Magnolia
FEbrUARY
Main Street hasn’t changed one bit.
Copper Ridge was blanketed in a fresh layer of snow last night. Most of the shops are still working to open on time. The owners are shoveling to clear the street, sprinkling a dusting of salt to prevent anyone from slipping.
My eyes grow heavy, and I let out an exaggerated yawn.
“Need to stop at the cafe for a latte?” Lukas asks.
I close my eyes, mumbling a soft, “no,” as I lean my head on his shoulder.
I thought I would have slept on the flight, but the anticipation for this weekend, for the stretch of days back home where I’ll get to see everyone I care about getting together to celebrate Ivy’s birthday, left me too excited to get any real sleep.
I dozed in and out, much like I have been on the ride from the city back home, and as much as I would love to stop for a cup of coffee, I want to step foot at the Hart’s property more than that.
“You can just make a pot of coffee once we get to your parents’ house,” I tease, leaning my weight against his body. Lukas flicks on the blinker, and even with my eyes closed, I can tell we’re taking the turn from the main highway onto Hart Road.
Lukas slows, lifting one hand off the wheel and draping it over my shoulder to pull me closer to him, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “I’ll make you whatever you want, baby.”
“What time is the party again?”
“Sometime after lunch. Ivy is taking her morning nap right now. We’ll finish getting everything ready at the farmhouse, and whenever she wakes and they get ready, Candi and Rick will bring her over.”
Lukas and I have video chatted almost every time he has Ivy. He often hands her the phone, and she smiles at me through the camera before I can see her little fingers tapping and swiping at the screen, her mind trying to figure out why the phone is talking to her.
She smiles at me often, but there is a pain in my chest, knowing that her and I aren’t close. Not the way I want to be. Not the way we would be if I lived in town. “I talked to Nana yesterday; my parents will be bringing her over around one.”
“That should be perfect, then.”
The driveway to our old farmhouse appears on the right, and a wave of mixed emotions runs through me. Happy ones, memories of the times we’d sneak out there as teenagers, first to explore the old house, and then to hide out from our families.
There’s a hint of sadness, too, knowing that the house has been abandoned for so long.
With the record snow falls this winter, the driveway is completely snowed in.
Clumps of snow weigh down the branches of the trees that line the drive, and it looks like a few of them have snapped with the weight, and my heart sinks.
“I was hoping we could check out the old house this trip, but it looks like that’s out of the question. ”
“We sure got a lot of snow, didn’t we?” he adds.
I nod, my head twisting to stay with the driveway even as the truck rolls past. “When’s the last time you’ve been out there?”
“Ummm…” He pauses to think. “I pop out there every now and then.”
I expect him to add more, but when he doesn’t, I assume that it’s not good news. An abandoned house often starts to deteriorate when no one lives in it. It was in a frail state when we would spend our time there ten years ago. I can’t imagine what another ten years have done to it.
“Someday, we’ll go back there, baby,” he says, squeezing my knee.
“I hope so,” I whisper, turning back to him. “You’ve been promising me a future there since we were kids.”
The corner of his lip twitches at that. “And that’s a promise I’ll never break to you, baby.”
We pass the road to Grayson’s house, and we both turn to peer down the drive.
I see Grayson’s truck parked in the drive, next to a smaller black SUV. “Grayson and Holly will be over soon,” he tells me. “Holly saw a few patients this morning at the clinic but looks like she’s done now.”
“I’m excited to meet Holly. And to see your mom. Harper.” I haven’t seen Harper since I left for Paris. We talked on the phone a few times during Lukas’s deployment, but when Lukas and I ended, I lost his family, too.
“Hah, my mom is losing her mind at the thought of seeing you. I wouldn’t be surprised if she tries to steal all your attention this weekend.”
Another yawn escapes me as Lukas pulls into the drive of the main farmhouse.
It’s just as beautiful as I remember. The wraparound porch is still one out of a dream.
The rockers that sit out front are gone, likely in storage for the winter months.
Flower boxes line all the windows, and I know under the layers of snow that cover the yard are Mrs. Hart’s flowers, eager to bloom once the snow melts, and the sun warms the earth.
Lukas puts the truck into park, shutting off the engine, and I shuffle to the passenger side, swinging open the door and sliding my feet down to the ground.
“Slow down, baby, it could be icy out and the last thing we need is for you to slip and hurt yourself.”
But my feet are already on the ground, and I wiggle my toes inside my boots, so happy to be officially cleared and out of my walking boot.
