Page 72 of Convergence

“That’s so… I don’t know, tacky or something,” Everett said and joined him in line.

I giggled again. They looked at me with eyebrows raised. I laughed now.

“What?” Everett asked me. “What’s so funny?”

I looked around to see nobody looking at us and lowered the waistband of my new black sweatpants to show the thick white waistband of a pair of panties. “IheartNYC” printed on the waistband in the iconic font of all the tourist merchandise. Nate howled in laughter as he continued down the buffet. Everett shook his head, but a smile played on his lips.

Once we had landed in Tennessee, it was late in the evening, but we headed to Everett’s family farm. We still had no phones, so we hadn’t called ahead. Everett insisted they knew we were coming. We pulled up in a rented car to see a few cars in the driveway. One of which was Easton’s truck. Someone must have driven it back to him after we left it on our way to New York. I couldn’t even remember the name of the place we’d been before the helicopter ride. I had completely forgotten about the abandoned car. “No way,” Everett chuckled as he threw the car into park. I smiled as we got out of the car. Lights were on inside the farmhouse despite the late hour.

A woman burst out of the front door and barreled towards us. I assumed this to be Everett’s mom, and I choked on the breath I was taking. Nate put an arm around me as if he knew what I was feeling, seeing Ev and his mom reunite. The woman was shorter than Ev, but not short by any means. She was tall and strong and had his piercing blue eyes. He held on to her and buried his nose in her neck while she sobbed and prayed. It was minutes before she pulled away, wiped Everett’s eyes and her own, and then turned to us.

“Oh, sweethearts,” she said and ran to us, enveloping us in her arms. Her embrace with Nate and me was no less tight or heartwarming than the one she shared with Everett. I hugged her in return, and she smelled of warm hay and crisp apples. Before she left, I breathed her in. I looked up to see Everett shaking his dad’s hand and hugging Easton on the big porch. “Come inside. I’ve got a room ready for you.”

I looked at Nate, who shrugged in return.

“Yes, I know about you three. I won’t pretend to understand, but I’ll love you like my own anyway,” Mrs. Monroe said after seeing our exchange.

Everett heard her and came over to stand between Nate and me, his arms around us both. “Mama, Dad, this is Eva and Nate.”

“Welcome, home,” Mr. Monroe said. His gruff voice sounded sincere, and I saw where Everett got his voice.

We were ushered into the house, given glasses of iced tea, and offered supper. We had eaten our fair share at the buffet, so we declined the food to the frowned disappointment of Mrs. Monroe. She put out a tin of cookies and we each took one to make her happy.

“What are you doing here?” Everett asked Easton.

Easton smiled. “Mom and Dad deserve to know the truth about what I’ve been doing,” he explained. Mr. and Mrs. Monroe looked proudly at Easton. “And I couldn’t have my little brother being the only hero around here.”

“I don’t know about ‘hero,’” Everett scoffed. “I think we’re just labeled as ‘Not Guilty.’”

Easton shrugged like he knew something.

Mr. Monroe asked about what happened and we took turns telling the story. While it had taken me hours in the interrogation room with Agent Allen, it took all of fifteen minutes for us to tell the Monroes. They listened intently, asked only a few questions, then expressed their thankfulness for our being safe. It was a new feeling, to be listened to and respected, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Mrs. Monroe showed us to Everett’s old bedroom, where she had made up the bed and left towels and toiletries on the old desk. We stood in the bedroom after she left, alone for the first time since before we’d been arrested. Everett pulled us into a hug and kissed us both. Nate kissed me after.

“We’re free,” Nate said, closing his eyes.

“Do you guys still want… this? I would understand if you didn’t,” Everett asked, his voice hesitant. He backed away from us and sat on the edge of the full-sized bed, not making eye contact.

“What do you mean?” Nate asked, suspicious.

“I mean, did you two still want to be together, all three of us?” Everett clarified and swallowed.

“You’re a dumbass,” I said, my hands on my hips.

Ev’s head shot up and he looked at me with wide eyes.

“What she said,” Nate agreed and crossed his arms over his chest.

Ev rubbed the back of his neck. “I want you both to be sure.”

“I stand by my original statement: you’re a dumbass,” I repeated and pushed at his shoulder.

Nate chuckled.

“Alright, since that’s out of the way,” Everett said. His tone lightened, and he smiled at us. “What are we going to do now?”

“I don’t care. We’re staying together and that’s all I need to know,” Nate said and sat next to Everett on the blue quilt.

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