I remembered my first days with Frankie. She’d yelled at me a lot, accused me of eating the candy, and then offered me a ride home.
Jordan was quiet, like me, and would do just fine.
Patty came in with a bright smile on her face. I untied my apron and hung it on the hook for the last time.
“I can’t watch,” Frankie said, turning her back to me.
“Thought I’d come by to say good-bye,” Patty said.
She hugged me, and then Frankie turned and hugged me at the same time.
They held me longer than I had expected, so my eyes danced around the room while I waited for them to let go. I patted Frankie’s shoulder, and then Patty finally eased her grip.
“We’re going to miss you around here, kiddo. Have fun at college,” Patty said with a wink. “Try to visit if you get a chance.”
I nodded. “Thank you, Patty, for…” The list was too long. “Everything. I’m really going to miss it here. You’ve always been good to me.”
“You’ve always deserved it,” Patty said.
“Get out of here.” Frankie sniffed. “Enjoy what’s left of your summer.”
I hugged them once more, waved to Jordan, and then walked through the back room, pulling my car keys out of my pocket.
Weston had turned north out of the parking lot, so I knew he wasn’t headed home.
After getting into my BMW, I sat in the driver’s seat and pressed the ignition button, listening to the engine snarl to life just as my phone chimed. Then, it sounded again.
One text message was from Weston, and the other was from Sam, both asking how my day had gone. I grinned. They were my favorite men in the entire universe.
I responded to both of them that I was sad, happy, and on my way home. Then, I pulled the gear into drive. Being behind the wheel of my shiny red BMW was no longer nerve-racking. My hands didn’t tremble every time the wheels moved forward. I could change lanes like it was nothing, and sometimes, I would even go a mile or two over the speed limit.
When I arrived, Julianne was just getting out of her car, looking svelte in a dark pantsuit. “Hi, honey!” she lilted when I stepped out of the car. “How was work?” Her voice echoed in the oversized garage.
“Good. A little sad. Where have you been?”
“At the clinic,” she said, her eyes bright. “Paperwork.”
“You’re really doing it?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said quickly. Then, her smile faded a bit. “Is that okay?”
“Yeah!” I said, my voice too high. “Completely. I’m super excited for you.”
Her smile returned, and she sighed, relieved. “Are you sure you won’t need me? You’ll just be settling in—”
“I’ll be fine. I can just call you, right?”
“Right!” she said, nodding emphatically. “Uh…dinner? I’m craving Los Potros like crazy.”
“Me, too, actually,” I said.
She gestured for me to follow her inside the house. “I’ll call Sam. I think his last case might be over by five, if we’re lucky.”
“I’ll just…” I began, pointing upstairs.
“Oh, yeah. Wash the Queen off. I’ll be down here, ready when you are,” she said, half in the kitchen, half in the hallway. She was tugging her earrings from the holes in her ears.
“It won’t take long.” I headed for the stairs.
She dismissively waved me away. “Take your time. Oh! Erin?” she called.
I paused. The tone in her voice was different but familiar. She was nervous, unsure.
“Yes?” I asked.
“Can you come here for a minute?”
I joined her in the kitchen. She held a rectangular piece of thin paper in her hand with an uneasy grin on her face.
“What’s that?” I asked
She held it out for me to see. “Sam found it. It’s the darnedest thing. Just hadn’t dawned on me until now.”
I stood next to her, taking a glimpse at the photograph in her hand. It was of Julianne in a hospital bed. She was red-faced, sweaty, and overjoyed.
“It’s us,” Julianne said, her eyes glossing over. “Sam snapped this seconds after you were born before they took you away. This is you, Erin—me and you.”
I stared at the picture for a full minute, noting how dark and thick my hair was, how happy Julianne seemed, the way she held me in her arms. It was our first picture together and our last…until recently.
I looked over at a frame on the barstool side of the kitchen island. It held a photograph of Sam, Julianne, and me. Weston had taken it just after graduation. I was in my cap and gown, and Sam and Julianne were beaming. The metal frame bore elegant cursive that spelled Family.
I felt my throat tighten, and I threw my arms around Julianne.
She hugged me back and chuckled, surprise evident in her voice.
“I love you, Mom.”
Julianne’s breath caught, and then she touched her cheek to my hair. “I love you, sweetheart. You have always been my greatest joy.”
The back door opened and closed, and then Sam’s footsteps echoed down the hall. He froze in the doorway. “Everything okay?”
Julianne sniffed. “She loves her mom.”
Sam’s shoulders fell, and he smiled.
“I love my dad, too,” I said.
He frowned, and then his bottom lip quivered. He dropped his suitcase and walked the few steps to our embrace. He eclipsed both of us with his body, encompassing Julianne and me with his arms.
I had been involved in not one but two sad embraces that day, but what amazed me the most was that it was okay. Neither had felt awkward or forced. Not only had I accepted that I was loved, but also that I was worthy of and deserved that love.
“We’re doing Los Potros for dinner,” I said, my voice muffled.
Sam and Julianne both released me and chuckled.
“I’m just going to take a quick shower,” I said, pointing up.
Sam nodded, his eyes full of tears. “Good idea. You smell.”
Julianne playfully backhanded his arm.
“I’ll be down in fifteen minutes,” I said.
“Okay, sweetie,” Julianne said.
As I climbed the stairs, I heard Julianne ask Sam about his day.
“I missed you like hell,” he said.
I grinned all the way to my room. Our family was a circle of strength and love, and that was what made me the proudest to be a part of it.