Page 74 of The Snowball Effect

And that reaction – so normal, a little bit of color returning to Emma’s cheeks – gave Regan a rush of relief.

“No. It’s fine. We’re here. We’re finally here. Now, we just go in and… it won’t be so bad, probably,” Emma muttered as she returned her attention to the imposing Stepford-like home in front of them.

“It won’t be,” Regan assured her. “I’ll be here with you the whole time, running general interference. I’ll be the best buffer you’ve ever seen. When we go in there, we’re a team,” she promised. She didn’t hesitate as she offered Emma her hand. “Thom and Geri?”

Emma laughed, staring at Regan for a few seconds as she slid her fingers firmly and warmly between Regan’s. “Thom and Geri.”

twelve

Weird.

It was the only word Emma could properly think of to describe this evening.

So, soweird.

From the literal moment that Kimberly pulled the front door open when she and Regan were halfway up the winding walkway.

Her mom was dressed in a satin cocktail dress, and she waved at them exuberantly as she wore the widest smile. “Look at you two!”

“I thought you said my cocktail dress wasn’t appropriate tonight?” Regan whispered to her, laughter in her voice, as she squeezed Emma’s hand.

And it was that hand squeeze – warm, firm, coaxing – that kept Emma going. One foot in front of the other into the belly of the beast, so-to-speak.

“Oh, my Emma Bo Bemma,” Kimberly murmured. She hugged Emma as soon as she and Regan were on the porch, her arms bracketing Emma tightly. And she felt the way she always did when her mom hugged her – comforted yet deeply uncertain at the same time. A very disconcerting feeling.

She pulled back from their hug.

“Look at you!” Kimberly reached out and ran her fingers lightly over the collar of Emma’s shirt, then over the cotton fabric of the shoulders. “So sharp.”

“I thought the same thing,” Regan cut in from beside her, immediately snagging her mom’s attention.

“And Regan, just as cute as the last time I saw you.” Kimberly blessedly released Emma entirely and moved to pull Regan against her.

And Regan shot her a wink over her mom’s shoulder, which, bafflingly, loosened the knots in Emma’s stomach.

Regan let Kimberly hug her for entirely too long to be normal, and Emma’s stomach churned again, wondering… was this how long her mom wished she could have hugged her for? Only she knew Emma wouldn’t have liked it?

“Mom, you have to, like, let her breathe.” A voice commented from a few feet back.

Kimberly laughed as she pulled away from Regan, and all three of them looked toward the doorway.

And there they were.

Eva, Everly, and Ted, completing the perfect family that fit into this perfect home.

Emma wished she could disappear into the manicured hedges.

Kimberly clasped her hands as she stood in the gap between Emma-and-Regan and everyone else. “Regan, these are Emma’s sisters. Eva.” She pointed at the frowning preteen – atEmma’s sister– that had made the snarky comment, then at the younger, grinning girl. “And Everly.”

It always took Emma aback, seeing both Eva and Everly. Seeing these girls that looked like her – at least a little. Emma got her height and her build from her unknown father’s side ofthe family, but she shared the same features as these girls. It never failed to serve as a jarring feeling.

“And this is Ted, my husband,” she finished, taking a few steps toward the doorway before she paused and looked unsure if she should continue closing the distance to stand with her actual family or stand in the middle.

“Everyone, this is Regan, Emma’spartner,” she stressed the word, throwing a proudly beaming smile in Emma’s direction.

And she found herself smiling back, even though the movement felt awkward.

She never knew how to do this. How to greet her… family? These girls shared half of her DNA. When Emma looked at their little faces, she saw herself. And yet, she didn’t know what to do with that fact. She didn’t know what they thought when they saw her, either. She couldn’t imagine they loved her; they barely knew her.

---