Page 100 of In Good Company

Every step toward the door feels heavy. I was hoping they’d be asleep. I haven’t even looked at myself in the mirror, but I’m sure it’s obvious I’ve been crying. I wouldn’t be surprised if my eyes are puffy and my face is splotchy from all the tears.

I’m so emotionally and mentally drained I won’t even be able to pretend I’m okay if one of them were to ask.

I reach to unlock the front door, but the moment I grab the handle, I realize it’s already unlocked. I guess if they’re still awake, they haven’t gotten around to locking it yet.

I push the door open and am immediately hit with the sound of my mom’s laughter.

I pause in the doorway, wondering if I’m hearing things. I haven’t heard my mom laugh like that in ages.

Another laugh from her fills the silence as I take a cautious step inside. Voices come from the kitchen, but I’m too far away to see who it is. It sounds like it might be more than just my mom and dad, but I can’t be sure.

Quietly, I shut the front door behind me. I don’t want to interrupt whatever is happening in the kitchen. It’s been so long since my mom laughed like that, and I don’t want to risk stopping her.

I slip off my shoes and leave them by the front door. I keep my footsteps light as I walk toward the sound of laughter and voices.

The smell of garlic and tomato hits me the closer I get. It smells amazing but makes me curious. None of the meals I pre-prepared should smell like this.

I turn the corner and stop in my tracks at the sight in front of me.

Mom and Dad sit at the kitchen table with warm, bright smiles on their faces. Their bodies are angled toward the small kitchen island, their focus on the man plating what looks to be chicken parmesan.

Cal.

For a moment, I don’t move, wondering if I’m seeing things. I cried so hard at the store, is it possible I’d fallen asleep in the chair? Maybe I’m dreaming. He wears a pale blue button-up with the sleeves rolled up, and his attention is on trying to perfectly plate the food, giving me a few seconds to figure out if this is all in my head.

“Lucy!” Mom calls, and I swear the tightness in my chest loosens the smallest amount at the happiness in her voice.

Cal looks up, his entire body going still as our eyes meet.

I let out a gasp the moment our eyes connect.

He’s here.

He’s real.

“Cal,” I whisper, unsure if he can even hear me. I’m so shocked at seeing him standing in my kitchen that I can barely get words out.

And for the first time in two weeks, I’m able to take a deep breath because the man I’m completely in love with steps around the small island and takes a step toward me. His lips turn up in a cautious smile.

“Baby,” he rasps.

I don’t give him a chance to say anything else.

My bag and keys fall to the floor as I close the distance between us. Trusting he’ll catch me, I launch my body at his and pull him close to me.

He’s ready. My arms wrap around his neck as his wraparound my middle. I tuck my face into the crook of his neck and take a deep inhale, trying to figure out if I’m dreaming.

“Are you really here?” I ask, my words muffled against his skin.

His body shakes with the hint of a laugh. “I’m here.”

I bury my face deeper into the crook of his neck as my arms tighten around him. I savor the feeling of his embrace, something I was terrified I’d never experience again.

My dad clears his throat from the table, reminding me that we aren’t alone.

I let out a nervous laugh as Cal gently sets me back on the ground. We separate, but only barely. I make sure to grab his hand as I pull my eyes from him to my parents, needing some kind of contact just to prove to myself that he’s actually here.

Although it was my dad who cleared his throat—a smile still, surprisingly, on his lips—it’s my mom who speaks up.

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