Page 5 of Forever Mine

I was just closing my trunk when someone called from behind me, “Dakota, is that you?”

I nearly jumped out of my skin until I saw Dr. Kiley, one of the doctors who typically worked the ICU floor standing a few feet away. He was pushing an empty cart like he was heading into the store.

“Dr. Kiley? I didn’t expect to see you here.”

He waved his hand. “Oh, my main house is out of the city. I usually stay in my apartment during the week, but I need to get away, you know?”

I mean, sort of? I was sure plenty of the doctors had other houses, but we were barely out of the city here. I guess the houses were a little bigger, and most of them had yards. Did Dr. Kiley have children? I couldn’t remember.

“Well, I’ll let you go. I just wanted to say hi.”

I smiled. “Have a good night, Dr. Kiley.”

The doctor waved and then walked away from me. I shook my head. What a weird night.

The car felt empty without Jay, and even Beck and Riley. I hated this. I just wanted the two parts of my life to be melded into one. I wanted Jay to be part of my family. He was scared of what my parents would think of him, but he had nothing to be worried about. My mom had always been the neighborhood mama, taking in all the kids in the area, making sure they had food in their bellies and a safe place to stay. Mine and my siblings’ friends were over all the time, some practically living with us. My dad took to leaving the folding chairs in the laundryroom because you never knew who’d show up for dinner. It was just the way we were. My mom would see that lost, hopeless look in Jay’s eyes and immediately want to hug him and feed him some soup. He had his family in Beck and Riley, but I was desperate to make him a part of mine.

By the time I turned into my parents’ neighborhood, I forgot all about the weird store trip. I was home. I went through a rebellious stage right after high school where I wanted to get away from my smothering parents and my busybody siblings, so I applied and went to college across the country. It lasted a semester. I just missed home too much. I transferred to the local college and had stayed close ever since. My two older sisters might’ve been overbearing and overprotective, but not having them a quick drive away, or dealing with a three-hour time difference was too much.

I pulled into my parents’ narrow gravel driveway, right behind my brother-in-law Ezra’s Jeep. I hadn’t even turned the car off yet, and I was already feeling ten times better. I noted that my sister Nora’s Pathfinder was parked on the dead grass that passed for Mom and Dad’s lawn. They tried, they really did, but both my parents had black thumbs and nothing survived once they touched it, even grass. My dad would always just shrug and say, “We kept five kids alive and healthy, it would be too much to expect us to keep a damn plant alive too.”

I shut my car off and made my way to their front porch. The house was old; Mom inherited it from her parents, but my brother Declan and I helped Dad repaint it just last year, and the bright blue porch made it look much newer. I scanned the yard for Dec or his fiancée Amari’s car but didn’t see it. I guessed they weren’t here yet. Good, I wouldn’t be the last one to show up.

I hadn’t even touched the door handle of the screen door when the inside one flung open, my nieces, Bridget’s kids, smiling up at me.

“Uncle Dakota!”

I walked through the door, unable to hide my smile as I brought the two kids into a hug and kissed their heads. “Hi girls, how are you?”

The older one, Molly, pouted at me. “Mom says I’m too young for a phone. Tell her she’s wrong.”

I looked up at the ceiling, just stopping an eye roll. Yeah, I wasn’t doing that. I learned that Bridget didn’t listen to anyone besides herself when I was around five, and I’d never told her she was wrong since.

“If your ma says you’re too young, then that’s that. Besides, I agree with her. You’re only nine.”

Molly rolled her eyes. “Whatever.” She huffed off, and I turned to her five-year-old sister. “Hi, Gemmy, is your sister giving your ma a hard time?”

Gemmy nodded with all the seriousness a five-year-old could muster. “Yeah. She’s always yelling.”

I smiled softly. “Just wait till she’s a teenager.” Gemmy’s eyes widened, horrified. I didn’t blame her. Bridget was a real joy in her teenage years and Molly was just like her. I was glad I was just the fun uncle and could easily send them back to their parents.

“Where’s Grandma?”

Gemmy pointed to the kitchen. “She’s in the kitchen with Aunt Nora and Uncle Leo. They’re making soda bread!”

I grinned. “I’m gonna go say hi. Why don’t you go play?”

“Okay!” Gemmy ran off down the hallway, probably to the bedroom/playroom my parents set up for the grandkids.

I spotted my nephew, my sister Nora’s kid, Henry, sitting on the couch playing the Nintendo Switch. “Hey, Henry,” I called out. “Hi,” he mumbled without ever looking up. That was as good as I would get from him, so I just moved on to the kitchen.

Sure enough, Mom was in the kitchen cooking with Nora and Leo. Well, Leo and Mom were cooking while Nora sat at the table and rubbed her massive belly and drank lemonade.

“Hi!” I called out.

Mom turned toward me, a big smile on her face. “Dakota, darling.” She put down her spoon and came over to give me a big hug and kiss.

“Hi, Ma.”

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