Aunt Heather drew me into a hug and whispered, “He’s a keeper.” Her fragrance was a mix of brisket, chocolate, and floral perfume. On anyone else, it would be gross, but Heather made it smell like home.

I squeezed her back. “He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Not yet.” She waved at Finn, who’d rejoined us, and stepped into the hallway arm in arm with Regina.

Next out the door were Charles and Tesibelle, who exclaimed, “We like your boyfriend,” with the subtlety of a police siren.

Not daring to check Finn’s reaction, I kissed their wrinkly cheeks and squeezed them tight. They were the antithesis of the elderly couple from Pleasant Hollow.

Finally, I hugged Kate, thanking her once again for coming to my rescue in Pleasant Hollow and ordering her to study hard.

“Come back to break the Yom Kippur fast next week!” Mom’s voice rang out from the kitchen.

“Bagels from Ess-a-Bagel as a reward for a fast I won’t be engaging in?” Kate smiled mischievously. “Yes, please.”

“I’ll be there as long as I’m not working.” Diego gave me a one-armed “bro” hug. “See ya.” He shook Finn’s hand, but Kate pulled Finn in for a true embrace. “Drive safely, dude. You’re delivering precious cargo.”

“I’ll do my best,” he promised.

Then it was just the two of us left with my mom. Awkward. My eyes locked on a portion of the wall right outside the kitchen, and I touched it with a finger. “Was I ever this short?”

She came up beside me. “Yes. Before Pinterest and fancy DIY height charts, I used a pencil, a ruler, and a blank wall to measure your growth.”

“I stopped growing almost a decade ago. I can’t believe you never painted over it.”

She draped an arm around me and squeezed me into a side hug. “You can’t paint over memories, Squirt.”

I sniffled. “That’s the thing. I have so many memories here.”

“Nothing gold can stay, Ponyboy.”

“We watched The Outsiders on that couch.” My voice broke.

“The couch will come to my new place.”

Addressing Finn directly for the first time since my snooping session, I said, “My mother has an answer for everything.”

“I can see where you get it from,” he teased, not unfondly. He’d been so quiet during this exchange, standing back with a faraway look on his face, and I still wanted to know why. Damn it.

“Isn’t it comforting to know some things don’t change?” Mom said, pulling me closer into her crook.

“I suppose.” I turned to Finn. It was time. “I guess we should be on our way.”

He nodded. “I’m ready when you are.”

My heart skipped a beat. Two hours alone in a car with Finn loomed before me, and I was anything but ready.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Thirty-Nine