Then he sauntered out the bedroom door, leaving me gaping behind him.
Forty minutes later, I pulled into the driveway at my mother’s house. Kayla’s car was already there, and I quickly went to the back and unbuckled Kayden. I set him on the ground, taking his hand as we headed up the walkway. He trotted along at my side, pointing at the house. “We go Gammy’s house? I get Auntie Kaywa? I get bwekfast?”
His sweet little slur traveled on the morning air, his adorable face tipped up toward me as we went, and I thought I might feel lighter than I ever had before. This hope that had come seeping out from the walls where I’d shored it away, filling me up, a faith as bright as the sun that had begun to climb the sky.
All while there was a brand-new pressure gliding through my bloodstream. It felt as if I were carrying a new burden. One that was faceless and obscure. One that Ryder had entrusted me with without giving it a name.
It left me unsettled and unsure, a sour dread that festered in my stomach, but the one thing I was sure about was Ryder, so I pushed it down and promised myself that I wasn’t going to allow my imagination to get carried away.
Resolved to let Ryder handle it the way he’d asked me, I gave a quick knock to the door before I turned the knob, finding it unlocked.
“Hello!” I called as we stepped into my childhood home that I loved so much.
I could almost feel the memories hovering like ghosts in the room. Vestiges of voices that still whispered and embraced.
My mother’s support and belief. The way she’d encouraged and whispered her faith into her children, gave us the confidence to pursue anything we wanted. The way she’d so patiently taught me everything I knew.
The love and hard work that she’d instilled.
A giggle that I recognized as my sister’s rolled from the kitchen. At the sound of us entering, she showed in the entryway, sipping from a mug of coffee. Her brown hair that was a shade lighter than mine was done in a long braid, and she smiled softly as we entered.
Kayden bounced on his toes. “Auntie Kaywa, I see you!”
Kayla let go of the softest laugh, so much affection in it that I could feel it travel through the air. “I see you, too, my sweet boy. I’ve been missing you.”
“I miss you!” He grinned that dimpled grin and pointed at her with his chubby finger. He started hopping her way, making froggy sounds as he went.
A giggle slipped from her, and she sent me a knowing smile just as our mother came to stand at her side, using a hand towel to dry her hands.
“Well, what do we have here?” Mom asked, forever playing along.
“I a fwoggy!”
“The cutest froggy I ever did see.”
Welcome covered her expression, her love for us so fervent it might as well have hung on the wall with the rest of the pictures.
Mom’s attention landed on me.
“Good morning. How are you today?”
Yeah, there was worry there, too. No question, my mother had picked up on the fact that I was distraught yesterday evening. I’d barely been able to eat, and I’d been fighting tears through the entire meal.
The difference one night could make.
“I’m feeling much better this morning. I guess I just needed a good night’s sleep.”
Okay, I’d slept all of two hours.
But I felt alive.
Awake.
Running on the remnants of Ryder’s touch.
“That’s good,” she said, though I could tell she was still appraising.
“We get bwekfast?” Kayden’s question distracted from whatever she’d been about to ask, and he patted his belly before he lifted his arms for Kayla to pick him up, bouncing on his knees like he was contemplating jumping into her arms. “Auntie hungee?”
She set her mug aside and picked him up. “Starving.”
“That’s good because it’s just about ready,” Mom said, still eyeing me.
I gave her a bright smile, praying I could keep my nerves settled and I wouldn’t slip and say something I couldn’t.
The scent of bacon wafted through the air, mixed with the aroma of dough and sugar and frosting—a smell that could only mean cinnamon rolls.
“Well, I’m definitely hungry,” I said.
“Since you ate three bites of your dinner last night, I can only imagine why.”
I waved her off as I treaded deeper into her house. “It’s been a long week and I was tired last night. I’m fine. Really.”
The door suddenly burst open behind me, and Cody came striding through.
Anxiety blistered across my flesh, reddening my neck and cheeks. There was no way to stop it.