Hello, Goodbye

Chapter Twenty-Three

The meeting with Sal went better than they expected. It turned out Sal did think Zeke looked a little like his brother. And they got along okay. Emersyn thought Sal must've spent the whole day pondering the idea of having a nephew he never knew anything about. It must've brought him hope, she thought, and she wondered how she would feel if she was in Sal's shoes. She would've felt blessed. Like Zeke was the best gift the world had ever given her. Secretly she already kind of felt something like that. But her feelings didn't matter in this moment. This was about Zeke and finding his family. And they may have done it at last.

They took the next day off from graveyard work so Zeke could get a DNA test done with Sal. Everything seemed to be happening quickly, but she couldn't blame Zeke for rushing things. She'd want to know too. Before any time was wasted in getting to know each other further. Sal was already coming around to the idea, and after the DNA test was finished he invited Zeke over to the bakery so he could show him how to make chocolate croissants. Emersyn prayed some more. She really like Sal. And she loved Zeke. She wanted this to be the open door he was looking for. The family he so desperately wanted.

It would take a week for the DNA test to come back, and they spent that time away from the graveyard. When Zeke wasn't working with Kiel or hanging out with Sal, he was with Emersyn, silencing her fears that he would ditch her as soon as he found his family. If anything, he seemed to want to spend more time with her while he waited for the DNA test results. But unlike the weeks leading up to the discovery of Vance's headstone, Zeke wasn't pushing her away. In fact, it seemed to Emersyn like he was now trying to pull her closer. He would find little ways to touch her. Brushing her hair out of her face. Holding onto her hand as they went on long hikes. Giving her hugs that seemed to last just a beat too long. Not that she was complaining.

She liked this new version of Zeke somehow even more. He was more at ease around her. Like he'd had a wall he'd been holding up the entire time, and he was only just now beginning to tear it down. He laughed easier and louder. Overall, he just seemed so much happier. It was like someone had flipped a switch in his soul, and that ten thousand watt smile he gave off transformed into a hundred thousand watt smile. Everything about him was brighter. Warmer. And every second of every day she spent with him, she found herself falling more and more in love.

A few days after the DNA test was taken, Zeke and Emersyn decided to spend the day exploring the town of Coupeville. They didn't shop like they did the day they went to Port Townsend together. Instead they just walked and talked. Emersyn asked him about Sal, and his face lit up.

"Sal's great!" he said, and she loved seeing his eyes glow with joy and hope. "He's excited for the DNA test results too. The other day he introduced me to a customer as his nephew. I'm not going to lie to you Emersyn. I started crying. I never cry. But I feel so good about this, you know? Like I finally found where I belong. With Sal. The Montgomery family. I could be a MONTGOMERY, Emersyn! Zeke Montgomery has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

She smiled at him. "It really does." And it did. They grabbed some street tacos from a food truck and sat on a park bench to eat. "Hey," she asked between bites, wondering if she should even ask the question that had been on her mind the last few days. "Question for you. If Sal is your uncle, what are you going to do next?"

He froze and looked at her, and she saw a little bit of nervousness in his eyes. "Wh-what do you mean?" he asked.

She frowned. "Well, I mean... you'll have a family now. An established family. Here. On Whidbey Island. So if the DNA test results come back the way we want them to, are you going to move here permanently? Or are you going to go back home to Oklahoma?"

"Oh," he said, and she saw him visibly relax. "I don't know. I guess that really depends on a few things. For one, if Sal wants me to be here. And two, if I can keep my job with Kiel. I love working with him, and I've learned a ton about houses and stuff. Not to mention I'd love to keep living with him for a while if he'd let me. Gotta keep him eating right, you know?"