Boundaries

Grant: home

{Grant}

I listened to my audiobook so that my mind would have something to think about instead of Aidan's emails. I was nervous returning to the farm; I hadn't emailed him back.

The plane touched down. Tish shook Conor awake again, and he let her out of his lap to gather our bags and suitcases. This airport didn't have a ramp; they had a lift waiting for us to step out of the plane and then lower us to the ground. I rolled my sleeves down and fished my hat out of my bag. Conor's blood was wearing off, and I could feel the slow burn of the sun, even in on this cloudy day.

The pilot didn't come by to see us off, but of course, he was a hunter and was probably wishing he could shoot us instead of letting us go. I gave him a wave anyway as we headed across the tarmac to the gate. Mel and Susie Lynn were waiting for us just beyond. Mel stepped back to let the gate open and then leaned down to kiss Ralph, wrapping him in her arms. Susie Lynn squirmed between them, and all three of them had tears streaming down their faces.

Susie was the first to look up, and she spotted Tish.

"You didn't say that you were coming!" she cried, darting around her parents to pull Tish into a hug. "You're staying until full moon at least, right? You're not leaving with the plane?"

"I'm definitely staying until full moon," Tish told her.

"You'll be here for Christmas!" Susie Lynn pulled Tish around in a circle, hopping around in a dance. "You'll be able to teach me so much!"

Tish and Conor shared a look. I would have thought they were too new a couple for such things, but Conor and Tish synced in a way that Stefa and Conor had never made any sense to me. Tish seemed happier than she had never been while we were dating. Mel finally let go of Ralph, and we headed towards the parking lot.

"What happened?" Susie Lynn questioned, reaching up towards Tish's face.

"Silver," Tish told her.

"Why would the hunters splash you with silver?" Susie Lynn exclaimed. "They're terrible people; I wish you never had to go back there."

"I don't," Tish said with a grin.

"Because of the silver?" Susie asked. "Because they hurt you? Was it an accident or on purpose?"

"They were aiming for me," Conor replied. "So a bit of both."

Susie Lynn sighed dramatically and let go of Tish to hug Conor. "At least you're home, and you're not leaving again."

We stopped at a blue van and Mel unlocked it. The rear hatch opened on its own and I moved to put our bags there.

"You bought a new car?" Ralph questioned.

I couldn't tell if he was relieved or dismayed. Susie clambered into the back row and patted the seat.

"It was used, seats more people, and comes with this;" Mel pulled out a ramp so that Ralph could roll right into the side. "We were always planning on selling that old truck once you got it fixed, so I did. And this is much easier to drive with better gas mileage. We're going to be in Kalispell nearly every week. And we can take the driver's seat out when you're up to driving. I haven't bought all the pieces for that though."

"I have missed you," Ralph smiled.

"I've missed you more," she told him. "Come on. I'm sure the kids are anxiously waiting for us."

Conor sat next to Ralph, Tish sat in the back with Susie Lynn who had already launched in a monologue about all the things she had learned or done or seen. I sat up with Mel who was going maybe a touch faster than needed out of town.