Building A (Strange) Family

Moving

They took their time and what could have been a 8 or so hour trip took three days.
Lilly felt her heart beat faster the closer they got to the house.

Mom noticed her excitement, but she didn't mention it.
She just smiled as they pulled up, the guys waving from the porch.
She hoped Lilly remembered to put it in park before she jumped out.

But Lilly was patient:
she even waited and allowed David to open the car door for her.

"The Lady of the house has arrived," he grinned, offering her a hand and kissing it.
She slipped out of the seat, closing the door behind her.
But that was the extent of her resolve.
She threw herself into David's expectant, happy arms and kissed him.

Joel went and opened the door for Mom
and they stood around the hood of the car till Mom cleared her throat.

Lilly pulled back, clearing her throat, a shade of pink darker in her cheeks.
David just smiled, no shame.

"So, you okay taking the left over room Mom? I'm sure Joel would flip you for his room..."

Robert and Mark snorted, Mark trying to cover it as a cough.

Joel smiled at Mom.

"Actually..."

Mom continued for him.
"Actually, I'm not living here."

Lilly's eyes went wide.
"Really? I thought... You-"

"I'm so glad that your father finally did the right thing by you, and I think you deserve this house. But I'm not living where he lived."

She placed a hand on Joels back.
"That's why I asked Joel about the shed."

She pointed to the large shed beside the house.
Lilly had cleared it out in the week before the funeral.

"He moved all my things into it. Should be quite comfortable."
She just grinned, as did Joel.

Lilly smiled as well, but shook her head slowly.
"I knew you two were in cahoots..."

Mark yelled from the porch, "What the hell are cahoots?"

As Mom walked over to inspect her new 'she shed',
Lilly yelled to let her know, "I'll call the contractor this week about adding a bathroom!"

"Speaking of contractors..."
David slid his arms around her from behind, kissing her neck.

She bit her lip, knowing she had been discovered.
She looked over her shoulder at him.
"Did you guys find some... interesting things?"

"When did get someone to black out the bedroom windows?
And the basement bathroom? It's all amazing."

He took her inside. The guys bounced around them, there excitement was palpable.
And entering Lilly could see why.
The place already looked homier.
They had taken out everything that was he fathers and stuffed it in the same back room they had stuffed the basement things.
They had replaced it all with their stuff: the couch, their chairs, lamps.

It was still little bare, but they would fill it out soon enough.
Lilly let out a little contented sigh and squeezed David's hands still around her waist.

"Seriously, how did you do the windows and stuff?" Mark asked, dropping sideways in his chair. Robert and Joel followed suit and David pulled her down on the couch with him.

Lilly shrugged.
"The day we left.
When you guys were all sleeping in the car.
I asked Mr. Fischer and he suggested a guy...
I told them you guys had photo-phobia... extreme light sensitivity."

Later, Robert and Joel went to take things out of the car and insisted Lilly just relax.

"Where does this bag go?" Robert asked, bringing in a messenger bag.

'Ooo!" Her arms shot out and she wiggled her fingers towards him
and he laughed as he brought it to her.

"Everyone, gather 'round!" she announced as she started to pull out little boxes from the bag.
They did as she asked, giggling and sitting at her feet like children at story time.

"I know everyone has been getting on me for spending..." She handed out a box each to them, all similar size and shape.
"But, I think every one of you will agree that this is a necessity and long over due."
She finally nodded, handing the last to David who sat beside her.

Each of them gasped or grinned as they revealed the phones inside the boxes, each one a bit different.

"They aren't the newest, but pretty new. And I didn't want to get you the same ones cause I thought you'd be mixing them up all the time... but now that I think of it, you guys can just get different covers... Rambling, sorry. Anyway, they're all on the same plan, unlimited everything..."

She was sort of bouncing, watching their reactions and seeming just as excited as they were.

"Lilly, they're amazing...
I've never had a phone before..."
Joel admitted, lovingly caressing his phone.

Mark laughed, "Dude, you and I have never had our own bedrooms, let along phones!"

David's hand came behind her head, pulling her forehead to his.
"They're perfect. You're perfect. Thank you, Lilly."

The boys had retired to their rooms.
It was nearing dawn and David was tired but refused to go to bed.
He tugged Lilly up out of the couch, grabbing a blanket out of an open box.

"Don't you need to get to sleep, M'love?"
She smiled, tired herself and following him easily.

He shrugged as he pulled her through the kitchen and out the door to the side yard.
It was a lovely yard, fenced in with a low white fence and surrounded by trees on all sides.
There was also the path let eventually lead down the cliff to the beach.

David sat on the steps to the porch, pulling the blanket around himself.
He opened one arm, an invitation for her to join him.
She chuckled and came down the steps, letting him wrap his arm around her with the blanket.
He kissed the side of her head.

The yard was covered in a dark blue light, getting lighter all the time as the sun threatened to rise.
The sound of the ocean was ever present in the background, as well as local birds just waking.

She laid her head on his shoulder and he leaned his head against hers, kissing it.
He sighed.
"I could definitely get used to this..."

And so, their life in Oregon began.