Begin Again by Evan Grace Page A

little boy through the house. He hated having to drop him back off at Journey’s. It was nice to meet Nan, who was there when he brought Joey home. It was clear she cared about Journey and the kids. He couldn’t place her, but he knew her from somewhere and he’d been wracking his brain trying to remember.
    He heard the screen door open and then footsteps on the porch. His mom sat down next to him. He threw his arm around her shoulders and hugged her to his side. His mom wasn’t his biggest fan right now, not that he could blame her. He knew meeting Joey today was something she’d been anxiously waiting for since Dylan had called her to tell her they were coming. She went all out with the food, wanting to make a good impression on Journey.
    “They should be here soon ,” he said, looking down at his watch.
    “Do you think she’ll like us?” He didn’t like his mom sounding insecure. That was not her. That was another check in the bad son column for him.
    “Mom, she’s going to love you, so is Joey. Please don’t worry.”
    “I know , I just want them to feel welcome here. You said she’s got no family, right?”
    “No , just Nan, who has been in their lives since they moved here. I’ve met her and she seems to love them very much. She has a brother, but he’s an addict. She’s raising her niece, who’s five, because he lost custody of her.” He’d wanted to track her junkie brother down when she told him about Cash and his woman leaving Abby home alone.
    “Wow, that’s a lot of responsibility for someone so young.” Before they could continue their conversation he saw Journey’s car pull into the driveway. His mom was vibrating with excitement as the car rolled to a stop.
    Grabbing his mom’s hand , he led her down the steps to the driveway. The first thing he noticed was that Journey’s brow was furrowed. She wouldn’t quite meet their gazes over the roof of the car. Before he could go to her Nan got out of the car with Abby in tow.
    “Hi , Dylan,” Abby chirped as she ran up to him.
    Nan came up and smiled at Dylan’s mom . “Hi, I’m Nan Jensen.”
    Dylan’s mom smiled . “Hi, I’m Ruth Carmichael, and who are you, pretty girl?” She got down in front of the little girl. Abby grabbed Nan’s hand and smiled at his mom.
    “I’m Abby .”
    “Well , it’s nice to meet you Abby; I’m Ruth, Dylan’s momma.” He looked up and saw Journey walking around the back of her car. Joey’s chubby little hand was tucked into hers as they walked towards them. She looked unbelievably beautiful. She was dressed in casual shorts and cardigan and he felt his groin tighten as he watched her smile light up her whole face when she glanced down at their boy.
    He turned to his mom to watch her expression. She stood up , and when she got a good look at Joey, she grabbed Dylan’s arm in a tight grip. The tears in her eyes started falling.
    “ He’s so beautiful,” she whispered hoarsely. “Dylan, he looks just like you did at that age.”
    “Mom, this is Journey and Joey. Journey, this is my mom, Ruth Carmichael.”
    “It’s nice to meet you , Mrs. Carmichael.”
    His mom came forward and wrapped her arms around them both. He could hear his mom speak to Journey. “It’s so nice to meet you, honey. He’s beautiful.”
    “Joey, this is your grandma. Can you tell her hi?”
    Joey buried his head in Journey’s neck with a bashful smile on his face. Journey coaxed him until he finally waved at her. She reached her arms out to him. He looked at his mom and then at Dylan’s. He couldn’t help but hold his breath waiting to see what Joey would do.
    His mom talked to him in a soft voice until finally his little chubby arms reached out to her. She held him close to her body, kissing his forehead.
    “Come on , y’all, let’s go inside,” his mom said as she reached her hand out to Abby, who hesitantly took it. “Carrington is excited to see you, Abby. She brought special treats just for the two