𝐎𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐛.𝐛)

Hi

Riley had fallen asleep in my arms. After our long car ride, Riley had passed out. James carried out all the bags to my parents door.

"Wait." I say, stopping his hand from knocking on the mustard yellow door.

"What? Is everything okay?" He asks, turning to me completely.

"Are we moving too fast?" I ask, feeling the small girl in my arms stir against my chest.

"If you want to introduce me to them as a friend, you can. I know this is a lot, Kara." He says before pecking a cheek to my head. "I can take her and we can go to a hotel for the weekend."

"No, just.. just stay."

"You sure?"

No.

"Yeah, let's get her inside. It's freezing and she's waking up." I suggest. He turns around hesitantly before knocking on the door.

I had expected Dad to open the door but it was actually Joshua. "Kar- You're not Kara." He says an octave lower than when I saw him in hospital two weeks ago.

"No, but I brought her with me." James jokes while moving out of the way to show.

"Kara!" He shouts, startling Riley. "When we're you gonna tell us you had a daughter?!"

"Shut up! Let us in." I say rolling my eyes, holding Riley closer as she stretches.

My mom comes in from the hallway and she looks happy. But the smile that spring on her face when she saw James with me was probably as big as the one in her wedding pictures.

"Well looky here, our Kay brought home a boy.l She says, walking over to him. "What your name hun?"

James meets her hand with a small shake. "James Barnes, ma'am. It's an honor to meet you." He says with a smile.

Riley hugs my neck as my father walks in.

"Who's this angel?" My mom asks.

"I'm Riley." She says with a yawn. "Who are you?"

"This is my Mom. Mom, this is James's daughter." I say as Riley tucks her head into my shoulder.

The entry room was not big so all of were crammed into the small room. Wooden trimming around the whole house, furniture passed down from both my dad and moms family. But there was a family picture of the four of (and Alfredo) hanging above a small, cozy seating area in the entry area.

"Why don't we move this to the kitchen?" I suggest. Everyone agrees and I let James follow me. I tried passing Riley off to him but she'd rather stay with me because I smell like "unicorns and cake." Whatever that's supposed to smell like.

The kitchen was moms favorite thing in her house. It was also her longest project. After Mom was raped, she found comfort in fixing things. Her therapist said it was common. Many rape survivors feel as though they need to fix other things since they can't fix themselves. Mom turned her coping mechanisms into a hobby and a side hustle.

Her first big project was her kitchen. I would come visit every now and then and see new things added to the room. She turned the small, ugly wood cabinets with granite countertops  to a beautiful navy blue cabinet with wooden countertops. It was her dream. And Dad and Josh helped make it happen.

I feel bad for not moving to Jersey sometimes. But my parents always remind me that it's normal for families to move apart. But we still live close enough for a 5 hour drive.

"Guys, this is James. My boyfriend."

Wow.

I look to James and he's just as shocked.