Josie's POV
"Josie! Josie!"
Hair whips into my face as I turn around quickly to look for who's calling my name.
I spot my mother on the other side of the airport lobby and sprint to her.
"Mom!"
We barrel into each other and collide harshly.
"Oh my little baby is finally home!" she cries, tears falling down her cheeks. Her arms snake around me, and there's a warmth to them that fills up the pieces of my heart I didn't know were empty.
Home. What a funny word. All this time I'd been away I was using it to describe a place I was never truly happy in, never truly wanting to be.
"I am," I tell her, swallowing my own tears. "I am home."
Our arms loosen around each other, and Mom offers me a big, wet smile.
"Let's get your things in the car and you can tell me all about Europe."
I nod my approval and shoulder my carry-on and start rolling my suitcase.
I tell Mom everything that happened in Madrid and that James's company wants him to go to Hong Kong while our feet plod along the black pavement of the parking lot.
"I really didn't know what to expect when moving away the first time, but I had hope that maybe I'd been given a chance to start over and finally turn my dream of having a family into a reality," I tell her, placing my things in the trunk of her car. "Now I don't even know if I want to go back." I pull the trunk door down a little harsher than intended, accidentally releasing my frustrations on the poor car.
Sighing, I turn to my mother, who looks at me with a sympathetic half-smile.
"It's overwhelming," she agrees, "And I feel frustrated for you. I'm just so proud of you." Her hand raises to smooth over the top of my head and then trails its way to skim over my cheek. "I can't imagine how disappointing this is for you, and I can never pretend to know your pain, but this is all proof of how far you've come. The first time you found out you weren't going to start a family, it ruined you. This time, honey, this time, it's just a testament to your strength. Don't get so caught up in the hows and whens right now. Your time will come. Life is just making sure you're ready for it."
I lean into her hand, wrapping my own over top it. "I love you, Mom. Thanks for believing in me."
"And I love you. Till the end of my time and then some."
I nod softly, feeling my mother's words put a spiritual bandage over my heart.
She's right. My time will come, but I'm not going to worry about it because now it's SueEllen's time.
"Now let's go home. Someone's going to be very excited to see you."
I smile, knowing exactly who she's talking about, and I can't wait to see him.
We arrive at the house around one in the morning, and Mom leads me up the steps. She pulls the main door open and lets me go through first.
I barely have time to let go of my suitcase before Jake pounces, and I let out an excited cry as I fall to my knees on the carpeted floor. Jake's wet nose and sandpaper tongue flick across my face and neck, smelling and licking me at the same time.
"Jakey Jake, God, I missed you!" I scoop the bundle of happy nerves closer to me, but he's so wiggly that he slips my grasp. He doesn't go far, as he turns around and starts licking my ears. "My good boy, oh I'm home you big lug. I'm home!"
I glance up to my mother with an ear-to-ear grin stretched across my lips to see her pointing her phone camera towards us. "Mom," I laugh, "Stop."
"It's just so cute," she gushes, but she does put the phone down. "He missed you so much. He would perch on the back of the couch and look for you out the big windows for hours on end."
My gut sinks a little, but I don't think too much about it. Instead I turn my attention back to Jake and run my hands excitedly across his belly. "Well, I'm home now," I tell him before planting a kiss between his ears.
He woofs and snuggles in closer.
I tell my mother good night and thank her for picking me up before plodding up the steps to the guest room. Jake follows me, and he even tries to get into the shower with me which has me dying with laughter. When I'm done, I lay down in my bed, call Jake up, and conk out.
I wake up the next day in a surprising calm around 11. Jake is still sleeping next to me, his snout blowing warm air on my face, causing a smile from me.
I get dressed and text Sue, telling her I'll be there within a half hour. She responds right away, telling me what room they'll be in.
I pad downstairs to find an empty house, though a light green sticky note and the glint of sunshine on a set of keys on the island catches my eye.
Josie,
I hope you slept soundly. I'm at the store. Here are the keys, it's in your father's work shop. Say hi to the Turners and give them my love for me, will you? I love you.
Mom.
Immediately snatching up the keys, I break into a run for the shed in the back and pull the garage door open, and there she is. The grill faces toward me, begging me to take her out after months of being kept away.
I run my hand tentatively along the blue metal of the hood, gripping the keys tighter in my other hand.
A jubilant bark brings me from my daze, and I glance down to see Jake wagging his tail excitedly, thinking he's about to go for a ride.
