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I passed the door of the house and tripped over a plastic pegasus. Swearing between clenched teeth, I grabbed the culprit and threw it in my bag only to trip over a Barbie car.
"The hell..." Unsure of what the next obstacle would be, I finally looked up and scanned the main room only to gasp in horror. Toys had been left haphazardly on the ground all over, turning it into a real minefield for bare feet.
"Ma?"
"They're back!" A high-pitched voice – excited at the most – put an abrupt end to my thoughts and heavy little steps ran down the stairs echoing shrieks of joy.
Isa threw herself in my arms— allowed me to lift her into the air—and covered me in kisses.
I chuckled and pressed a kiss on the top of Isa's head before placing her back down on the floor.
"Daddy!" Isa smiled and headed off towards her father.
"Izzy." Casey smiled at his little girl and opened his arms to pull her in for a sweet hug. "Did you have fun with Nana?"
"Yah." Isa nestled into Casey's side, her head resting on his chest. "But I missed you two."
Casey smiled and smoothed the curly strands of hair that were supposed to stay into a braid.
"Next time we'll bring you along," Casey said softly, showing a loving smile. "Just the three of us."
"Really?" Isa's eyes widened as her lips curled up into a big smile.
"Really." I smiled and reached over to pinch Isa's cheek.
"Yeah!" The small girl smiled and bounced up in excitement.
Casey chuckled as we dragged the rest of our luggage into the house.
Isa sat properly on the couch as realization dawned on me.
"Isa, dear. What did we say about toys in the house? Hmm?"
She furrowed her brow then grabbed a small blanket abandoned at her feet. "That they have to stay in my room."
"Then why are they here, all around?"
She shrugged. "Why not."
Ma came downstairs, way too fresh and enthusiastic to my taste.
"Ma, I don't know if you had noticed or not but my house is a complete mess. Don't you think the least you could do is o tidy up a little?" I said.
Ma snorted – shrugged – and motioned at the kitchen so Isa would follow her to help and prepare dinner. "Don't you think you and your brothers weren't tornadoes?"
Baffled, I settled back in Casey's arms, the contact soothing me immediately. I closed my eyes and tried to relax but it did not last long. "Isa! If your toys are still here in five minutes when I open back my eyes, you are in deep trouble."
Silence. Stifled voices, Ma telling the girl to go and tidy up the mess she had left behind.
"Do you prefer gnocci or lasagnas, Janie?" As if nothing had happened, Ma casually asked the question and waited for an answer. For some reason, it made me cringe.
Yet happily. Coming back home to my mother's dishes was not such a bad way to finish the day. On the contrary.
I followed Casey upstairs with our things, peeling off my clothes and changing into the sundress I had already picked out for the evening. Then I went to my dresser and from my jewelry box took out the engagement ring. I had been wearing it on a necklace since Casey proposed and this was the first time I was going to wear it on my hand since the night he gave it to me. Casey came up behind me, slid his arms around my waist, and looked over my shoulder at my hand.
Chapter Thirty-Five: The Return Home
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