25
MADDIE
I was in the middle of going over the merchandise list for Soulbeat when the sound of footsteps reached my ears. From his perch on the doggy bed next to the patio table where I was working, Sheldon lifted his head and angled his ears.
That's how I knew it wasn't Adam coming over for an impromptu visit. It was stupid how I was a little sad at that since I had seen him just this morning. But I was quickly realizing that however much time I was spending with him, wouldn't be enough.
There were still so many things about him that I didn't know. Things I wanted to ask about.
"Auntie Maddie!" Tommy squealed. I had about a second to brace myself before his little body slammed into mine.
I squeezed him tight. "This is a nice surprise.
" Over his shoulder, I noticed my sister approaching with caution in her steps.
We'd never really done the spontaneous drop-ins.
My heart contracted a little when I thought about all the things we'd missed out on because I had purposely closed myself off to them .
Jennah wiggled her fingers in a small wave. "I hope it's okay?" she asked jerking her head toward Tommy hopping onto my lap. "He's been begging to come since yesterday."
"Geez, kid, what have you been eating?" I poked him in the ribs earning me happy peals of laughter. "You're heavy." Shifting my attention to my sister, I gave her a genuine smile. "It's more than okay. I'm happy you're here."
The relief that washed over her face at my words quickly turned to curiosity as she scanned my backyard—spending a few seconds extra on the house next door.
"I thought we could discuss Mom's birthday since we didn't get to it the other night." Jennah slipped onto one of the chairs and eyed my computer. "Unless you're busy?"
With a shake of my head, I closed my laptop. "Not busy at all." I tried to shift in my seat, but my nephew's butt-bones dug into my legs. I jabbed his ribs again. "You need to stop growing because you're getting way too big to sit on me."
Tommy tilted his curly head backward and beamed. "Mom says I'm getting big and strong now because I'm eating my vegetables."
I widened my eyes. "Say what now? You're actually gobbling up your veggies?"
He nodded his little head vehemently and Jennah laughed softly. "Well," I drawled. "Because you are so big and strong , you might break my legs." I made a show of that being the worst news; clutching my chest and looking toward the sky. "What am I going to do without my legs? "
If I thought my little performance was going to amuse the seven-year-old sitting on me, I was dead wrong.
Tommy rolled his hazel eyes. "Girls are so dramatic.
" As quickly as he got on, he slid off my lap.
"I'm going to go play with Sheldon." Smacking his lips and patting his leg, he lured my dog to the grass where a game of chase immediately ensued.
"I swear." Jennah shook her head. "He is not even a teenager, but he sure is acting like one."
My gaze flicked to hers. "At least he's not bringing girls home yet."
My sister let out a tortured groan. "Oh please, no. I can't even."
"Do you remember when Casey wanted to take you out for a milkshake, and you told him he had to pick you up at home?"
Jennah covered her face with her hands, shoulders shaking with silent laughter.
"That was so bad," she mumbled from behind her palms. "Dad cleaned his freaking shotgun right there on the porch.
" Eyes that reminded me so much of my own peeked at me through her fingers.
"Casey asked Tabatha Collins out the next day. "
Laughter burst out of both us, and I couldn't remember a time where Jennah and I had ever been like this. Which made me all the more thankful for this moment and the opportunity to rebuild the relationship we should've had .
When the happy sounds that were long overdue finally ebbed, I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "I have wine if you'd like some."
My sister's eyebrow slowly climbed toward her hairline. "You drink wine now?"
"Nope." I shuddered. "I still think it's nothing more than rotten grapes."
"Ohhhkay. Then why do you have it?"
"Funny story." I stood from my chair and motioned for her to follow me into the house. Once in the kitchen, I handed my sister the bottle and filled her in on how it ended up in my possession.
I tried to keep my voice and face even as I spoke about Adam, but judging by the huge grin on Jennah's face, I knew I was failing miserably. That in itself was somewhat troublesome. If I was having a hard time keeping emotion off my face, I was in way deeper than I thought.
"And when are we meeting the mysterious man?" my sister inquired after her wine was poured and we were back on the patio.
A visual of how uncomfortable Adam had been in front of Mr. Stevenson flashed before me. "I don't know," I told her honestly. He might not have opened up to me, but from the things he wasn't saying, I knew that Adam's scars ran a lot deeper than the ones I could see.
Tommy's laughter drew our attention to him where he was lying flat on his back on the grass with Sheldon furiously licking at his face.
"Maybe you can invite him to Mom's birthday bash?" Jennah quietly said from beside me.
My gaze flicked to the house next door. Perhaps there was the slightest chance that he'd go with me. The thought alone made me feel giddy. Shifting in my seat, I eyed my sister. "Speaking of…there won't be a party to invite him to if we're not planning it."
With a quick tilt of her head, she brought her glass to her lips and took a delicate sip.
"So, I was thinking." She set the glass down and ran her thumb and index finger up and down the stem.
"We could do it at the community center.
Maybe have fifty balloons drop on her when she walks through the door. "
My sister kept coming up with new ideas. Every one better than the previous one. The little details she thought of and how she could envision the layout and which colors would go where. All of it amazed me. She amazed me.
"What?" she asked when I simply stared. Her hand shot to her chin, furiously wiping over her skin. "Do I have wine dripping from my chin?"
I shook my head. "You missed your calling, Jen. You should totally be doing this for a living."
Her cheeks flushed, and I knew it had nothing to do with the wine she was drinking. "I don't know. It seems irresponsible to chase after this now. I have Tommy to think about. Securing his future is the most important thing for me."
Reaching for her hand, I covered it with mine and squeezed. "You're a good mom and I know you're giving him the best you can. But you deserve to be happy too. You could always do this on the side. See how it goes."
I could practically see her wheels turn, and it filled me with warmth to think she was really considering this.
We spent the next three hours planning our mother's party and chatting about anything and everything. By the time I walked her to her car, I was genuinely sad to see her go.
When Tommy was secured in the backseat, Jennah surprised me by spinning around instead of sliding behind the wheel. She launched herself at me, wrapping me up in her arms. The crushing hug she was giving me had a gigantic lump forming in my throat.
"I'm so happy we got to do this today," she breathed into my hair. The slight trip in her voice betraying her emotions.
My arms around her tightened. "Me too, Jennah." I swallowed and swallowed, but the lump refused to go down. The backs of my eyes stung, and my nose burned with the tears I was holding in.
After way too many years, I finally had my sister back.