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Mila felt happy tears gather in her eyes. “You guys are family, it was the least I could do.”

“That’s not true,” Anthony argued.

Mila pretended to gasp. “Wait, do you mean I’m adopted? That explains so much!”

“No, Mom and Dad are adopted,” Anthony said. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you earlier.”

They both chuckled at the old joke, but Anthony was quick to return to the previous topic.

“No one else stepped up like you did. Our family is huge. Not just Mom, Dad, and us siblings. If you count all the cousins and extended family, we probably make up at least a quarter of the population of South Dakota.”

Mila laughed. “I think you might be exaggerating a little.”

“Maybe, but not by much,” Anthony countered.

“And my point is still valid. Of all of them, it was you who helped. It was you who always helped. Now it’s my turn to help you, and if that means telling you that under no circumstances are you allowed back in South Dakota, then that’s what I’m going to do! ”

Mila was a little shocked at how militant he sounded. “I’m never allowed back?”

“Only for a brief visit,” he allowed. “No longer than a week at a time. And you’re not allowed to do any work.”

His orders made her feel more loved than any of her mother's declarations of emotion. “Not even to cook?”

“You can bake,” he allowed. “But only a few things, and I get to eat first.”

“Deal,” she agreed.

“Good,” her brother said, sounding relieved. “I’d say don’t talk to Mom anymore, but I know that’s impossible. Try to avoid her as much as you can and when you talk, just put her off. Keep saying maybe next week.”

“How long can I keep that up?”

“How long has it been since Mom’s sister Pam visited after she moved to Minnesota?"

Mila did a quick calculation in her head. “Twenty-two years.”

“Go for twenty-three,” Anthony advised. “In fact, next summer, we’ll come visit you!”

Suddenly she had a goal. By next summer, she’d have a life she didn’t need to keep hidden from her family. “Perfect!

After her conversation with her family, Mila couldn’t settle. Leaving her room to explore the downstairs, she found a laundry room, the entrance to the garage, and a few storage closets. Finally she ended up at the bottom of the stairs, staring up at the second floor.

She wanted to know how Carter was doing, but didn’t feel like she could simply walk up there and ask. The best thing to do would be to go back to her room and plan out a menu for a week's worth of meals, then put together a grocery list based on those meals.

Instead she sat down on the bottom step and leaned against the wall. Drawing the robe tighter around her, she snuggled into its warmth and stared down at her bare feet.

Her phone chimed with a text. Hoping it was from Gio, she pulled it out of the robe pocket and grimaced. It was from Brad.

I’ve been thinking about you. I was a fool to leave you. Please give me another chance. You were the best thing that ever happened to me.

He included a selfie he’d taken of them when she’d first arrived. They were at the beach, and she looked happy, but unsure. He was grinning widely, wearing the brand-new sunglasses he’d asked her to buy him as an early birthday present.

It was one of many early birthday and Christmas presents she’d buy him over the next few days. The thought of how naive she’d been made her want to find a rock to hide under. How had she been that stupid?

An even better question might be why she hadn’t blocked his number yet.

Get lost, loser.

After sending that text, she blocked him, feeling empowered. It wasn’t much, but it was a small step to her taking control of her life.

“I stood up to Mom. I’ll never hear from Brad again,” she whispered. “I won’t go backwards. Only forwards."

“What are you doing sitting there?”

With a gasp, Mila looked up to see Gio standing only a few steps above her. How had he gotten that close without her noticing?

“I’m sorry!” she said.

“No, it’s me who’s sorry, I didn’t mean that to sound accusatory,” he said, crouching down so he wasn’t towering over her any longer. “I thought you’d be in bed asleep by now. Is there a problem?”

“I, um, no, not really,” she said, feeling dumb. She should probably apologize to Gio for picking such an odd place to sit. Then she could retreat to her room and overthink every moment of this exchange.

The sound of little doggie toenails on hardwood made them both look up. They watched Babette carefully trot down the stairs, her tail wagging so fast it was a blur of motion.

“Ah, this explains why she was being restless too,” Gio said.

“I guess we both feel a little out of place,” Mila said with a forced laugh.

She expected Babette to jump into her arms once she got to the same step as Gio, but instead she leaned close, grabbed a mouthful of Mila’s robe, and tugged. She tugged hard enough to pull the robe off Mila’s shoulder, making her laugh genuine this time.

“I believe she wants all her favorite people in the same room,” Gio said. “She didn’t like it when I left the room to show Faith to her bed. She wants you upstairs also.”

“I’m sorry,” Mila said, feeling like this was her fault somehow. She pulled her robe free of Babette’s mouth and picked up the small dog. Babette settled her in arms, but Mila suspected that if she tried to go anywhere but up the stairs, the dog would raise a fuss.

“Why are you sorry?” Gio asked. “It’s a compliment. Babette simply wants to keep all her important people in the same place so she can keep an eye on us. I don’t blame her. Carter is a trouble magnet.”

“How is Carter?” Mila asked.

Gio sighed. “I should've given you an update earlier, I’m sorry. He’s resting comfortably. Faith says he should be able to get out of bed for a limited amount tomorrow.”

Mila couldn’t believe that. “He will? I thought he was dying! I’m so relieved it's not that serious.”

Gio’s expression did something complicated, like he was both relieved and frustrated at the same time.

“Would you like to see Carter?” Gio offered. “He’s asleep, but setting eyes on him might make you feel secure that he’s going to be okay.”

She wanted to. She wanted to so badly she almost stood up right then. She barely kept herself seated. “I don’t think I should. Not while he’s asleep."

“You’re absolutely wrong,” Gio answered. “I think it would be good for all of us for you to be near Carter.”

Standing up, he held a hand out to her. Babette started wiggling in her arms, so Mila set her down. The moment the dog was free, she started running back up the stairs, her toenails click-clacking against the wood.

Accepting Gio’s hand, she let him help her up, but he didn’t let go once she was standing. Twining his fingers with hers, he led her up the stairs and to the bedroom.