Page 216 of Small Town Firsts

I pull into the driveway, parking behind Natalie’s vehicle. My mom has her door open before I even shift the car into park.

She all but sprints toward the house, my dad not far behind her. The front door flies open and Tatum darts out, throwing herself in my mom’s waiting arms.

“Grammy! Grammy! Yous here!” Guess it’s safe to say she’s equally excited.

Mom squeezes her tight before placing her hands on her shoulders and holding her an arm’s length away. “I sure am. Now, let me look at you.” She scans Tatum from toe to top, her eyes wet with tears. “Oh, you are just beautiful.”

Dad crouches down next to them, and Tatum happily flits over to him, hugging his neck. “Paw Paw!” He smiles and kisses her cheek. She cackles and pushes his face away. “You ticklers tickle.”

Dad twitches his nose. “You mean my mustache?”

Tatum shrugs. “I guess. I think dey look like whiskers. Like a puppy!”

Dad’s expression grows dead serious, and then he lets out a bark, much to Tatum’s delight. God, who knew my parents would be such good grandparents?

I look up from my parents and Tatum to see Natalie on the porch, watching their interactions. She looks a steady mix of nerves and joy. I wave her over and, hesitantly, she comes.

Mom notices her first. She stands and wastes no time embracing her. “Natalie Reynolds. Look at you, all grown up.”

“Hey, Mrs. Warner?—”

“None of that. Call me Phyllis.”

Nat scrunches her nose and ducks her head. “Sorry. Hey, Phyllis. We’re glad y’all are here. Was your flight okay?”

Dad stands and hugs Natalie too. “Aside from them serving pretzels and not peanuts, it was fine.”

Mom smacks his chest. “Fine? There was enough turbulence to bring the thing down!”

My dad chuckles. “There was one bump, dear. One.”

“Hush. Let’s not argue in front of the kids.”

“Let’s head inside,” I say. “Natalie made dinner.”

Dad pats his stomach. “Good. Those damn pretzels didn’t fill me up.”

I know what’s about to happen before it does. “Paw Paw! That is a no-no word! We donottalk like dat in dis house!”

My dad’s eyes widen, and he apologizes to his granddaughter as we all head inside to enjoy good food and even better company.

NATALIE

Halloween is officially upon us.From the minute her little eyes popped open, Tatum’s been asking if it’s time fortwick or treatyet. Needless to say, she’s excited.

It’s been all we could do to keep her entertained throughout the day. Having Phyllis and Bob here definitely helped. This morning, they made caramel popcorn, and after lunch, they had a spooky—but child appropriate—movie marathon. Tatum’s favorite was Halloween Town; she’s truly a kid after my own heart.

Now, it’s time to start getting ready, and she’s practically bouncing with excitement. She and Alden came up with her costume, and they’ve kept totally quiet on what she’s going to be.

I’m currently camped out in the hallway, along with Alden’s parents, while he helps her get ready. The three of us have been tossing out our best guesses, but so far, no dice.

“A princess?” Phyllis tries.

Tatum scoffs. “I already a pwincess. Daddy says so.”

Bob takes the next guess. “A ballerina?”

“Nope,” comes her reply.

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