Page 43 of I’ll Find You

I groan. “I think we’ve already established there’s nothing little about me.” She laughs as I let go of her hand, wrapping my arm around her shoulder and placing a light kiss on her temple. I hold the door open as she slips beneath and we step into the house. The house smells the same—clean, warm, and inviting.

“We’re home,” my mom says to all of us as she gathers both Rose and me into the fold of her arms. My dad follows behind us, bags in tow. Rose just lingers beside me, her hand brushing mine for the briefest second before slipping away again. She’s taking it in, feeling the space and deciding how she's going to fit here for the next few weeks.

“You remember where everything is?” my mom asks gently.

Rose nods, her voice subdued when she answers. “Yeah. I think so.”

“You haven’t forgotten anything?” my dad asks from behind us, his tone calm, as he places our bags down. “If you have, sweetie, please let us know, and Dani or I will get it for you.”

She smiles at that, and it’s different. Less guarded.

“Alright,” my mom says, clapping her hands softly, breaking up any tension. “Let’s get everyone settled.”

I already know where this is going. I can feel it before she even says it, already rolling my eyes. “You’ve got the guest room ready,” I say, my voice neutral even as something tightens in my chest, not wanting to part with sleeping with her. So many thoughts go through my mind. What if she needs me? If she has a nightmare? “For Rose.”

Rose moves beside me, subtle but unmistakable, as if she doesn’t want to give up sleeping beside me either. Before she can say anything, Ezra drops his bag by the stairs with a grin that’s already going to make me want to punch him.

“Do you want me to take the couch again, Alex?” He laughs, in a challenge. My eyes narrow as his smile widens, showing all his straight, pearly whites.

“Try again." My mom steps in before it turns into something else, her tone light but firm as she redirects him, knowing he was trying to get a rise out of me. My dad stares at Rose, then me, as his lip forms a thin line.

“Ezra, you’ll take the upstairs room, next to ours.”

He groans, dragging a hand down his face. “Uncle Vic snores,” he says in protest, but my dad doesn’t even look up when he answers.

“You’ll survive.” That ends it.

My mom turns back to Rose. “Come on, sweetheart. I’ll show you your room."

Rose hesitates for a second, her eyes lifting to mine, checking something she hasn’t said out loud. I know, baby. I don’t want you to go either. I give her a small nod anyway. She turns and follows my mom down the hall. I stay where I am, watching her go, already missing her more than I should. The space she leaves behind feels bigger than it is. I don’t like it.

Later, after I’ve been upstairs and put my things away, I find myself passing the guest room more than once. I don’t really have a reason to, but I do anyway. The door’s cracked open, voices spilling softly into the hallway. I should keep walking, but I don’t.

“You can put your things anywhere, honey. There’s no rush,” my mom says, her voice warm and patient in a way that makes people feel safe without even trying. Rose moves more slowly, setting her bag down, figuring out where she fits in all of this.

She clasps her hands together. “Thank you for letting me stay here. That was really kind of you.”

There’s a pause. Then my mom steps closer to her. “Oh, Rose,” she says, softer now. “You were always welcome here.” Her hand comes up, resting gently on Rose’s shoulder.

Rose hesitates, shifting her balance, unsure whether she should say more, but she does anyway. “There were so many times I thought about reaching out,” she admits, her voice faltering, and I struggle to catch the rest. “But you have your own family, and I didn’t want to bother you, especially after everything you’ve already done for me.” She exhales, glancing down. “I didn’t want to⁠—”

“Be a burden,” my mom finishes gently.

Rose doesn’t answer. My mom takes her hands, holding them with a kind of certainty Rose doesn’t have for herself yet.

“You listen to me,” she says, her voice steely now. “You are not a burden. Not here, and never to us.”

Rose goes still, and even from where I stand, I can feel the impact. “You’ve been carrying too much by yourself for too long,” my mom continues. “You don’t have to do that anymore.”

Rose gives a small nod. You’d miss it otherwise if you weren’t watching for it.

“And whatever is going on,” my mom adds, “we’ll handle that, too. Together.”

I don’t know how much my mom knows, but I’d bet Ezra said something. Whether it was worry for Rose or just him being him, it doesn’t matter. It came from the right place.

“I don’t want to cause any problems,” Rose whispers.

“You didn’t,” my mom says immediately. “Someone else did.”