was about to say something else when the front door flew open. We all let go of each other just as Harper came in and saw us all.
“Two things”, she said holding two fingers up in the air. “Hooker, why haven’t you called or texted me yet? And why wasn’t I invited in this gross display of The Partrich Family love?” She was grinning ear to ear as she ran over and hugged all three of us. We just laughed at her. My parents were used to Harpers crude mouth and they didn’t fault her for it.
My Mom pulled away first and started making her way into the small galley style kitchen, while my Dad turned around and made a beeline for his old green recliner that he’s had for the past twelve years. Mom yelled, asking me if I was thirsty for anything, but I told her I was fine, and that Harper and I were going to head up to my bedroom to get settled before we headed out for the night.
The stairs going up to my room still creaked in the same places that they always had; something which made it almost impossible to sneak out at night when I was in high school.
Almost. I’d still had my ways.
The walls on the stairs held the same framed pictures of me from the time I was in preschool until I graduated. I still got embarrassed when people saw them, especially the ones from third until about six grade. If I said Harper went through a gangly phase, you should have seen me! I had glasses that covered the whole top half of my face, and braces. Oh and on a special night, you could have caught me with headgear before I went to sleep. I was definitely a nerd.
Harper walked in and collapsed on the bed that is still covered in an all white quilt. I followed in behind her setting my suitcase by my dresser. I walked over to the bed and sat down next to her and looked around the open space. I had those cushioned girly looking pin boards hanging up with photos of family vacations, and throughout junior high and high school Harper and I had pinned on them. Some spots that had at one time held pictures of Finn, were now empty spaces because, I’d taken them down at Weston’s request. I’d explained that Finley and I were still friends and so I didn’t see any reason to take them down, but I think he could see right through me. He knew my history with Finn, and wouldn’t take much to see that I had other reasons for keeping them up. It had physically hurt when I unpinned them and put them in a plastic storage bin. They didn’t go too far though because I’d kept the bin under my bed so I could pull them out if I was feeling the need for an emotional beat down.
I used to think it wasn’t normal for me to still feel the way I did about Finn after so many years. But as almost a decade had passed and the hurt was still just as strong, I’d just learned to cope with it. I guess in a way I’d numbed the part of my heart that would always be his. I felt that familiar ache if I heard his name, or if I passed by someplace that held