I find Tully laying face down on her bed, propped up on her elbows as she looks down at her phone. “Hey, what’s going on?” she questions. “Did Noah have the balls to walk through the front door?”
“Sure did,” I chuckle, “and he brought Lacey with him.”
Tully instantly sits up. “What?” she questions. “Really? Lacey’s here?”
“Uh-huh. Your mom invited her in to chat about Lily. She thought you’d like to be there and hear what she has to say.”
Tully flies off the bed. “Yeah, I would,” she tells me, grabbing her phone and sliding it into the back pocket of her jeans. “She hasn’t started yet, has she? I know she’s probably just going to say the things she told us the other night but maybe she has more to add.”
I smile at her excitement. “No, you’ve still got time. Your mom is playing host and getting her settled before bombarding her with questions.”
Tully smiles fondly before pushing through her door and heading up the hallway. She drops down beside Noah and I make my way into the kitchen to find Violet hastily trying to get a spread set up and pour drinks at the same time.
I take the cup out of her hand. “Here, let me. Go get started with Lacey and I’ll come out when it’s all ready.”
“Are you sure?” she questions, not wanting to burden me with the task.
“Of course. Go and hear about Lacey’s friendship with your baby.”
Violet reaches out and squeezes my shoulder. “Noah really has found an angel. He better not screw it up and lose you. I’d be furious with him.”
“Trust me, if either of us is going to screw it up, it’d probably be me.”
“I highly doubt that,” she laughs before giving me a bright smile and turning away. She heads into the living room, most likely taking her place beside Eddison. I get busy and sort out something for everyone to nibble on before pouring everyone’s favorite drink. I guess that’s the good thing about becoming so close with people, you begin to learn all about their little preferences. Just as I know that Eddison likes to have a few ice cubes in his soda while Tully prefers to have iced tea.
I hear them chatting in the living room and let out a sigh. The emotions flowing around that room are nearly too much for me to handle and I have a feeling that the second I walk in there, I’m going to be bowled over by them.
Once everything is ready, I take it into the living room and place it down on the coffee table, central to everyone before Noah grabs me and pulls me down into his lap, holding me tight as he listens to everything that Lacey has to offer.
For two hours the group share memories of Lily, each and every one of us discovering something new. Tully and Violet both have tears in the eyes while Eddison’s and Noah’s minds seem to be somewhere far away.
Violet walks Lacey out after chatting with her about her recovery and how she’s been doing over the past few years while I hop off Noah’s lap and start clearing away all the cups and empty plates.
As I head back in to grab another handful, I find Violet walking back from the door with a fond smile on her face, clearly feeling at ease as that little insight of Lily’s life from a friend manages to satisfy her aching heart. “Oh, you don’t need to do that,” she tells me, taking the cups from my hands and scooping up the last plate off the table. “You’ve already been so helpful.”
I refuse to give her the cup from my left hand and walk with her into the kitchen. “Tully told me you got your scholarship,” she smiles proudly. “Congratulations, sweetie. I knew you could do it.”
“Thanks,” I beam. “All my hard work finally paid off and it’s even better because now I have something to show Aria that just because she’s from Haven Falls doesn’t mean that she can’t achieve her goals.”
“You see, I knew the day you showed up here with that little girl you were going to make an incredible big sister. She’s so lucky to have you.”
“I think it’s the other way around,” I tell her honestly. “Having Ari to look out for has motivated me to be better.”
“That was already inside you. Now you have someone to prove it to,” she says, giving me a knowing smile before walking out into the living room.
I follow behind and sit down on the armrest of Noah’s couch when Violet lets out a deep sigh and looks down at him with disappointment, though it almost seems forced, as though all the joy from hearing about Lily is clouding the anger she has pulsing within her for Noah.