LAILAH
FOUR
Cami and the boys joined us gathering around me, Brayden slipping his hand into mine and Micah taking the other.
"This is Brayden Dolton and Micah Lazonick, they are who I stayed with for Christmas," I shared. "Parker Jones, Hudson Lacy, and Jalen Minh—but he goes by Jay. Last, but certainly not least, is my best friend for life Cami Whittemore, she looked after me when I first got to school."
"It is so nice to meet you all, we've heard so much about all the adventures and traveling you've been doing.
It's nice to put a face to a name," Mom smiled warmly at everyone.
"I have no idea what time it is for you, but since it's ten o'clock here, I made a breakfast feast for you all, hope you're hungry! "
Clapping her hands excitedly, Mom led the way through the small airport building and out to where they had the van waiting.
"Now I didn't know how many bags you'd bring, so I brought my truck as well to save space in the van for you all," Dad informed us as he stopped in front of his old beat up red Ford. "Toss them in the back an’ Kyle and I will meet you at the house."
Jay had, of course, grabbed my suitcase as well as his, so I didn't have to grab it from the plane. I kissed him on the cheek as he set them in the truck. "Thank you for always looking out for me."
He turned his face and kissed me full on the mouth. "Always."
Leaving me there to blush, he headed off to the van where Mom and Cami were chatting.
Turning to talk to my dad, I found Kyle leaning against the truck with a raised brow.
He didn't say anything, so I didn't answer the assumed question, just flashed him a smile and walked away.
This talk needed to happen sooner rather than later, because these boys of mine were not holding back.
The drive was full of easy conversation, and it carried into the house when we arrived.
"Did she tell you that I had to make a map for her with just landmarks she knew so I could trust leaving her on her own?" Cami shared.
Mom laughed covering her mouth, eyes shining with mirth.
Out of either of my parents, I look mostly like her, crystal blue eyes and curly hair, although hers was a deep brunette color.
The blond came from Dad, and I was the only one to get it.
Dylan got Dad’s green eyes and Kyle was split down the middle with hazel.
"Oh, our Ladybug always seemed to end up in the oddest places when she got lost, making it twice as hard to find her. That's one reason she got a cellphone so early, that way she could call for help," Mom teased.
"Please tell me the whole summer isn't going to be telling every embarrassing story you can on me," I groaned.
Parker slung his arm around my shoulder and nuzzled the side of my head. "Oh come on, Trouble, just think, when you spend time with our parents you can do the same thing in return. I know my mother would love to gush about baby Parker."
"Now that you say that, I guess it's not so bad," I sighed.
Mom gave me a lingering look as she waved everyone into the dining room of our simple ranch style house. "Come on, let's eat while it's hot. Ladybug, would you mind helping me bring things in from the kitchen?"
"Sure thing," I answered, following after her.
Not much in our house is current or top of the line but when it came to the kitchen, it was another story.
The eating area had been removed to make a prep-station for the elaborate meals Mom and Dad loved to make.
I really don't give my Dad as much credit for his skills with the grill and what he could whip up, I guess it's just because I'd always helped mom out with her work.
She went right for the double oven and started pulling out casserole dishes full of enough food to feed an army.
We had sweets, with chocolate chip pancakes, fluffy French toast, and muffins.
Then there was the savory, cheesy eggs, sausage links, ham, and of course, bacon.
"Do you think I made enough? Those are some growing boys out there, if I do say so myself. I can barely keep enough food in the house for Kyle these days," Mom rambled as she pulled off the tinfoil.
"I think it will be fine, we did have snacks and things on the plane. Plus, I made your famous cinnamon scones before we left," I assured her.
Taking a deep breath, she set the dish down and looked at me.
"Lailah, you know I don't like to get involved in your personal life, but I thought you were dating Brayden.
Is it normal to show that much affection among friends overseas?
I didn't want to say anything in front of them, in case I'm just behind the times on things out in the world. "
Taking her hands in mind I smiled. "Can I answer that question when Dad and Kyle join us?"
Mom blinked at me a few times, not expecting that request. "I suppose, if you feel it's necessary."
"It is, once I explain it, everything will make sense, I promise."
"Then you might as well wait a little longer. Dylan texted us that he would be here in about a half hour. That way we'll all be here, since I have a feeling this is not something typical."
This is one of the reasons I loved my mom so much, she just seemed to be able to read between the lines to the heart of the matter. I knew she wouldn't get mad at me for asking her to wait, instead it told her how important this was to me.
"Now, let's see if you still have your serving skills and see if you can take the rest of those while I take these," she challenged, leaving me four dishes to bring out.
Chuckling to myself, I rose to the challenge and mastered it, of course bringing the jug of orange juice along with me.
"Mrs. Mackenzie, that was an awesome breakfast, thank you," Parker said as he leaned back in his chair patting his stomach. "Now I can see where Trouble learned her skills."
"Well thank you Parker, and please call me Bonnie, there's no need to be so formal," Mom chided.
The sound of car doors alerted us that someone had arrived, but I thought it was odd I didn't hear them coming up the drive.