"Sorry dog," I tell him as if he can actually understand a word I'm saying. "I'm going somewhere you can't." I crouch down and smooth his fur between his ears and around his neck. His tongue lolls out of his mouth to the side. "I promise we'll go for a drive when I come back." I pat his back and stand up.
After making sure he went potty and putting him back in the house, the truck rumbles to life underneath my feet, and I chuckle appreciatively, running my hands up and down the side of the steering wheel.
"Oh Lord it feels good to be back."
There's something about driving an old truck on a gravel driveway on the back roads that just makes you feel whole. I can't explain it, but as I pass the old lake where I used to fish when I had the time to waste, I just feel right. I feel at home behind the leather wheel of the truck my father and Colt put together.
A strange wistfulness also comes over me as I remember the simpler times, when all I had to worry about was making it home before my curfew instead of worrying about moving around damn continents till the end of my days.
I blink quickly and shake my head. No. I'm not going to worry about it now. That's a problem for later.
I let my mind wander to the twins, wondering who they'll be, what they'll look like. Will SueEllen's button nose be passed on? Her red hair? Will Ben have Tommy's height? Will Jean? Who will be the rebel? The quieter one?
I finally arrive at the hospital where I used to work and head straight to the maternity unit, passing by familiar friendly faces and saying hello to new ones.
"Room 206 please," I tell the receptionist when he asks where I'm headed. He points me in the right direction, and I smile and thank him, knocking my fist on the desk lightly.
I knock on the door twice to let them know I'm here and am about to enter and then promptly push it open, and before I can say anything or take anything in, two bodies slam into me, one very big, and one very tiny, but both very much familiar.
The brown hair in my face tells me that Tommy's got my upper body, and the arms barely reaching around my knees indicate that Alan's my second attacker. I tighten my arms around my friend when I feel the first tear fall before pulling back wordlessly, unable to trust myself to speak without coming apart.
Tommy's eyes lock on mine, and they flood with understanding. He says nothing, instead he scoops up Alan and steps aside so I can finally see my best friend.
As soon as Tommy's body shifts out of my sight, I spot Sue in the hospital bed, looking worn out but beautiful. She spreads her arms open in a welcoming manner, and I greet her enthusiastically.
"Thought you'd leave the best for last?" she chuckles when we pull away.
"Nope, leaving that for the babies," I tell her, laughing. I look around, finally ready to meet the twins, but they're nowhere to be found. "Where are they? I mean they are the reason I dropped everything and crossed the Atlantic," I joke.
"The doc has them. They had their first poop a few minutes ago so they're running some tests to make sure everything's flowing correctly."
I nod. "Well they better hurry up. They're kind of my main event."
With a roll of her eyes, she dismisses my comment and points to the chair next to her. "Sit down lady. Tell me all about what's going on across that great ocean blue."
"Heh," I scoff, "We'll save that for later if ya don't care."
Her brows raise slightly in interest, and she nods slowly. "Sure."
I look back at Tommy. "Is anyone else coming up today?"
"No, probably not. We'll be discharged tonight. Carrie Ann and Wes are going to be there when we come home, make sure we're settled in okay."
While he talks, Alan comes up and sits on my lap, makes himself comfortable, and snuggles into my chest. I smile at him and kiss him on the cheek. "I missed you, buddy," I whisper.
"I missed you, too," he whispers back.
Tommy clearing his throat interrupts Alan and me, and I smile cheekily at him. "Carrie and Wes, settling in. I'm listening."
His brows raise in amusement as he crosses his arms. "Uh-huh. Right."
My nose crinkles as I go over what Iast heard him say. I'm not missing anything, right?
"Did you say anything else?" I ask in confusion.
He shakes his head and sits on the edge of Sue's bed. "Not a thing."
Uh-huh. Right.
I look at Alan and lean in closely. "I think your daddy's a little crazy," I stage-whisper.
"Crazy for Coco Puffs," he agrees enthusiastically.
Roughly twenty minutes later of talking to my friends and ignoring phone calls from a certain man, the doctor wheels in the twins, and I nearly knock Tommy over I'm so eager to meet them.
He swears softly, and Sue throws the TV remote at him, almost hitting me. "Stop cussing in front of the kids!" she scolds, but nobody listens to her.
I get right up close to the cart to get my first look at the babies, tuning everything out. A generous tuft of brown hair covers both of their heads, and one is bigger and boxier than the other. I check the name tag to see that, to no one's surprise, that's little Ben. His eyes are open, revealing brilliant green eyes peering up at the world, and they're settled right above a cute little button nose. He gurgles when I come close enough for him to focus on me, and I can't stop the trembling of my chin.
