Feeling Welcome
977 Words
Just as everyone was about to sit down around the large oak dining table, a phone buzzed on the sideboard.
Gramps glanced down at the screen.
Alexander
He sighed quietly.
Kenny noticed immediately.
"My baby brother?"
Gramps nodded.
"He wants to know how Sienna is."
Kenny shook his head as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
"He's only just realised what he's been missing."
Grandma gave Kenny a gentle look.
"Be fair."
"Your brother knows he made a terrible mistake."
Kenny sighed.
"I know."
"But it shouldn't have taken Sienna leaving for him to see it."
Gramps opened the message and read it silently.
«Dad, has Sienna arrived safely? Is she okay? Please let me know. Pearl and I haven't stopped worrying about her.»
Gramps looked across the room.
Sienna was laughing with Heather while Buddy rested his head on her knee. Kristopher was helping Rachel carry dishes to the table, and Josh, William and Paul were already being teased by Louis about how early ranch mornings started.
For the first time in days...
Sienna looked relaxed.
Gramps smiled softly.
"She's smiling again."
Kenny looked over at his niece.
"That's because she's surrounded by people who make her feel safe."
Gramps nodded before typing a reply.
«She's arrived safely. She's smiling, laughing and already being fussed over by everyone. That's exactly what she needs right now. We'll continue to give her the space she's asked for.»
He pressed Send and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
Kenny looked at his father.
"Do you think Alex really understands what he's done?"
Gramps was quiet for a moment.
"I think he does now."
"But understanding it..."
"...and earning Sienna's trust back..."
"They're two different things."
Kenny nodded.
"If he comes here..."
"He'd better come as a father willing to listen."
"Not as a businessman trying to fix everything with money."
Gramps smiled.
"I think your brother's finally starting to learn that."
Across the room, Sienna burst into laughter as Rusty stole a piece of toast from Josh's plate.
Everyone laughed with her.
Gramps watched quietly.
Then he smiled to himself.
"That's the sound I've been waiting to hear.”
Just as Gramps slipped his phone back into his pocket, it buzzed again.
Another message from Alexander.
Gramps read it silently.
«Dad...
I know Sienna asked for space, and I intend to respect that.
But if, in a few days, she feels ready... would you ask her if she'd be comfortable with Pearl, Jordan, Willow and me coming to Paradise Valley?
Only if she says yes.
If she doesn't want us there, we'll stay away until she's ready.
I don't want to force myself back into her life again.
I just want the chance to apologise properly.»
Gramps read the message twice before lowering his phone.
Kenny looked over.
"What now?"
Gramps handed him the phone.
Kenny read the message, then slowly nodded.
"That's... different."
Grandma looked up from buttering a slice of toast.
"What did he say?"
Gramps answered quietly.
"He wants to come here."
"But only if Sienna says she's happy for them to visit."
Grandma smiled gently.
"That's probably the first time he's put Sienna's feelings before his own."
Kenny gave a small shrug.
"It's a start."
"But the choice has to be hers."
Gramps nodded.
"And it will be."
He looked across the dining room.
Sienna was laughing with Heather while Kristopher smiled at her from across the table. Buddy lay at her feet, hoping someone would drop another piece of bacon.
Gramps smiled softly.
"I'm not asking her today."
Kenny agreed.
"No."
"Let her breathe."
"Let her remember what it feels like to be happy."
Grandma nodded.
"In a few days, if she seems ready, we'll ask."
"And if she says no..."
Gramps slipped his phone into his shirt pocket.
"Then Alex and Pearl will have to wait."
He looked around the table at his family.
"Sienna has spent years waiting for everyone else."
"For once..."
"Everyone else can wait for her."
Kenny smiled.
"Now that's something your granddaughter deserves."
Gramps nodded in agreement before looking at Sienna's smiling face.
For the first time in a long while...
The decision wasn't in her parents' hands.
It was in hers.
Gramps nodded.
"And it will be."
He looked across the dining room.
Sienna was laughing with Heather while Kristopher smiled at her from across the table. Buddy lay at her feet, hoping someone would drop another piece of bacon.
Gramps smiled softly.
"I'm not asking her today."
Kenny agreed.
"No."
"Let her breathe."
"Let her remember what it feels like to be happy."
Grandma nodded.
"In a few days, if she seems ready, we'll ask."
"And if she says no..."
Gramps slipped his phone into his shirt pocket.
"Then Alex and Pearl will have to wait."
He looked around the table at his family.
"Sienna has spent years waiting for everyone else."
"For once..."
"Everyone else can wait for her."
Kenny smiled.
"Now that's something your granddaughter deserves."
Gramps nodded in agreement before looking at Sienna's smiling face.
For the first time in a long while...
The decision wasn't in her parents' hands.
It was in hers.
As the day drew to a close, the golden Texas sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky with shades of orange, pink and purple.
After dinner, Uncle Kenny gathered Kristopher, William, Josh and Paul outside on the porch.
"Come on, boys," he said with a grin. "Time to show you around Paradise Valley."
The four followed him across the ranch.
He showed them the huge red barn, where the horses were settling down for the night.
"This is the heart of the ranch," Kenny explained. "The horses come first. Before breakfast, before coffee—horses."
The boys laughed.
Next came the cattle barns, the feed store, the tack room, the machinery shed and the workshops.
- Writer