"That'll be Dylan, he just got one of those new electric Toyota cars, since he's driving back and forth from Madison," Dad offered, getting up from his seat and walking to the door. "You're in luck son, we left you some food."
"Knowing Mom, there was way too much to begin with," Dylan answered as he walked in the door hugging Dad. "Now where is the world traveler who finally decided to grace us with her presence?"
Winking at Micah who didn't look all too pleased with my brother's sentiment, I got up.
Before I could turn around, I was pulled into a bone crushing hug from behind.
Normally, this wouldn't be a problem but after the catacombs, situations like this didn't go over so well.
I knew that it was Dylan but not being able to see him and prepare for the hug, it triggered the beginnings of a panic attack.
"Let her the fuck go," Micah snarled as he shot to his feet.
I tried to tell Dylan what was going on, but I was frozen as my muscles locked up and my heart started to beat like crazy.
My vision started to tunnel and flashes of the Dark Lord sneering down at me as he tried to work the spell clouded my mind.
The arms around me were gone and I was swept up into someone else's arms, cradled against their body.
"Lailah, listen to my voice," Hudson's even timber echoed in my ear. "You are safe in your home back in Wisconsin with your mother, father, and brothers. We flew here on a plane not too long ago and finished a meal that your mother made. Can you tell me what you ate?"
With the help of a psychologist, we found that placement therapy worked the best. If I could focus on what I was doing now and who I was with, it pulled me from wherever I was trapped in my head.
"Come on Sunshine, tell me what you just had for breakfast," Hudson pressed, leaning his forehead against mine.
It took me a moment to pull up an image of my plate. "Fruit."
"What kind of fruit was it?" Hudson asked.
"Grapes, blueberries, and strawberries. Strawberries are one of my favorites," I added.
Hudson kissed my nose softly as I stopped shaking. "They’re mine too, Sunshine. Tell me something else on your plate."
"Cheesy eggs and bacon, but Jay put a pancake as well when I passed them along," I said, taking a deep shuddering breath sitting up taller. "Then I saw Mom made strawberry syrup, so I'm glad he made me eat one."
Hudson smiled at me. "Why do you think we put him in charge of making sure you eat?"
Leaning in, I kissed Hudson and wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face in his neck. "How badly did they take it?" I whispered.
"They’re worried, but they’re your family and that's what families do," Hudson answered. "They’re not going to think less of you for surviving Lailah, none of us do. I'm glad you made it back to us alive, even if we have to adjust to dealing with some minor issues."
Sitting up I frown. "Minor? You call having a panic attack because my brother hugged me from behind, minor?"
"Yes, I do," Hudson stated. "Things could have been so much worse, Lailah.
You didn't see what you looked like when we found you, adjusting to new ways of interacting with you is a small price to pay, and one I will happily do for the rest of my life.
Now, stop hiding and have a conversation with your family, we'll get through this together. "
Nodding, I shifted so I was now sitting beside him on the couch with the other four hovering nearby. My parents and siblings looked shocked from where they stood, still by the dining room table.
"Sorry about that everyone," I announced. "Do you mind having a seat…there’re some things I need to fill you in on."
It was then I saw the strange woman standing just behind Dylan, looking extremely uncomfortable at being here.
"Dylan, did you bring a friend?" I asked, looking at my older brother.
He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. "Ah yeah, sorry I should have probably said something, but I thought it was the best time, since we could both get time off. This is my girlfriend, Phoebe Turner."
"Hi," she greeted, giving a small wave. "I'm sorry to intrude."
Phoebe was stunning, she looked to have a Latin heritage with her olive skin, bright green eyes, and thick long mahogany hair.
Her voice had an accent to it, but it just added to her allure, making me even more impressed that she was dating my brother.
Don't get me wrong Dylan was a catch, but he was a solid seven from a small town and old fashioned ideals.
Not what I would picture a woman such as her to pick for a serious relationship, and if he was bringing her home, it was definitely serious.
"No, please I'm the one who's sorry," I apologized getting up and walking over to her. "Here you are coming to meet Dylan's family, and his little sister has a mental breakdown the moment he touches her. What a way to introduce myself."
"I told Dylan to tell everyone I was coming, but he needed to make it a surprise," Phoebe tisked, narrowing her eyes at my brother.
"Why don't you check into the hotel, and I'll call you once we've talked things over?" Dylan offered.
Phoebe nodded her agreement and gave him a kiss on the cheek as she took the keys. Reaching out, I grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving. "Let's pretend this never happened, do over later tonight?"
She grinned at me. "I would like that."
Dylan walked her out, giving us all a chance to get comfortable for the uncomfortable conversation I had to have with my family.
Where did I even start? Hey Mom, Dad did you know there are demons running around in the world and it's my job to stop them?
So, about the panic attack, the thing is, I got dragged to hell and offered up as a sacrifice to Lilith, Mother of All demons.
Ugg! Right now, telling her about the boys seemed to be the easiest part of this whole thing.
When Dylan returned and sat down my family turned their eyes to me expectantly. "So, Brayden and I aren't dating—we're married."