Surviving Home | Completed

Chapter Four

Being back in California felt surreal. It felt like a foreign place, yet there was a sense of familiarity; And, this was just at the airport. As they waited for their baggage to arrive, Declan's eyes wandered, looking for his mother, much like he did as a child. Before moving to New York to live with Derek, Declan was closest to his mother. Abigail Blake wouldn't ever say it out loud, but everyone knew that her youngest son was the prince of her heart. No matter what was going on, they drew to each other like moths to a flame.

Declan realized that the closest people to him had always been women, first his mother, then Alicia. Clarisa was next and finally, little Aria. It wasn't that he didn't have male friends. His brother was his rock. But these four women just seemed to understand him in a way no one else could.

Aria tugged at his hand frantically just then. He looked down at her, only to see a scared look on her face. "What happened, my love?" he urged her, as he lifted her up into his arms. She was too busy hiding her face in the nook of his neck. He looked up to ask the others what happened only to see his brother and sister-in-law display stoic expressions on their faces. Derek took a deep breath before turning to his brother. There was nervousness in his eyes. Declan realized then that their mother had entered the airport. He looked ahead to see his mother's eyes frantically searching for her long-lost family. He was transported back to his 10-year old self sitting in the classroom waiting for his mother to show up.

"Mom," he found himself yelling. Abigail's eyes immediately followed her son's voice. It sounded deeper, but it was him. Her eyes finally laid on the couple standing with a tall man cradling a little child. If not for the fact that her older son hadn't changed much since she last saw him, she wouldn't have believed that it was her family. Abigail sprinted towards them, almost propelling into the arms of her eldest child. The waterworks soon followed. Declan couldn't decide who was worse for wear, his mother or his brother. Even Alicia was tearing up. It was, after all, the first time she was seeing the exchange between mother and son. Guilt immediately ate at Declan.

Derek and Alicia were married a year after Declan moved to New York. Their wedding had been a drunken mistake, carried out during a weekend in Vegas. Too ashamed to face their families afterwards, the couple continued to hide the news of their marriage till Alicia fell pregnant with Aria. The happiness of their impending parenthood and the desire to share their news with family caused all their secrets to come spilling out. Alicia's family was too livid to continue ties with the family, and the Blake's never got around to seeing their sons in New York. A difficult pregnancy kept Derek and Alicia from visiting the family in California as well. Therefore, this would be the first time that the extended Blake family would properly meet both Aria and her mother for the very first time. It had been this byproduct of flying back to California for his sister's wedding that finally drove Declan to agree. He wanted the rest of his family to meet two of the most important women in his and his brother's lives.

So, here he stood as his mother got out of her son's embrace and stood in front of Alicia, unsure of how to respond. Declan was sure that his mother had rehearsed her hypothetical interaction with Alicia. She would have even given her husband and daughters a list of dos and don'ts to ensure that Alicia felt welcomed in their home. But, as always, his mother's resolve had crumbled at the brink of her final performance. He wasn't worried too much about it. Derek and he had already prepared Alicia for what was to come. Declan knew she could handle his mother. Abigail Blake wouldn't hurt a fly.

"Hello, Alicia," Abigail almost whispered, scared that this was all a dream. An octave higher, and she was worried about creating the wrong impression in front of her daughter-in-law. After all, Alicia didn't grow up like Abigail or her sons. Alicia Davis-Blake had always lived in the lap of luxury. Abbie wondered what she saw in Derek. But then again, Derek was doing well for himself now. Abbie supposed that her son gave his wife the comfort she was used to. She just hoped that Alicia appreciated it.