"SURPRISE!"
The bleariness in my eyes must not have tipped anyone off, so I tried to react appropriately to the shouting that was still bouncing off the walls in Vanessa's place. As usual, Kate and Lewis were the two who were the most enthusiastic yellers. Children's lungs must have extra capacity in them or something. They launched themselves at me the moment the door was flung open. As much as surprise parties turn me off, I couldn't be a stick in the mud for moments like that with my brother's kids. I had to take a knee to hug the excited youngsters as they hopped up to try and hug me around the neck. They weren't quite big enough to do that when I left for school, but I'm sure I'll have time to make it up to them now that I'm home again.
"I can't believe you're back for good!" Leanne, Nessa's mum, called out, her own eyes tearing up at the excitement of having her 'surrogate son' returned home. I stood up as she came over to pulled me into a big hug. As I let her go, my eyes scanned the room for Nessa, but she's wasn't in the lounge with the others. I figured she'd be right there, but instead, I found her chopping potatoes in the kitchen. As usual, a job's never quite finished for her; there was always more to do.
I took a moment to look around at everyone special in my life assembled in one room for me. It wasn't until then that it really sunk in what I was coming home to. I wrote my book over years, but with my two families, it would be so much easier to write the next one. Vanessa's dad, Greg, was waiting with a firm handshake and a clap on the shoulder. All the while, Kate and Liam were hanging off me as I waded through the welcomes until Vanessa came out of the kitchen.
"Hey..." I said with a warm smile. It was all I could think to say in the moment. Kate and Lewis must have sensed it and let me go as I walked over and took my best friend in my arms. I didn't realize it, but I hugged her so tight. Knowing that it was for good, it wasn't until this hug that I knew I was home to stay.
"I missed you..." I whispered in her ear, not wanting to give the collected families any more ammunition about our 'forthcoming engagement'. It was about more than my time away. I had to say it as I felt like I had lost my best friend since the kisses on New Year's.
The moment I took her in my arms, I felt her melt into the embrace. I wasn't aware that she was holding her breath, but she let out a great sigh as she softened against me. I knew that wasn't the end of it, but at least I had an answer to whether she had been avoiding me. That release told me that she still wanted me around. I was happy to work it out with her; I had nothing but time to do so now.
"I missed you too," She told me, her voice barely above a breath. She gave me an extra squeeze before stepping back and clearing her throat. Her eyes flicked to our parents and I knew they would be watching us with interest. I could only imagine what ammunition I had given to Darren for his next salvo of comments about us.
She looked over my shoulder at the two large suitcases my dad had wheeled in. She gave me a look I could not place, but I had a feeling some snide comment was incoming. It was our way.
"Jeez," she teased, "You packed light. I hope you didn't leave half your clothes behind because you intended to borrow mine. I told you the other day, my dresses will be way too short for you."
Nessa's playful ribbing caused a roar of laughter in the room, and I could tell she was switching subjects so that the parents would stop waiting for her and I to kiss.
Playing along, I chuckled. "I'd probably rip the straps too..." I added to Vanessa's joke. I looked at the others who got back to whatever they were doing before my arrival. As all eyes left us, I turned back to Vanessa. "Thanks for opening up your place to me. It means a lot," I said softly as I leaned in and kissed her cheek. It was a quick thing, but another hug wouldn't have shown my gratitude properly.
Darren broke things up though as he thrust a beer into my hand and clapped my back. "Welcome home..." He said, smiling at me and trying to muss my short cropped hair. "Nessa, I think I found your new scrubbing pad..." He said as he rubbed it a little harder.
"Ha ha, very funny..." I chided him as I pushed him off me. I was about to say more when I spied my dad was about to take my bags upstairs.
"Uh, wait a minute dad, you don't need to do that. We can keep those down here..." I said, going over and taking the bag handles from him. "I'll be down here until we find my place."
"Oh... I just..." He said, looking at my mum who looked at Vanessa confused. It seemed she jumped to some conclusions upon hearing that I'd be moving in with Vanessa when I got back.
"It's fine; I like a stiff bed anyway and her couch is a rock..." I said, trying to lighten things after breaking everyone's heart about mine and Vanessa's future.
As usual, Nessa jumped in to rescue me.
"Plus, I heard that he snores. I need my beauty sleep," she added nonchalantly. She skirted around Darren and Hannah and went over to help my dad, Henry. "Here, I figure we can leave them against this wall until he is ready to unpack or whatever," she guided him, helping him nestle the bags between the side table and one of my bookshelves.
Thankfully, The alarm for the lamb pierced through the awkward chatter in the room. Vanessa immediately returned to the kitchen to get it out, warning the kids to hop out of the kitchen for a bit while she dealt with the hot stuff. Kate and Liam were typical kids and wanted to be wherever the action was. As usual, they groaned in protest when they couldn't do what they wanted.
Figuring they need something to do, I distracted Kate and Liam with a task, posing some math puzzles with the numbers of how many miles I had to fly to get home. Liam screwed his face up as he wrestled with the simple addition questions. Kate, being older, took on the multiplication puzzles I posed and soon enough, the food prep in the kitchen was over. The mums knew the rules and only stepped in once Vanessa was done with the main course and started to set out all the sides and things on the table. Vanessa didn't have a table big enough for everyone so we spread throughout her place, using card tables and such to get everyone a place. I took a spot on the couch with my folks, filling them in on some more details about my book deal.