"Hello Ben," I say, covering my mouth with me hand, and then putting it under my chin. "I'm your Aunt Jojo." I look at the doctor and his parents in shyness. "Can I—can I hold him?"
"Of course," the doctor smiles, and I waste no time carefully scooping the tiny thing up in my arms.
"Don't worry, Jeanie, I'm coming for you next," I assure the little girl, though she pays no attention to me as she sleeps.
Holding Ben in my arms for the first time, such a wee little thing, is almost calming. He's not crying, just looking contently up at me, trusting I'm not going to let anything happen to him while he's in my care. It's a beautiful understanding we have, and I fear SueEllen will have to wrestle him from me if she wants him back anytime soon.
"Oh Benny boy, you're going to be such a good baby," I whisper, and then I place a kiss on his nose. I clear my throat in attempts to get rid of the lump forming in it and look to Tommy, who's laying beside SueEllen with Alan cradled to her side. "If you want your son back, speak now or forever hold your peace."
He chuckles and nods. "I'm coming, I'm coming." He carefully removes himself from the bed and strides over to me. The bundle of warmth leaves, and the space where he lay on my chest turns cold. I suppress a shiver and reach down to kiss his forehead one last time.
"He's so calm," Tommy muses, "Doesn't care what the hell is happening, just don't drop him."
I nod in agreement. "Hopefully he stays that way for the next few nights."
"Oh god, you're telling me. We think—"
"Knock knock," comes a voice from the door, and I turn around, struck immediately by piercing blue eyes.
The wind is knocked out of me as I look Colt up and down. He's more filled out with a sharper jaw, almost like the one that took my breath away when I fell in love with him. I guess it still does.
"Josie," he says in surprise, "Hey!"
I smile and wave.
My phone ringing brings my attention back to the real world, and I check the caller ID before sending the call to voicemail. I don't want to deal with that right now. Looking back up, I see Colt watching me curiously as he takes Jean from Sue so she can feed Ben, and I plaster the smile back on my face and try to ignore all types of conflicting feelings that are having a party inside my head.
"You good?" he asks.
"Yeah, just peachy."
He doesn't press for more, thank god. Instead, he gestures to Jean in his arms with his chin and chuckles. "You should have seen me yesterday trying to figure out how to hold them. I was so scared I'd drop them."
"His face was hilarious!" Tommy cuts in from the bed. "'Tommy help me! Don't leave me! Where are you going?!' God, it was hysterical." He fakes wiping a tear from his eye, and Colt glares at him.
"Colt was so funny!" Alan adds in, guffawing loudly.
"Hardy har," the man in question grumbles.
"Wait, you'd never held a baby before them?" I ask, genuinely surprised.
He shakes his head. "Jean was my first."
I nod. Interesting.
"You look like a natural to me."
"Thanks."
Soon, the doctor comes in to discharge the Turners, and I help them gather their stuff when he leaves. I give the three Turner kids kisses on their foreheads when they're settled in the backseat before moving up to stand outside Sue's side of the car.
"Do you want to come over? Tell us all about Madrid?" SueEllen asks hopefully after she gets in the car, and I try not to notice as Colt falters putting the duffle bag in the trunk.
"Maybe tomorrow. I don't want to crowd your house, and I'm sure you guys will want to enjoy your peace and space while you have it," I decline.
Her face falls dramatically, and she pouts. "You sure?"
"Positive. Enjoy being home with your family."
Her bottom lip juts out as she wordlessly tells me she doesn't like my answer, but I only grin in response.
"Babe, let her be. She'll be around tomorrow," Tommy puts in as he closes his door after he gets in.
Colt makes his way to stand behind me, and we peer in through SueEllen's window.
"I will be," I reassure her, "and if you need me during the night, you're more than welcome to call me, and I'll be over like that." I snap my fingers, and Sue nods.
"Thanks, love, but we'll be good. I'll see you tomorrow."
"For sure."
"Bye guys!" Tommy shouts across Sue. I wave as he puts the car in drive and pulls out of the parking lot.
I guess I should call James now, even though it'll be about midnight his time.
Meh, I don't care. He can deal with it. If he wanted to talk to me oh-so-badly earlier, he'll want to talk to me now.
"Josie?" Colt asks tentatively, and I turn my head to look at him over my shoulder, "Want me to walk you to the truck?"
There's no hesitation within me as I say, "Yes."
