Page 126 of Haunted

Her chin wobbles, but her lips form a smile. “We would love that.”

“Can I bring Goodie with me?”

Again, another question in her eyes when she looks at me.

“I don’t think—”

I cut Luca off. “It’s her pet hamster.” I’ll tell them later about the dangers of Goodie’s nibbles.

“He can definitely come with you,” Dad answers.

“And I can call you Grandma and Grandpa?”

This time it’s Dad who smiles. “Of course.”

“Okay.” She smiles at them, and I watch as it melts both of my parents’ hearts, just as I knew it would.

They step back into the house and Mom gestures for us to follow. “Please, come in. There’s so much we want to know.”

I look at Luca with a smile, one he returns. Relief floods through me; I’m eternally grateful this visit is going the way I had hoped.

We step inside, and I’m engulfed by my childhood memories. I’m glad to see not much has changed since I left. There’s only one thing missing that would make this day perfect.

“Where’s Teresa?” I ask Mom anxiously, then look around for her.

“She’s at tennis practice.” She looks down at the gold watchon her wrist. “She should be back soon.” She smiles sadly. “She’s going to be so happy to see you.”

My chest aches, because as much as I missed my parents, I missed Teresa more. She’s not only my sister, but she was my best friend too.

Mom leads us to the kitchen and flits around the room, asking if we want something to drink or eat. Luca and I decline the offer of food but accept a glass of lemon water. Aria gets a glass of apple juice and happily takes the bowl of blueberries Mom holds out to her.

“They were your mom’s favorite when she was a little girl,” Mom says in a melancholy voice.

“Really?” Aria asks, interest lighting her eyes.

Mom laughs. “Yes. We had to hide them from her or she’d eat them all in one sitting.”

Aria giggles and pops one into her mouth.

We sit for a while and just talk. I end up taking Aria to the living room to watch one of Teresa’s and my old Disney movies, so we can all talk without her hearing. Mom and Dad recognize the limitations on what we can say with Aria in the room. When I tell them what Theo did, which resulted in my coma, Mom completely breaks down. I immediately shut her down when she tries blaming Dad and herself. It may have been their decision to push me away when I told her Luca and I were getting married, but what Theo did was in no way their fault. Then the guilt came of them not looking hard enough for me. I took that away too. The last they knew, Luca and I were leaving town. They had no reason to search the local hospitals.

I can see the anger on Dad’s face growing with each new revelation of Theo’s deception. I’m worried he’ll place some of the blame at Luca’s feet since he’s his brother, so I’m shocked when he thanks Luca.

“You saved our girl and brought her back to us,” he says gruffly.

Luca looks Dad straight in the eye and says with conviction, “I’ll always save her, sir. I love her with every single part of me.”

The last of Dad’s reservations toward Luca break away. I see it when he reaches across the table and offers his hand to Luca again, and it’s reaffirmed when Dad mutters, “Welcome to the family.”

I turn into a blubbering mess again. I hug Dad and whisper my thanks in his ear. His own eyes are teary when I pull back.

I’m just about to get up and go check on Aria when I hear a door slam. My heart races because I know it could only be one person.

“Mom, Dad!” I close my eyes when I hear her musical voice. “Did you know there’s a little girl in the living room watching TV?”

My back is facing the doorway, but I know she’s now in the room. I open my eyes and they meet Luca’s. He knows how much I’ve missed my sister.

I take a deep breath, and with my heart in my throat, I get up and turn around.

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