Page 109 of The Prodigal Son

The four of us step into the house with Henry in Luke’s arms, and I’m hiding behind him like a scared child.

“Okay, darlin’,” my mother calls from the kitchen. “I’m just putting the casserole in the oven.” Goose bumps erupt over my skin.

I’ve spoken to my mother regularly since I left. She and Luke were the only two who had tabs on me the whole time.

But hearing her voice in person now, knowing she’s in the next room, hits me with a tidal wave of emotion I wasn’t expecting. Already, I want to turn and bolt out the door.

I force myself to swallow, although my throat feels like it’s closing up on me at the moment. My molars clench so tight I can feel the muscles clicking in my jaw.

“Gimme that grandbaby,” she says as she turns the corner into the foyer while wiping her hands on a kitchen towel and tossing it over her shoulder.

She falters when she notices two extra people in her entryway. She looks at Jensen first. Then, she looks at me.

My mother has aged so much in the past eleven years. Her light-blonde hair is mostly gray now and her skin seems so much softer. Otherwise, she is exactly how I remember.

Her eyes hold that motherly sense of intuition they always did. As if she knows everything, but will never let anyone see it.

Tears fill her eyes as she stares at me. I can’t move. Maybe I should be the one to run to her, but I can’t. It’s hard enough to just pull air into my lungs at the moment.

Nobody moves for what feels like ages. Then my mom walks toward me. There’s a shake in her hands as she wrings them in front of her. The others step aside, and when my mother reaches me, she places her hand on my cheek, smiling up at me with tears in her eyes.

“Welcome home, baby,” she whispers.

“Thanks, Mama,” I reply, feeling like a little kid all of a sudden. Her arms wrap around my neck and she pulls me roughly toward her for a hug. I have to practically fold myself in half to reach her, but I relax into her embrace.

I haven’t had a mom hug in eleven years, and I hadn’t thought much about how much I missed it, but now I’m remembering how good it feels. With the scent of an old perfume and fresh-baked cookies, she pats my back and squeezes me tight and makes everything feel just a little easier.

When she pulls away, her mascara is smudged under her eyes, and she makes a big fuss about fixing it. Then, she grabs my hand and looks at Jensen.

“And who is this?” she asks without hesitation.

My chest feels tight as I put my other hand out toward him. “Mom, this is Jensen Miles. He’s my…boyfriend.”

I see the moment in my mother’s eyes when she puts it all together. I have no doubt that Melanie Goode has kept up with the gossip around Austin when it comes to the church andcommunity she once helped build. I am quite sure she knows exactly who Jensen Miles is, if not by face, then by name.

“Oh,” she says, looking at me and then him and back to me.

“Yeah…” I stammer with a nod.

It’s going to be a long night.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” Jensen says like the perfect fucking gentleman he is.

“You too, Jensen. Welcome to our home,” she says.

Then, bless my mother’s fucking heart, she turns to Luke and acts like absolutely nothing is out of the ordinary. She steals Henry and gives him big grandma kisses on the cheek like tonight is just any other night.

Luke and Sadie walk ahead of us, and I follow behind, with Jensen by my side.

“One down, two to go,” I whisper.

“It’s going to be okay,” he replies.

As we step into the large dining room, I notice the table is much bigger than I remember. In fact, all the decorations in my mother’s house are different. She’s updated a lot. But the table is definitely the most jarring.

There are two high chairs pulled up to the table and what looks like six more chairs. It’s now a table for twelve, and for some reason, seeing the visual representation of how much my family has changed since I left hits me like a truck.

Is this even still my family? Do I still have a seat at this table? They’ve moved on since I left. And I know they missed me, but it hurts a little to see that they moved on at the same time. But that’s what life does, I guess. It moves on.

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