Page 47 of Take Me Home

“Alright, you two. Break it up,” Eli said, stepping between us. “Let’s settle it with a vote. Everyone votes so it’s not unfair.”

The vote fell in my favor, one of Darcy’s little cousins breaking the tie. Darcy gave her a death glare.

“Ellie! Whose side are you on?” she gaped.

“What? He got there first,” Ellie said, indignant. “You’re not supposed to lie, Darcy.”

“Yeah, Darcy,” I snarked. I turned to Ellie. “Thank you for your honesty.”

Darcy shook a finger at her. “I won’t forget this on your birthday, El.”

“Yes, you will,” Ellie laughed.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Darcy conceded, hugging the girl to her. “Any volunteers for a relief pitcher? I’m off my game today.”

The rest of the game passed without incident, with the final score being something outrageous like 19-15.

Though it would be a while before the sun fully set, the mountains that hugged the farm made darkness settle in sooner. Blackberry and peach cobbler was distributed, and Darcy’s cousins set up a campfire. One of them pulled out a guitar and started a sing-along of some American classics. S’mores were made, giggles and squeals of delight erupting whenever someone torched their marshmallow. The scent of bug spray hung in the air. Kids caught fireflies. It was such a happy, peaceful scene, an end to a truly perfect day. I got why Darcy was so attached to her family. They were pretty amazing, a combination of supportive and welcoming while still being goofy.

I settled into a conversation with Eli and a couple of Darcy’s cousins by the beer cooler. I watched as Darcy made sure all her elder relatives had a comfy chair and a blanket or sweatshirt for the evening’s damp cool. She’d added a WVU sweatshirt to her ensemble — traitorous to a Marshall student like me, but she looked cute and cozy. She gave me a wink as she popped into the cooler for a Coors Light, heading back to a blanket to sit with Brianna. I followed behind her after a few minutes, wanting to get in some face time.

“Something tells me you’re in good hands,” Brianna said to her as I sat.

“What’d I miss?” I asked.

“I was just telling Darcy that I think I’m leaving her in good hands. You think you can keep an eye on her for me?” Brianna asked.

“Who, me? Darcy doesn’t need my help. She’s tough,” I said, half-joking, half-serious. I picked at the label on my beer bottle, suddenly unsure of my words and where Darcy and I stood after the day. It felt like something had shifted, but I didn’t want to push my luck.

“Don’t let her fool you,” Brianna said. “She’s a softie in there.”

“I’m right here, y’all,” Darcy objected, her voice lazily annoyed.

“What? I need somebody to watch out for you and make sure you drink water and don’t work yourself to death,” Brianna said.

“That’s true. She does need that,” I said. “It’s a big job, but I think I can handle it.” I caught Darcy’s eye as I took a swig of beer. Brianna excused herself to the bathroom. Darcy looked away from me for a moment, but I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

“This was a perfect day, Darcy. Thanks for inviting me. Your family is awesome,” I said sincerely.

“Oh yeah? You fit right in. I’m glad you came,” she said. She closed her hand around mine on the blanket, giving it a warm squeeze. “Hey, you seemed kind of sad earlier when we were talking about family. You doing okay?”

I sighed, chewing the inside of my cheek. “Yeah. Just kind of homesick, I guess. Or maybe more like, homesick for a place that doesn’t exist anymore? It’s hard to describe,” I said.

Darcy stayed quiet, giving me room to talk. I flipped my hand over so our palms were together, fingers joining loosely. My throat went dry. I knew this was the place to tell her about my dad, but I didn’t think telling her at her family’s picnic was the right time. I felt close to her, and I trusted her with it. But people treated you differently when they knew you’d lost a parent young. I’d been quiet for a while, then gnawing on my lip. Darcy ran her thumb over mine, studying my face.

“What do you miss most about home?” she asked, her big doe eyes soft. I felt like she could see straight through me, understanding that there was some pain I was holding back.

“It’s no one memory, really. It’s just this bubble of love that we lived in. Our family of 5 was so tight. Stairstep kids, each of us a perfect two years apart. I pestered the shit out of my sisters, but to this day, we have each other’s backs. And my mom and dad loved each other so, so much. It was almost sickening. We knew they loved us as kids, but their love for each other was on another level. We knew Dad came first for Mom, and Mom came first for Dad. My dad said he didn’t need the sun to rise because my mom was the sunrise. The man should have been a poet instead of an attorney,” I said. Darcy smiled.

“That’s really sweet. I see how you got to be the way you are, Jake. You’re a sweet guy,” she said, meeting my eyes and not even blushing. I didn’t want her to ask the next question:when did it all fall apart?So I asked about her instead.

“It’s probably hard for you with your parents far away,” I suggested. There was some unspoken pain in what she said at lunch about her parents giving up on her getting married or having kids.

She nodded, dragging our hands closer to her. Her gaze stayed on our hands as she spoke. “It is. I was supposed to go see them in October, but I don’t think that’s happening now. Hard to feel homesick with all these wonderful people around, though.” She narrowed her eyes like she was thinking hard before looking back up at me. “The concept of home is one I’ve been struggling with since I’ve been back. I know it won’t be my childhood again. But I don’t know how I fit here as an adult. I want to fit. I love it here. But my home is gone. The farm was never home, just a piece of the puzzle. Like you said, homesick for a place that doesn’t exist anymore.”

Around the campfire, a fresh song’s opening chords hit on the guitar. Darcy’s face took on a girlish glow.

“Come on,” she said, jumping to her feet and offering a hand to pull me up. “You can’t miss this.”

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