Ignoring Lukas, I spin in a slow circle, inhaling a breath full of farm air, the crisp cold mixing with the smell of hay.
The soft cluck from the chickens behind the barn door carries through the slats in the wood.
There are a few goats hanging outside the barn, munching on some hay that’s been strewn around. “Harper still has her goats, I see.”
Lukas circles around the truck, pulling my suitcase from the back. He drapes an arm over my shoulder as his gaze looks over to the goats. “She sure does. And do you remember the Nielsen’s. the ones that were selling their farm?”
I nod.
“They had a few older animals that no one wanted. Two old goats, and a rabbit, of all things. They didn’t know what to do with them, so they surrendered them to Rick. Candi mentioned it to Harper one day, and I’m sure you can piece together what happened from there.”
I smile at that. Harper has the best heart.
A heart so big that sometimes I think it can be mistaken for weakness in a world like ours.
I turn toward Lukas, wrapping my arms around his waist. “I love that she basically collects old animals, letting them live out their best life the way they deserve.”
He tries to hide his smile, but I see it all the same. “I’d love it more if she was here every day to take care of them.”
That’s what he says, and I’m sure Grayson says that, too, but I beg to differ. They love those old nosey goats as much as the next person. And when there isn’t two feet of snow, they likely roam free, eating grass and shrubbery and acting as natural landscapers.
I tilt my head to face him, the sun warming our skin as I take him in.
His crystal-blue eyes shine brighter in the morning sun, or maybe it’s because he’s home.
Or maybe it’s simply because I missed him, and my heart is so full that I get to spend the next few days with him, but he looks different somehow. Happier.
I rise on my toes to press a kiss to his lips just as the front door opens. Lukas’s mom steps onto the porch and raises an arm to wave at me, and I squeal, letting go of Lukas and traipsing through the snow toward her.
I take the few steps to the farmhouse as fast as I can without falling, and her arms are open, waiting for me, and I slam into her with a hug.
She wraps her arms around me, and I breathe her in. She smells like fresh baked pie, laundry soap, and home.
“I’ve missed you so much,” she whispers.
“I missed you, too.” I mumble, my throat burning. I cling to her for another second before we pull back. “I’m so happy to be here with everyone.”
She rests her hands on my shoulders, calling over to Lukas. “Carry in her things, will you?” She doesn’t wait for his response as she guides me into the house.
I slip my boots off on the worn rug on the entryway, looking around to find the inside hasn’t changed much over the years.
The same photos of the kids line the walls.
The same creaks sound from the floorboards as we move around.
The same smell of something sweet baking.
The same laughter from the siblings sounds from down the hall.
Except now, when I peek over into the living room, there’s a giant balloon arch that fills one wall, and a glittery sign that says “wild one” with a lion sitting underneath.
Presents are stacked in one corner, next to a giant black gorilla with a red bow around its neck. A table is set up in the back, with stacks of cups and plates, an empty punch bowl, and trivets and stands which will soon hold an exaggerated amount of food and snacks, if I know Lukas’s family.
“Can I get you anything to eat, sweetheart?” Lukas’s mom asks, taking my coat from me and hanging it on an old hook.
“No, thank you. I can wait until the party to eat with everyone.”
“She’s too nice to ask, Ma, but she needs coffee,” Lukas adds, sliding my suitcase to the side and shutting the door behind him.
I playfully roll my eyes at him, but his mom just squeezes my hand. “I’ll get a fresh pot brewed right away.”
She scurries down the hall to the kitchen, and I turn to face Lukas.
He stares down at me, a nearly devilish smile on his face as he strips off his thick coat, hanging it next to mine.
God, I love seeing him here in his element.
He looks good on the streets of Paris and in my apartment, but this, this is where he feels like home.
“Quit looking at me like that,” I whisper, making sure no one can hear.
“Then quit being so pretty,” he teases, and I playfully shove his chest. His hand darts out to snag my wrist, using his grip to pull me toward him for a kiss.
He goes to pull away, but I step into him, chasing his kiss with another. “How much time do we have before the party?” I whisper against his cheek.
He winks at me with a hand brushing along my back to spin me toward the kitchen. “Not enough time for what I’d like to do to you.”
We talk in tandem down the hall, and another yawn leaves me as soon as I smell the freshly ground coffee. Lukas chuckles at that. “Let’s get you some caffeine, pretty girl.”