The day we decided to see our parents in person was heavy with tension. Jason and I sat in the small car, parked a few streets away from their house, neither of us speaking. Every red light, every passerby, every honk of a horn reminded me how real this moment was.
Jason’s hand found mine on the console. “Ready?” he asked, his thumb brushing over my knuckles.
I took a shaky breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
We stepped out together, our hands tightly entwined, walking up the familiar driveway. The house looked the same, yet everything inside it had changed for us. The door opened before we could even knock.
Mom’s eyes widened the second she saw us. Tears welled instantly. “Olivia…” she whispered, reaching for me.
I ran into her arms without hesitation. The warmth of her embrace was b
