Her hands fly to her mouth and her shoulders shake with her silent cries. I stay where I am, wanting desperately to go to her, but I don’t know if I should. It only takes seconds for her to show me where I should be: wrapped in her arms.
She rushes forward, and we embrace each other with a sob. I close my eyes, bury my face in my mom’s shoulder, and breathe in her familiar scent. It’s the same as I remember, and that makes me incredibly happy.
After several moments, she pulls back and cups my cheeks. Her eyes run all over my face. “My sweet child, where have you been?” she asks in a hushed tone, her words breaking.
“There’s so much I need to tell you,” I reply raggedly.
“Who’s at the door, Ivy?” a deep rumbling voice calls seconds before my father comes into view.
Fresh tears form in my eyes and slip silently down my cheeks. He still looks like my father, but I can see he’s aged. Tall, broad-shouldered, and handsome, but he’s more slender than I remember, and his hair is pure silver.
When he spots me at Mom’s side, his steps falter. It only lasts for a moment before he’s walking toward me fast. My father has always been tough, so when I see the mountain of emotions in his eyes, the pain and heartache and tears, as he stops in front of me and yanks me into his arms, my heart constricts. His arms are tight around me.
“Oh, Daddy,” I bawl into his chest. “I’ve missed you so much.” I look over at Mom and see her still crying. “I’ve missed you both.”
Dad pulls back, putting his big hands on my shoulders, and does the same thing Mom did: simply looks at me. I let him because it gives me the chance to look at him.
“Still my beautiful little girl,” he murmurs.
“I always want to be your little girl,” I tell him quietly.
Several minutes pass before my parents realize I’m not alone. Dad’s the first to see Luca standing several feet behind me. He looks over my head, and it’s then that I take a step back and his hands fall from my shoulders. I know the moment Mom spots Aria. Her mouth opens, and intense agony passes over her face. Her watery gaze lifts to mine in question before going back to Aria.
“Mom, Dad, do you remember Luca?”
Luca steps forward and offers his hand. I hold still, my body tense, as I wait for their reaction. Finally taking her eyes off Aria, Mom comes forward first and places her hand in Luca’s.
“It’s nice to see you again, Luca,” she says, and I can see in her eyes, she means it. I smile gratefully at her.
“It’s a pleasure to see you too, Mrs. Rozero,” Luca greets in his deep baritone.
“Please, call me Ivy.” She smiles past her tears.
Luca nods.
My eyes move to Dad, and I send up a silent prayer. A rush of air leaves my lips when he offers Luca his hand.
“Luca,” he says gruffly. “It’s good to see you.” Dad is more reserved, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction. I know over time he’ll fully accept him.
“Likewise, Mr. Rozero.”
“Like my wife, call me William.”
Another nod from Luca.
“And w-who….” Mom stops for a moment. “Who is this beautiful little girl?”
Luca scoops Aria into his arms and faces Mom and Dad.
“This is Aria,” I tell them. “Our daughter.”
My parents aren’t stupid, they already knew the moment they saw her. Why else would I bring a little girl to meet them on our reunion visit? But the confirmation is still a shock. Dad hides his well, but Mom begins to break down again. It’s only Dad’s comforting arm going around her waist that holds her together.
Dad clears his throat. “You’re just as gorgeous as your mother.”
Aria beams a proud smile. “I know. And I’m just as handsome as my dad too.”
We all laugh and some of the tension leaves the air.
“Girls aren’t handsome, boo,” Luca enlightens her. “They’re pretty, beautiful, gorgeous, or stunning.”
She pokes out her lips. “Well, you’re handsome, and I look just like you, so that must mean I’m handsome too.”
“Or maybe Daddy is just beautiful?” I suggest with a smile.
Dad and Luca grunt at that. I look at Mom and we both laugh.
Mom steps closer and runs a shaky hand down the back of Aria’s hair. “You’ve got the best of both of your parents and that makes you look perfectly beautiful.”
Aria looks at her, her brows pinching down. “You’re my grandma and grandpa, right?”
Mom’s eyes close for a brief moment, pain etching her features, before she opens them again.
“Yes, we are, sweetie.”
“And you missed Momma while she was sleeping?”
Mom’s eyes jump to mine with a frown.
“I’ll explain later,” I tell her.
She looks back at Aria and answers. “We missed her very much.”
“And can I come stay with you sometimes?”
Her chin wobbles, but her lips form a smile. “We would love that.”
“Can I bring Goodie with me?”
Again, another question in her eyes when she looks at me.
“I don’t think—”
I cut Luca off. “It’s her pet hamster.” I’ll tell them later about the dangers of Goodie’s nibbles.
“He can definitely come with you,” Dad answers.
“And I can call you Grandma and Grandpa?”
This time it’s Dad who smiles. “Of course.”
“Okay.” She smiles at them, and I watch as it melts both of my parents’ hearts, just as I knew it would.
They step back into the house and Mom gestures for us to follow. “Please, come in. There’s so much we want to know.”
I look at Luca with a smile, one he returns. Relief floods through me; I’m eternally grateful this visit is going the way I had hoped.
We step inside, and I’m engulfed by my childhood memories. I’m glad to see not much has changed since I left. There’s only one thing missing that would make this day perfect.
“Where’s Teresa?” I ask Mom anxiously, then look around for her.
“She’s at tennis practice.” She looks down at the gold watch on her wrist. “She should be back soon.” She smiles sadly. “She’s going to be so happy to see you.”
My chest aches, because as much as I missed my parents, I missed Teresa more. She’s not only my sister, but she was my best friend too.
Mom leads us to the kitchen and flits around the room, asking if we want something to drink or eat. Luca and I decline the offer of food but accept a glass of lemon water. Aria gets a glass of apple juice and happily takes the bowl of blueberries Mom holds out to her.
“They were your mom’s favorite when she was a little girl,” Mom says in a melancholy voice.
“Really?” Aria asks, interest lighting her eyes.
Mom laughs. “Yes. We had to hide them from her or she’d eat them all in one sitting.”
Aria giggles and pops one into her mouth.
We sit for a while and just talk. I end up taking Aria to the living room to watch one of Teresa’s and my old Disney movies, so we can all talk without her hearing. Mom and Dad recognize the limitations on what we can say with Aria in the room. When I tell them what Theo did, which resulted in my coma, Mom completely breaks down. I immediately shut her down when she tries blaming Dad and herself. It may have been their decision to push me away when I told her Luca and I were getting married, but what Theo did was in no way their fault. Then the guilt came of them not looking hard enough for me. I took that away too. The last they knew, Luca and I were leaving town. They had no reason to search the local hospitals.
I can see the anger on Dad’s face growing with each new revelation of Theo’s deception. I’m worried he’ll place some of the blame at Luca’s feet since he’s his brother, so I’m shocked when he thanks Luca.
“You saved our girl and brought her back to us,” he says gruffly.
Luca looks Dad straight in the eye and says with conviction, “I’ll always save her, sir. I love her with every single part of me.”
The last of Dad’s reservations toward Luca break away. I see it when he reaches across the table and offers his hand to Luca again, and it’s reaffirmed when Dad mutters, “Welcome to the family.”
I turn into a blubbering mess again. I hug Dad and whisper my thanks in his ear. His own eyes are teary when I pull back.