Page 106 of The Night We Met

I look over my shoulder to see Mason and my dad standing in the driveway watching me with encouraging smiles. With a deep breath, I ring the doorbell and wait.

I wait for the past to smack me in the face.

I wait for the possible judgment.

The door opens and I hold my breath.

“Kamryn?” A girl a little younger than me asks.

“Angie? Is that you?” She surprises me with a crushing hug. I wrap my arms around her and her body relaxes, as does mine. I didn’t realize I was holding tension until my mind caught up with my body.

“Angie? Who’s at the door?” The question is distantly asked before it’s trailed off and a inhale is all I hear.

It’s like looking in a mirror when I see Liam’s dad standing in front of me. Had Liam lived, he would’ve looked just like his dad.

“Mr. Taylor,” I breathe out at a severe loss for words. The last time I saw them was almost fifteen years ago. While I spiraled, they had to keep moving for their other kids. I was young. I had no clue how to manage grief the right way. But what was the right way to grieve?

“Kamryn. Come in, please,” Angie steps back andallows for me to cross into the house. “You have turned into a beautiful woman.”

The back of my eyes burn with emotion, “Thank you.”

Walking into the house is surreal. Seeing it after all this time and I expect Liam to come barreling down the stairs. But the house is quiet and Liam is not going to come barreling down the stairs.

“Greg, who was at..the door? Kamryn?”

“Hi, Mrs. Taylor.”

The words are barely out before I’m crushed in her embrace. It’s such a difference from the last time I saw these broken parents. After greetings are exchanged in the foyer, I’m pulled to the living room. And it’s as if nothing has drastically changed in this space. I could just pretend that I didn’t lose my best friend.

We talk for what feels like days, when it’s only hours. I update the people that were a second family to me on my life after I moved to Cincinnati: my brand, Mason, and my kids. While they tell me they’ve been healing every day since, it's good to know that they’ve come to accept that Liam isn’t struggling anymore. I know the struggles of healing from loss.

“So what brings you home?” Greg asks.

“My parents. They’re celebrating their fortieth wedding anniversary. I thought what better time than to bring the kids and spend a week down here.”

A smile hits Susan’s face at the mention of my kids. “Tell us about your kids.”

My smile must mirror Susan’s because just the thought of talking about my kids makes me feel lighter. “Carsyn, she’s eight…going on twenty. She’s full of sass and the energy in her never drains. Then the twins, Hayden and William, were a complete surprise. Twins don’t run in our family, so naturally it sent Mason into overprotective mode. But it made me love him even more.” I don’t tell them middle names, or that William’s nickname is Liam, as I’m not sure how they would react to it. Before and after Liam died, I knew I wanted my kids to honor someone important to me. Liam was that someone.

My time at the Taylor’s comes to an end. They’ll be at my parents' anniversary party this weekend, so Susan promises we’ll have more time to catch up. With a few more hugs I’m out of their house and walking back across the street to my parents house. The sound of laughter greets my ears as Hayden runs to me when I walk into the living room.

“Hi baby girl. Are you having fun?” I tickle her neck with kisses and inhale her toddler smell. While Carsyn took after me for a while, she’s now all Mason. William keeps up with both of them, but Hayden is all me.

Walking over to the loveseat where Mason is sitting, I drop down next to him and swing Hayden around, placing her in the cradle of my legs. I catch my moms eye and a look of understanding passes us. Mason swings his arm over my shoulder and blows raspberry kisses on Hayden’s cheek.

Seeing Mason as a dad was a whole other experience. He was with me every step of the way. When I was craving something he got it for me instantly. If my back or feet were hurting, which was always, he always had a bath running for me when I came home from work. He took the load off of me before I even had the chance to carry it. I fell in love with him all over again.

“Are you okay?” Mason asks, keeping his voice low.

“Yeah. It was good seeing them,” And itwasgood seeing them. But they’re not the only ones I want to see, Mason knows that.

We flew in early for this particular reason.I wanted my visit with Liam to be early enough so that it wouldn’t put a damper on my time here. The kids don’t know about him. We’re not sure when or what to tell them.

I turn and our gazes clash. A look of understanding passes and he knows it’s time.

“Mom? Dad? We’re gonna head out.”

“The kids will be fine here sweetie. Take your time,” My dad tells me.

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