Into You

I ran, to my family

The drive took just over 25 minutes, less than Ed had first thought. He pulled to a stop on the crackling pebbles in front of Maggie's ranch.

I turned to open the door of the car but was beaten to it by Maggie herself. She had the greatest grin on her face as she wrapped her short chubby arms around both Lily and I.

"Oh look at you! You look so beautiful girly," she petted my hair, " and your hair is shining so lovely, you're looking a little thin though. Don't worry I'll get you some pie to fatten you up some. "

Maggie started fussing with Lily too before she finally looked up and saw Eddie.

Her jaw dropped, "Where on God's Earth are my manners?! Eddie baby, how are you son?  And what are you doing with my little Sunshine's?"

Ed looked a little tongue tied at Maggie's outburst, so I quickly cut in saying, "Oh Maggie you don't know how grateful we should be to," I looked at Ed with mirth in my eyes, "Eddie baby here."

His face told me that he clearly didn't see the same humour in the name as I did.

I turned back to Maggie, "My car broke down and he...basically saved us. He brought us all the way home and even offered to take a look under my bonnet - my cars bonnet obviously."

Ed tried to hold in a laugh at the unintended innuendo, but failed as his laughter blurted out as he faked a cough.

Luckily Maggie was seemingly unaware and instead marshalled us out of the car. Me carrying Lily and Ed following behind.

It felt strange to be back at the only place that ever really felt like home for me and Lily. This ranch was a haven for me when I first got here. It was the only place I felt safe.

I was barely twenty years old with no clue of how to raise a child - on my own - a child that was the only living reminder of my twin. Then there was the fact that I had to deal with mourning my sister whilst also pretending to be her.

If there was ever a time in my life that I'd had an identity crisis, it was definitely then.

I still messed up every now and again. I think it was about two or three weeks into my stay here at Bramley and a woman in the diner I had worked in was calling for her husband. She kept calling, "Ray! Ray!" It was what everyone called me before... And I couldn't help but answer her. It was just my natural reaction. She obviously thought I was odd to answer to a name that was nowhere near to being similar to the name my badge spelt out.

Over time I got used to it. Being Chelsea. I'd come to terms with the fact that Raylene was gone and most likely would never be back. I had a new life to live with Lily. No matter what, I had to keep my promise to Chelsea. I had to look after my family. I had to look after Lily. Always.

Walking into Maggie's house was like walking into a whole other world for me. A world that made me feel as though I'd just come home for Christmas. Like I'd never even left, as though I'd just gone out for some milk. It was home.

The walls in the hallway were the same faded lime with little daisy flowers printed across in circular shapes. Lily always thought they were lilies; she thought every flower was a lily. I smiled as I passed the doorway that had various etchings in the wood with Lily's advancing height. I made a mental note to add to them as soon as Lily awoke.

Ed squeezed past me to help pull out a stool for me at the old white washed wooden table in Maggie's farmhouse kitchen. This kitchen had always been my favourite room in the house. Maggie had worked hard to keep it very traditional with the gas stove hobs and four door oven. The deep Victorian sink was always a gleaming white as it sat below the red picnic blanket curtains of the long window.

I sat in Ed's proffered stool shuffling in search of comfort in the small stool cushion. Maggie went straight to the fridge and pulled out a pitcher filled with her special homemade lemon and ginger ale. She placed the jug beside the small crystal vase filled with elderflowers, something I'd always seen her do. She claimed that a room without flowers wasn't a room worth having.

Ed jumped up to help Maggie reach for the glasses which she kept in her high cupboards. It was hard not to notice the tall and strong build of Ed as he barely raised his muscular arm to reach for the glasses.

Restrain yourself Ray!

I quickly averted my gaze and looked down to the wriggling child in my lap.

"Maggie, I'm just gonna put her down to bed. Its late and she looks uncomfortable. She's absolutely shattered from the drive."

Maggie nodded her head at me in understanding, "Of course darling. You go set her down in the guest room and you can move on into your old house tomorrow." She turned back to Ed and pulled his unsuspecting form closer to me. "Eddie baby here will help you. Now go on while I finish up in here."

Ed awkwardly just followed me out the kitchen and up the stairs while Maggie mumbled something about slicing pies.

The two of us walked into the guest room which was painted a fresh blue colour, it reminded me of the sky in Summer. Ed pulled back the white cotton duvet which was dusted with a pattern of small embroidered zig zags.

I stepped close to the bed and leaned down to carefully place Lily on it and then proceeded to pull off her shoes and socks. Ed then crouched to pull the covers to just under her chin and began braiding her long black curls back.

I looked up to him and whispered in mild shock, "What are you doing?"

He carried on braiding away as he answered nonchalantly, "Braiding her hair."

I rolled my eyes, "Well I can clearly see that Mr sassy pants!" I whisper yelled. "But why?" I furrowed my brow in thought, "How do you even know how to do that?"

Ed chuckled as he knotted off the end of the braid and turned to me. "My sister used to hate having her hair in her face when she slept. So when we were little she made me learn to braid so that I could do it  because she couldn't do it properly." His cheeks tinted pink with shyness. "I thought maybe, I don't know, that Lily might be more comfortable this way."

"Wow, well that's quite...adorable actually," I smiled at him in appreciation, "Thank you, Ed."

"Don't worry 'bout it. It's nothing."

But it wasn't nothing. It was a lot, to me at least. It had always been just me looking out for Lily. And then Maggie for a while. But now I think I could say that she had Ed too.

Maybe our family was finally getting bigger.