“Need any help?”
“I thought you were going to relax this weekend, maybe go out with some friends,” Stu replied without looking at her. “Whydon’t you go back inside and get some more sleep? You’ve been working hard.”
Sophia climbed down the stairs and drifted closer to her dad. “Oh, that’s okay. I can sleep in tomorrow or something. I just wanted to see if you wanted to bake a cake or watch a movie or something.”
“I need to trim these bushes. They’re looking a little haggard.”
Sophia frowned. “What if we go out? I can treat you to breakfast.”
Stu grunted and didn’t respond.
When Ian pulled up next to the curb a short while later, Sophia was still trying to coax him inside. Ian slammed the car door shut and covered the distance between them in a pair of old jeans, a button-down shirt, and a pair of sunglasses perched on his head. His green eyes flickered over to his sister’s before he cleared his throat.
“Heya, Pop.” Ian shoved both hands into the pockets of his jeans and flicked his hair out of his eyes. “I got us a few steaks. Thought we could grill them together.”
“It’s ten in the morning.”
“Yeah, they’re for later,” Ian said, the words tumbling out of him in a rush. “Or we could go to O’Malley’s pub, have a few beers.”
Finally, Stu stood up and spun around to face them, his tanned face wrinkled in confusion. “I know what the two of you are trying to do, and I appreciate it, but it’s not necessary.”
Ian still had a smile plastered to his face. “I’m sure it helps to talk about it.”
Their father glanced between them, a myriad of emotions dancing across his face. Then he dropped the shears and took a few steps back. “I’m going to go take a shower unless you two want to follow me upstairs, too.”
Abruptly, he strode into the house and slammed the door shut behind him. Sophia winced and looked over at Ian, who avoided her gaze. He bent down to pick up the shears and beckoned her inside. Once they stepped through the door, Sophia listened for the sound of running water and breathed a sigh of relief when she heard it.
“We need to be a bit more tactful,” Ian admitted before setting the shears down on the kitchen counter. “Maybe we should call in reinforcements.”
Sophia pulled a face. “No, you remember how badly that went last time.”
Their aunts and uncle had been there late into the night, talking and laughing, and her dad had been wedged between them, looking like he’d been praying to be anywhere else. While Sophia knew they needed help, she didn’t think their father wanted to air out his grief. He never had, and she doubted he was about to start now.
Instead, she stepped into the living room and rummaged through the cupboards till she found their old photo albums. With a smile, she took out a few of their old tapes and wiped off the thin layer of dust. In silence, Sophia and Ian settled onto the couch and turned their attention to the screen, where their mom cradled the two of them and was singing a lullaby.
When their father came back downstairs, Sophia heard his sharp intake of breath and turned around. “We’re just trying to help.”
Her father’s face fell, and he swallowed. “I know. I know it’s not fair of me to shut you guys out.”
Slowly, he made his way over to them, and they made room for him in the center. Once he sat down, Sophia draped an arm over his shoulders and squeezed. Her father leaned into her touch, smelling like old spice and lemon-scented soap. Sheinhaled the familiar smell of him and swung her gaze back to the TV.
On the screen, her mother and father were slow dancing in the living room, the camera placed on top of the mantle and aimed directly at them. “She used to love it when I’d start dancing with her for no reason.”
Sophia withdrew her arm and tucked her legs underneath her. “You don’t have to talk about her, Dad. We know how hard it is.”
Her father’s eyes filled with tears. “I miss her every day. She would’ve loved that Lily found her way back to us. She would’ve loved seeing all of you grow up, and man, would she have spoiled the grandkids rotten.”
Ian’s lips lifted into a half smile. “I think they get enough of that from you.”
Stu settled back against the couch, his eyes never leaving the screen. “I thought I was going be the one to spoil you guys rotten. But when the two of you came, she couldn’t get enough of either of you. She used to stay up at night just to watch you two breathe. I used to have to beg her to come to bed.”
A lump rose in the back of Sophia’s throat.
“Did you know that she’s the one who painted the bedroom? While I was at work, she used to do all sorts of things around the house just to prepare for you guys. I think that was my favorite thing about her—how caring and considerate she was.”
Little by little, then all at once, their mother came to life through their father’s stories—the way she usually did. Sophia hung onto her father’s every word, imagining a young and vibrant woman with her entire life ahead of her and a family that adored her. By mid-afternoon, their father was still talking about Kelly, describing in great detail what it felt like to meet and fall in love with her.
Sophia had heard most of those stories before. But each time, she had the same visceral reaction, as if hearing about her brought her back, even for a little while. When the sun dipped below the horizon, bathing the world in hues of pink and purple, Ian took their father out for a drink, and Sophia opted to stay behind. She wandered around the house, picking up and setting down several things as she did.
