Page 58 of The Last Lavender Sister

Chapter Thirteen

Two years later

Aster’s hands shook as she stood in the aisle waiting to deplane. She hadn’t been back home in far too long, and now this visit could be under better circumstances. Sage was waiting for her in baggage claim when she exited through the big automatic doors. He looked tired, which was to be expected. He likely hadn’t slept. Who had?

“Come here,” he said as she approached. He opened his arms, and she walked into them, tears already filling her eyes. Just seeing her big brother brought them on, and when his arms went around her, the emotion bubbled over full and strong. For several moments, they stood just like that, holding on to each other, willing the news not to be true.

“How is she?”

He hesitated. “It depends on the moment. She’s in and out of consciousness. Sometimes her head is clearer than others.”

“Can we go straight there?” she asked.

“Of course.”

They’d have a couple hour drive from the airport to Homer’s Bluff, but Aster knew there wasn’t time to waste. Her mother had been admitted to hospice the day before. It was happening too fast, and Aster couldn’t believe they were already here. The doctors had thought there’d be more time. Aster had planned using every bit of it. Her mother’s diagnosis had come as a shock six weeks earlier. She’d been tired. Aster had noticed herself when her parents had visited her in Boston recently. Her mom had smiled her way through the sightseeing, stealing hugsfrom Aster along the way, and going on about how amazing Aster’s food was and how proud they all were of her success. It had been the absolute perfect visit. But when her mother’s health had continued to deteriorate, they began to run tests and learned the worst.

Sage grabbed her bag, and in a short amount of time they were on the road. Sitting in that truck, her mind had too much space. The closer they got to town, the more anxious she became. Memories of her family, her room, the old days back at the doughnut shop, Brynn. They swirled and circled until it felt like they swallowed her whole.

Sage kept his eyes on the road. “You’re quiet.”

“I am. Can we talk about something? Anything. I don’t care what.”

“Tyler’s pregnant.”

That woke her the hell up. “Did you say pregnant? Who is she having a baby with?”

His brows dropped. He passed her a look. “What kind of question is that?”

Aster held up her hands. “Just checking.” Tyler and Sage had been an official couple for over two years now, reveling in all things love and friendship. “Sage, you’re going to be a dad? You’re gonna need a miniature tractor.”

“I was thinking the same thing.”

“Wow. I’m going to have a new niece or nephew. Ethan’s getting a cousin.”

“In a little over six months.”

“Mom and Dad must be over the moon.” She hadn’t thought the sentence through. It was so automatic to imagine their future with the Lavender family the way it had always been. Things got quiet in the truck because they both understood that their mother wouldn’t be with them when the baby arrived. She’d not see Sage become a father, or Aster’s future journeys. Any of it. It was unbelievable and awful.

Her sisters were waiting at their parents’ house when Aster arrived. They pulled her onto the couch with them wordlessly. Violet kissed her hair, and Marigold held her face. “Hi, you guys,” she said, happy to see them, and sharing their pain.

“You can go in and see her if you want,” Violet said.

“I do. Is she…?”

“She’s sleeping, but she would want you to wake her,” Marigold said.

Aster nodded and headed to the back bedroom. As she passed the sliding glass door, she saw Ethan on the swing set, playing quietly in the very backyard the four of them used to tumble through, playing freeze tag or the grass is lava before their mom called them inside to wash their hands and set the table for dinner. She wanted to go back to those moments and relive them. Anything to escape the suffocating reality of this one.

The room was dark and quiet when she entered. She remembered pushing that very door open as a kid when she couldn’t sleep or she heard a scary noise. Her mother would raise the blanket, and she would scamper into the big bed with her parents. Her mom would snuggle her tight, taking away all of her fear. Today, the sound of her feet shuffling on the tile floor must have woken her mother, who raised her head. “Violet?”

“It’s Aster, Mom.”

“You’re here.” When she got closer, her mother smiled. “You came to see me. My baby.” She was so much thinner than the last time they’d seen each other. That had happened so quickly.

Aster turned on the small lamp next to the bed and placed a kiss on her mother’s cheek. “You think I was going to miss the opportunity to hang out with you when you have all this free time?” She tried to smile. “You’re always on the go, keeping this place afloat.”

“Violet has got it now. She knows how to do my job.”

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