Page 11 of The Tryst

Wade handed me a neatly wrapped package. “This is from all of us.”

I unwrapped it carefully, revealing a T-shirt inside. I unfurled it, held it up and read out loud, “Honorary Blackburn Family Member” printed across the front. I stared at it in disbelief, a lump forming in my throat.

“It was me and Kat’s idea,” Abby said with pride. “But Mom helped us get it.”

“We wanted ye to know how much ye mean to us,” Fi said softly. “Ye’re part of our family, Holland.”

Abby and Kat hugged me from either side, their small arms squeezing tight. “You’re our sister now,” Abby declared.

Wade grinned. “And sisters are supposed to keep their brothers in line, so you’ve got your work cut out for you.”

Tears streamed down my face, but for once, they were tears of joy. I had never felt so loved, so accepted. “Thank you,” I managed, my voice choked with emotion. “This means more to me than you’ll ever know.”

Tommy raised his glass of iced tea in a toast. “To Holland, the newest Blackburn. May you always feel at home here.”

Later that night as I slept on a blow-up mattress between Kat’s and Abby’s beds, I reflected on the most perfect evening ever. I knew that no matter what happened in my life, I would be okay because I was officially a Blackburn. Their love and acceptance would guide me through even the darkest times.

The phone rings again, startling me from my reverie, and without thought, I grab it. “Rhodes Printing.”

“Yes, I’m calling about an order I put in last week for my wedding invitations,” a woman says, and I immediately search for the order manifest.

“Yes, ma’am. Just a minute and I’ll look that up.”

“No need,” she says crisply. “I’ve been calling for three days to make a change and I can’t get anyone to call me back. I’m going to cancel my order.”

My first inclination is to tell her bluntly that my dad died and I’m trying the best I can and could do with a little empathy, but I resist. It’s not this poor woman’s fault, so I say, “I’m so sorry. I completely understand.”

I take the woman’s name and promise to refund her deposit. I then dive back into the mess my father left behind, knowing that was one customer the store just lost and fearful of what else I might find lurking beneath the surface of this paper jungle.

CHAPTER 5

Trey

“Ithought Hollandlooked grand,” my mom muses as she peeks out the curtains of the formal living room. She’s keeping watch for Holland to arrive for dinner but glances back at my dad. “Didn’t she look grand?”

“Pretty as a picture,” my dad agrees.

Stunningly beautiful is my opinion, but I keep that to myself.

My family has congregated in the formal living room as it’s closest to the front door so we can welcome Holland en masse. Ethan is here with Marcie and Sylvie, all three sitting on the couch with Sylvie’s dog Renault at her feet. Kat brought along Gabe and they’re cuddling on the love seat which makes me want to puke. Wade and I are the solo guys. He’s cocked back in one of the straight-back chairs beside a gaming table surfing his phone, and I’m pacing by the mantel because I’m a nervous ball of energy.

I wasn’t able to converse with Holland again today. I ran to the local supply store, got the needed materials, and was ready to get to work when I made it back to the printshop. I’d hoped maybe Holland might join me over chicken salad wraps I picked up in town at the deli but when I offered one to her, she said she had to run errands. She left me a key to the shop, told me to lock up and didn’t look back as she walked out the door.

There’s no way she’s going to be able to avoid us now. Coming to dinner with all the Blackburns—minus Abby, ofcourse—means she’s set herself in our crosshairs. I imagine the questions will fly so fast she won’t know what hit her.

“She’s here,” my mom exclaims, letting go of the sheer curtain she’d been peeping through. She smooths her hair and rushes out of the room, wanting to have the door open and waiting for Holland when her feet hit the porch steps.

We all meander out after Mom, me taking up the rear. In fact, I don’t even step all the way into the foyer but rather lean back against the doorjamb. With hands tucked in my pockets, I can see over my mom’s head to Holland trotting up the steps.

She’s wearing a pair of faded, loose jeans, barn boots and a white blouse. It’s the perfect attire to have a casual dinner with a horse family. She braided her long blond hair so that the tail hangs over her shoulder and it makes her look like she’s eighteen again.

“There she is,” my mom coos as she reaches the door and wraps Holland in a hug. I scrutinize Holland’s reaction, because she’s been very standoffish with me.

But with my mom, her arms wrap tight and they stand that way for what seems like an eternity.

“Welcome home, love.” My mom pulls back, puts her hands to Holland’s cheeks and lets her eyes roam over her face. “Oh, we’ve missed you.”

Ethan steps forward and introduces Marcie and Sylvie. Unless Holland heard it through the town grapevine this afternoon, she still doesn’t know the details about what’s happened over the last few months between our family and the Mardraggons.

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