“That’s about the size of it,” my dad said.
On the drive, we made casual conversation, avoiding the topic of Dad’s illness. He grilled Ty politely, but he stood up to it well, I thought. Every now and then, my mom caught my gaze in the rearview mirror, and she smiled with her eyes. A couple of hours later, we reached the Sharon city limits, and I was actually glad to be back.
“The Fourth is a big deal around here. They put on a huge fireworks show at the county fairgrounds. People drive an hour or more to see it,” I informed them.
“Wow,” Sam said, obviously impressed.
Part of me couldn’t believe Ty was here with me, meeting my parents, pulling into the driveway of the house where I grew up. But he was looking around the neighborhood with interest. “That’s a craftsman bungalow,” he noted. “Those are usually fantastic in terms of both design efficiency and elegance.”
“I can probably get Jay Oliver to let you see the place,” my dad offered. “He and I aren’t real close, but when he finds out you’re studying architecture, he’ll want to show the place off.”
That was definitely an olive branch; Ty grabbed it with both hands. “That’d be great.”
At the house, Rob was waiting in the living room. Lauren was there, too, and I hugged her until her spine popped. She looked so much brighter, no shadows in her eyes and an easy smile that told me she’d made the right choice, no matter what the world thought.
“You’re in summer school?” I asked.
“Yep. Most of my credits transferred. I’m basically a sophomore, but I’m happier in computers. I can do something useful, something concrete. There are still problems, of course. I’m the only girl in a lot of my online classes and you wouldn’t believe how much crap I get.”
“And you dish it right back.”
She grinned. “Hells yeah, I do. So tell me, is Courtney your new best friend?”
“Friend,” I said. “Not best. That’ll always be you.”
Lauren hugged me, and Rob watched us from across the room. The attention was surprising; I’d never seen him so focused, and there was something about his eyes—but when Ty came up behind me, I lost interest in my brother, who was way less compelling than the guy kissing my neck. He wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder. I recognized this tactic; though he didn’t realize it, he was using me as a shield while he figured out the family dynamics.
Sam climbed up on my dad’s knee. “Tell me a story.”
“What kind?”
“Something awesome.”
That could be interpreted a lot of different ways, but for my dad, the answer was obvious. He used to tell this one to Rob and me, but it was brand-new for Sam, and since it involved a runaway backhoe, I suspected the kid wouldn’t budge until the end. By the time he left Nebraska, Sam might be obsessed with heavy machinery.
My mom called from the kitchen, “Are you guys hungry?”
I glanced at Ty, who nodded. “Yeah, we could eat.”
She fixed a quick meal of soup and sandwiches while Rob added the leaf to the table, since he and Lauren were staying to eat. At Thanksgiving, there had been definite tension between my brother and me, but tonight, he was easy, smiling, as the rest of us talked. That was a relief, even as I wondered about the shift.
Though I was afraid it might be awkward, my parents made it easy for Ty and Sam. Ty’s major fascinated my mom, and my dad took him to see the craftsman bungalow, as promised. When they came back, Ty was glowing with enthusiasm; he and Rob had a good talk about the merits of various building methods. By the end of the first night, it was like Ty and Sam had always been part of the family. But then, my mom was good at that; it was one of the things I loved most about her. She had a gift for making people feel at home. When she used that talent for Ty and Sam, I had to hug her. She squeezed me back, seeming surprised.
Then she whispered, “I’m sorry for what I said before. It’s crystal clear to me that you’re happy with Ty. And Sam is adorable.”
Lauren went home around nine, and Rob left soon after; apparently, he’d moved out a few months back. I took Sam into the backyard to count fireflies. He was really wound up, and I imagined it might take some work to get him settled down. Focusing on the fireflies helped, though; they flickered against the night in golden sparks. Ty stood on the back porch, watching us, but he didn’t come out into the yard.
“No, like this,” I said quietly. “Be really slow and gentle.” I showed Sam how to cup his hands. “Because they’re beautiful and we don’t want to smash them.”
It took almost twenty tries before Sam got a firefly between his palms, and then he stared down in wonder. “Can we keep him?”
“No. If we put him in a jar, he’ll die.”
“I don’t want to hurt him.” Then he opened his hands and wriggled his fingers until the insect took off. Five feet over Sam’s head, the firefly lit up.
As if it was a signal, others glowed all over the backyard like tiny Chinese lanterns. Sam spun in a slow circle. “It’s really dark out here.”
“That means you can see the stars better. Look up.” Kneeling beside him, I anticipated his gasp of wonder.
Maybe Sharon’s not so bad after all.
“Wow,” Sam said.
“Let’s get you inside. I think you need a bath and a bedtime story. It’s almost ten.”
“But I’m not sleepy.”
Smiling, I ruffled his hair, and he slipped his hand into mine. I led him back to the porch, where his dad was waiting. Ty took over, and I listened to the welcome sound of them laughing, splashing around in the bathroom, while my dad whispered to my mother in the kitchen. Their voices sounded conspiratorial, but it didn’t raise my hackles. They were definitely talking about Ty and Sam, but not in a bad way.
Then my dad came out into the living room and sat down beside me. He switched off the TV without asking if I was watching it. “He’s not who I’d have chosen for you, but I want you to be happy, bean. Your mom’s been talking at me for a couple of months, reminding me that I wasn’t her mother’s first choice, either. So...I just want you to know, you have my approval, too, if that matters at all.”
A startled sound escaped me. I leaned over to hug him. “Of course it does.”
He patted me on the back, and I felt the faint tremor that ran through his arm. “If he hurts you, I can still kick his ass.”