“What if they don’t remember me?” I asked as we stepped off the plane.
Miles squeezed my hand. “They’ll remember you. I never stopped talking about you.”
“What if they hate me? You hated me. I caused you so much pain. Surely they’ll hate me for hurting you.”
“I don’t think my parents know how to hate anyone. Besides, they know how much I love you. And they’ve always loved you too.”
“Maybe I should at least book a hotel room. They probably don’t want me to stay at their house. God, we really should have told them I was coming. You should have at least told them you found me. You’re going to give your mom a heart attack.”
He laughed. “Summer, you’re being ridiculous. This is going to be a great surprise.”
“But what if…”
My words died away when I saw them. Mr. Young was standing there with a sign in his hands that read: “Welcome home, Miles.”
Welcome home. Those two words made my heart swell. My name wasn’t on the sign. They didn’t know that I was coming. Hell, they didn’t even know that I was alive. But it still felt like they were welcoming me.
Mrs. Young gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Tears started streaming down her cheeks.
“Summer?” Mr. Young’s voice sounded far away, like he couldn’t process that I was really here.
I felt tears falling down my face too as Mrs. Young ran over and threw her arms around me.
“Oh, sweetie. You’re okay. You’re okay, right?” She pulled back and grabbed my face in both her hands. “You’re okay?” She kept crying.
“I’m okay, Mrs. Young.”
She shook her head, keeping my face in her hands. “I never thought we’d see you again. Oh my, you’re so grown up.” She patted my cheeks. “You’re a beautiful woman.” It looked like she was about to cry even harder.
“We’ve missed you, Summer,” Mr. Young said. He stole me away from Mrs. Young and hugged me so hard it almost hurt. But I wouldn’t have changed a thing.
“I’m here too,” Miles said with a laugh.
I stepped back and Miles wrapped his arm around my waist.
Mrs. Young’s eyes lit up. She put her hand on her chest. “And you two are together? Yes?” She nodded like she didn’t even need a reply.
I looked up at Miles. “I can’t imagine my life without him.”
Mrs. Young started bawling again.
“Mom, stop crying.”
“I can’t.” She fanned her face. “You didn’t tell us you found her. Why didn’t you tell us you found her? Summer, he never stopped thinking about you. He’s loved you since he was what…eight years old?”
Mr. Young laughed. “Now you’re just trying to embarrass our son.” He put his arm around his wife and squeezed her shoulders. “Let’s get home, okay?”
Home. I was scared to see my old house. Scared of the memories it would bring to the surface.
“You’ve got this,” Miles whispered in my ear.
I looked up at him. I didn’t know how he always knew I needed him. But I felt so lucky.
Snow was falling when we stepped out of the airport. I breathed in the smell. It was different than snow in New York. It smelled like home here. I couldn’t keep the grin off my face as I nestled into the backseat of the car next to Miles.
And somehow I kept smiling through a very short story about what I had been through. I was done telling it. I was done with the pain. I glanced at Miles as his phone buzzed yet again.
“Everything okay?” I asked.