I tried to downplay it, but I could feel everyone's eyes on me as they have never been around an author and all this was so new to them. I kept having to remind them that I'm not published yet. I didn't tell them that the editing process is making me wish I hadn't written the damn novel at all. But my agent found me a very patient editor; however, Vanessa is the only one that knew how much it was driving me crazy to have to defend every choice I made in my plot.
When the parents started to press me for publication deadlines and dates, and asking when they could expect their signed copy, Vanessa decided to intervene.
"So, Kate, how's that dance routine coming along for the mid-year performance?" she asked, looking across the table to where Kate was seated. All of the parents loved hearing about her dance school, and she loved telling them. She launched into a story about the drama of being picked for the front-and-centre position and how she was having trouble getting all the moves down. As Kate continued, I caught Vanessa flashing me a big grin from across the table before turning back to her plate.
I had to smile because once again, Vanessa saved my life. Unlike the rest of the people around the table, she could tell that I was done talking about my book about twenty minutes into the conversation. Thankfully, she artfully steered things toward Kate, the blossoming niece of mine. I smiled as I listened to her talking, trying to match the look on my face to the high drama of dance school politics. I could tell Hanna knew I was just humouring her, but it made her smile all the same.
Before long, I pushed my plate away. With all the flying I had done, my body wasn't sure if it was dinner was breakfast or what. Either way, I knew not to overeat. Besides, if Vanessa was telling the truth about her dessert, I wanted to leave room.
I may have been the first to push back from the table, but that was only because Kate's story had distracted everyone else from eating. Vanessa was a practised hostess and only got up once the chatter around the table was rejoined. All eyes fell on her as everyone knew what she was going to get. Selfishly, so did mine.
"So Ness, what did you bake for us tonight?" Greg asked, stretching and yawning as Vanessa took his plate.
"Dad I spent hours and hours slaving over a hot stove baking lamb, and you wanted me to bake dessert as well?" Vanessa feigned incredulity so well. Her dad chuckled and patted her hand as she reached past and got her mom's plate from beside him. Vanessa stacked up all the plates and walked back into the kitchen to put them by the sink. When she came out, she was holding a boxed up pavlova for all to see.
"And may I present... dessert. Lovingly crafted and decorated by me to celebrate the return of my best friend. Hours of blood, sweat and somebody else's tears went into this, so I hope you all enjoy," she announced dramatically as she set the clearly-bakery-bought-pavlova down onto the centre of the table. It was piled with mountains of whipped cream and berries, with passionfruit glaze drizzled artfully all around.
"I appreciate the effort..." I said with a warm smile up at my best friend, and now, roommate. My mum clapped excitedly as it's her favourite dessert and my dad stood up, offering to serve. I tried not to look too bashful as he served me first with a "Welcome home, son..." He didn't often say much that would make me emotional, but when he did it hit me square in the chest. Each person is served in turn and I smiled as, predictably, Lewis got reprimanded for starting in on his too fast. I caught Darren's eye as he shared a knowing smirk from our time at his son's age.
Once everyone had a piece, my dad looked around the table before saying "Everyone, I think I can speak for us all when I say welcome home to my boy." He turned to me a little more. "Now that you're back, no running off anywhere again," He said with a warm smile and side hug around my shoulders with one arm before commanding us all to dig in.
The parents looked so glad; they even managed to restrain any comment about me just needing to find the right Sydney woman to marry to keep him here. They must have been happy.
Everyone dug into their desert with enthusiasm, and I caught Vanessa leaning over and whispering something to Hannah. If I had to guess, it was an apology for the choice of treats. There was so much sugar in it that Kate and Lewis would be bouncing off the walls well past bedtime. She just shook her head and told her that the excitement of having their uncle home was going to be enough to do that anyway. I kept my eyes on my plate, hiding a smile, as I pretended not to catch her answer.
"You know, it is too bad you couldn't stay with us Uncle Nate... Me and Kate wanna hear more of your stories!" Lewis said through a mouthful of cream and strawberries.
I laughed as I looked over at him. Somehow, he managed to make words around all that cream and pavlova even with such a tiny mouth. "Well, I tell you what. I'll bet if you ask your mum really nice, she can set up her iPad in your room and I can tell you a bedtime story whenever you like. But, you have to promise that you will get changed for bed, brush your teeth and let her tuck you in before you get a story, okay?" I said, waggling my fork at him.
Lewis frowned around the cake and looked at Kate. She shrugged back at him.
"Can we just set up the iPad? None of that other stuff?" He asked.
"Hey! Cheeky little so-and-so," Darren said as he playfully poked his son in the ribs.
"Those are the rules, dude. Take 'em or leave 'em..." I added, smiling as I look at him and my brother acting not unlike we used to.
"I'll get back to you," Lewis said petulantly as he jammed another spoonful of dessert into his mouth. Vanessa couldn't help but laugh at that. Somehow when those kids were being impertinent they were still so damn cute. Even his parents couldn't resist a smile.
"So, now that you're an author what are you going to do during the day?" Vanessa's father asked, looking back at me. Greg was still perplexed by the idea that I would be 'working from home'. From what Nessa had told me, he didn't seem to completely comprehend the fact that writing and editing may just fill eight hours of my day, every day.
"Well, I'll stick to a schedule so that I stay on track for book two Then I imagine that Vanessa and I will see how living under the same roof will work in those other off times," I offered, glancing over at Nessa. "It will be good to have my old movie partner again," I added with a smile.
There was a collective 'Awwww!' as I looked over at Vanessa; I could feel Darren nudging me under the table and my head hung to the side as I just gave him a tired look. Meanwhile, I could see Vanessa sitting there with cheeks flushed as she rolled her eyes.
