Broken Promises//ng.cd

Part 26

Lily's POV

Nash opens the door in front of me. I step into my home and let myself be immersed in the feeling. I take a deep breath in through my nose and smell wood, like a new house.

I feel arms around my right leg and look down to see Skylynn with her messy blonde hair and big pink shirt on.

"LILY!!" She shouts. She looks up at me and her big baby-tooth smile and it puts a smile on my face too.

I crouch down, causing Skylynn to let go of my leg. "Hey Skylynn!" I say, giving her a big hug and lifting her up. She wraps her legs around my body and She wraps her arms around my neck and squeezes tight, to where I can barley breathe.

Why do little kids always somehow manage to use you as a jungle gym? Not to mention always hurting you somehow at the same time...

"I missed you Lily!" Skylynn exclaims.

I laugh. "I missed you too Skylynn." I hug her tighter.

Footsteps enter my ears and I turn around to look behind me. I see my Mom and Dad, smiling hugely. I crouch down and put down Skylynn, then I walk to my mom and give her a big hug.

"I'm so glad you're back, sweetie. We all love you so much." Mom says. She hugs me close, just like a real mother would.

I feel my Dad's hand on my shoulder and I look up at him. His blue eyes look at me like I'm his real child. Mom lets go of me and Dad takes me into a hug.

"Missed' ya kiddo" he tells me. "Welcome back." I close my eyes and sigh happily.

"Am I chopped liver or somethin?"

I haven't heard that voice hardly ever. I let go of my Dad and turn around.

It's Hayes. He towers over me, his hair more like Nash's shorter haircut and his muscles more distinct. He looks more... Mature and older than I remembered. Probably because he is.

I roll my eyes and start walking over to him. "No, but your pretty close." I tease. We have that kind of relationship, I guess. We don't talk much, and when we do it's usually silly insults that mean nothing,but we still care I guess. I lightly hug him, but he hugs me tighter.

"I know we're not really close or anything, but I did miss you." Hayes whispers.

One side of my mouth lifts into a smile. "I know. I missed you too."

I pull away and step back. I take a good look at everyone, my eyes scanning my family.

I've never been called sweetie. I've never been called kiddo. I've never been missed. I've never been loved. It's nice for a change. Tears start to well up in my eyes and it feels like my eyelids are little pools.

It's a weird comparison,I know but my mind is strange and in this moment that's what it feels like.

"I'm so thankful for you guys. I never thought I'd get adopted. I thought when I was 18 I'd just be out on the street hopelessly left to fend for myself. But I have you guys...and I couldn't ask for anything better." I look at all of them, left to right. "I love you all. Thank you for being my family."

Nash comes from behind me and wraps his arms around me, resting his head on top of mine. "We love you too, Lily." Nash says. "Now stop crying, this is supposed to be a happy moment!"

I laugh as another tear falls from my eye. "I know."

"How about we just let Lily calm down a second," mom suggests. "And in a little while we can all eat a delicious home cooked dinner together. As a family."

I look at her and smile. She smiles back and her eyes squint. "That sounds great." I reply.

***

The smell of steak is intoxicating. I walk into the dining room and see 10 steaks on a plate in the middle of the table along with the whole family, but Nash and I because we were watching Disney Channel. I'm not sure why but it seemed to calm me down.

"This smells and looks amazing!" I exclaim. Then a bowl of white mushy stuff catches my eye. I point at it. "Is that mashed potatoes?" I ask.

My dad smiles. "'Yup. Made 'em myself. I know how much you love them."

A smile spreads across my face. I walk over and take my seat next to Nash and Skylynn.

I take both of their hands and the whole family does the same. We bow our heads and pray. "Dear Lord," my dad begins. "Thank you for this food, thank you for bringing Lily back to us and for blessing us all with such a wonderful life..." I don't end up hearing the rest.

I feel breath on my ear and I make out words along with it. "I want to talk to you later." I nod my head slightly.

"Amen." Dad closes. We all lift our heads and open our eyes. "Amen." We all repeat, and then we eat.

Towards the end of supper, I'm already finished before anyone else. "This was amazing. Thank you." I say. " I should probably unpack so I'm not sleeping on the hardwood floor."

My mom looks at me nicely. "Okay sweetie."
She says. "Will you be coming back down or are you gonna go to bed after you're done?" She puts a forkful of mashed potatoes in her mouth.

I stand up and push in my chair as I reply. "I'm just gonna stay up."

My mom finishes chewing and swallows. "Okay. Night honey."

I walk around the table, giving Skylynn and squeeze, Mom, Dad and Nash a hug from behind, and I just push Hayes's head to the side and say, "Night dork." To him.

I slowly walk up the stairs and into my room to begin unpacking.

Before long, I have the main things (bedding, pillows, beside stuff, etc.) all set up. I collapse on my bed and close my eyes.

It's been a long day. Slowly, I fall into a deep relaxing slumber, knowing that for the first time in a while, I am home.

<---->