We walk a few steps, and I ask, "How'd you know I drove the truck?"
"I saw it when I pulled in. I kinda parked next to you." He scratches the back of his arm, and I withhold a smile from seeping across my face.
Interesting.
"So when did you fly down?" I ask him.
"Uh, what?"
"When did you fly down? From Boston. Did you drive?" I ask, wondering why I have to go around in circles with him.
"Nobody told you?" he asks, and an amused twinkle in his eye begins to irritate me.
"Tell me what? Colt, what is going on?" I persist. We reach the truck, and I lean against it while Colt leans against his car.
"Easy there," he chuckles, "I live here, Josie. I went back to Boston to get my things and Johnny and leave my job. I couldn't leave again. I realized that without Brooke, there was no reason for me to stay. There was no reason for me to not be here anymore. I had to come home. I can't believe no one told you."
A million thoughts flood my brain as I come to terms with what I've just been told. Colt's back? He isn't leaving? He didn't go back to Boston permanently? Why would he do that?
I run a hand through my hair and run into a snag, sending a sharp pang to my scalp. "Ow!" I find the tangle and pull it in front of my face so I can untangle it. "You didn't go back?"
"No," he snickers, "I stayed. The firm I worked at sent a recommendation to one down here, and I work maybe a half-hour away now. No one told you?"
I falter in my untangling and throw the hair to the back of my head and look away from him. "Colt, I have to tell you... when I found you went back to Boston, it kinda pissed me off a little bit. I told SueEllen and June to stop bringing you up in conversation. Your business was your business, and I guess I thought you were leaving again when I expected to you stay." My voice gets softer as I go on, and I wet my lips and meet his eye. The hurt swirling around in them sends a punch to my gut, and I bite my lip. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have judged you so harshly."
His jaw sets, and it's his turn to look away from me. His head turns to his left, and I can more clearly see his jaw ticking as he crosses his arms.
I say nothing and just let him be. His jaw eventually relaxes and looks back at me, but his arms remain crossed. "I'm glad you're back, Josie. We all missed you."
That's not what I wanted to hear. That's really not what I wanted to hear.
"Colt..." I whisper. Reaching out, I uncross his arms and tuck them by his side. I peer up at him, his tall frame straining my neck, and pray that he sees the genuine apology in my eyes, and continue, "I'm sorry. That wasn't fair. I should have just called and asked what the hell you were doing. Please don't shut me out."
He lazily rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "I'm not gonna shut you out."
I grin, trying to bring in a lighter mood. "Good."
The corners of his lips quirk up in a half-smile that only encourages me more.
"Hey Colt?"
"What?"
"I missed you too."
He smiles. "Hey Josie."
"What?" I ask, even though I already know what he's going to say.
He grins. "Good."
"God, what a pair we make, huh?" I ask, nudging him gently. "I mean, one minute we're saying goodbye like it's the last time we'll ever see each other again, and the next we're goofy idiots."
"I guess that's Cosie for ya." He sends me a shit-eating grin and I whack him.
"We agreed never to bring that up again!"
"You loved it!" he laughs.
"No! Carrie Ann and Tommy loved it! You know I hated that!" I whack him again for spreading such lies.
"You loved it," he smirks smugly, settling back against his car. "OW! Would you stop that?"
I get one more in for good measure and smirk. "Never."
--
I'M BAAAAAAACK!!!
Hello lovelies! I'm back! LHNL is back! We're not dead!
I'm sorry I took forever. Stress is a bitch of a mental block.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I rewrote it like 6 times because I was so unsure about it, but I kinda sorta like how it ended? Is it only a filler? Maybe. But I like it!
Colt's back! And Cosie *cringe*is also back! I know Colt can be a dick, but god I love writing those two together. We only have a few more chapters left of this story, and sadly the journey is almost over.
Except that it isn't!!! I have a half-announcement to make! I have been working on the prequel for this story, and I will release the title and synopsis sometime soon! So stay tuned to my profile page for an announcement about that later on. I am absolutely in love with their love story. More specifically, I'm in love with the best friends to lovers trope. I'm such a sucker for it, and I hope I can do it justice.
While stress has blocked all creative paths for this story, I've been working on a few others that I hope to get underway soon. I'm super excited for those too! I'll give a sneak peek for those when I release the title and synopsis for this prequel.
I love you all and thank you so much for the support while I was gone, it really meant a lot and got me through it!
As always, vote and comment if you liked it!
Till next time!
XX Blondie XX