Page 44 of Homecoming

“Well, you have to.”

Dan laughed as he pulled into Kendra’s driveway. “Trust me, it’s no problem.” He took in the large white house with black-framed windows, a huge front porch and festive window boxes full of pumpkins and fall color. “Beautiful house.”

“Yes, it is. Kendra designed and decorated it.”

“Amazing.”

Two barefoot young girls came running out of the house.

Kara got out of the truck to greet her nieces with hugs and kisses. “You guys are huge!”

“You knew that, Aunt Kara,” Luna, the eleven-year-old, said. “You’ve seen pictures.”

“I still didn’t realize how tall you’d gotten.”

Luna had the same reddish-blonde hair and golden-brown eyes that Kendra and Kara had, while nine-year-old Aurora had her father’s dark hair and eyes.

Both girls hugged her a second time, which tugged at Kara’s heart. Staying gone had kept her away from the nieces she’d been close to while living in Maine.

“You guys know my husband, Dan,” Kara said, keeping her arms around the girls.

“He’s cute,” Aurora said with a giggle.

“He’s okay.”

Smiling, Dan said, “It’s very nice to finally meet you ladies in person.”

“Mom says you’re famous,” Luna said.

“Not that famous.”

“Don’t tell him he’s famous,” Kara said. “It goes right to his head.”

The girls laughed and led the way to the porch, where Kendra waited to greet them with hugs.

“The house is a showstopper,” Kara said, oddly emotional to see her eldest sibling for the first time in years.

“Aw, thanks. We like it.”

“This is Dan, as you know.”

Kendra shook his hand. “Nice to finally meet you in person.”

“Likewise. Your girls are even more adorable than they are on FaceTime.”

“We’ve decided to keep them if they get inside right now and finish setting the table.”

The girls ran into the house, the screen door slamming behind them.

“How’d you do that?” Kara asked her sister.

“Do what?”

“Make them hop to with just a certain look and tone.”

“It’s built in. You’ll see. It’ll be there when you need it.”

“I sure hope so. I fear I’m going to let this little one get away with murder.”

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