A break was necessary before facing the rest of my family. My sister Violet was the least intrusive of the whole lot of them. Or maybe she was more subtle about it. When you grow up one of eight siblings, you learn that privacy is a luxury you will never have. Plus, my mother was the queen of all pushy, in-your-face mothers throughout the land. Luckily, my dad was mellow enough to balance us all out and keep the peace. I turned my SUV into the parking lot and pulled in to a spot right in front of Vi’s shop.

Violet spotted me from the window and rushed out, arms waving crazily in the air and her hair flying out behind her as she ran to us.

“Lily, yay! You’re finally here! Where are my babies?” She ran right past me to the back of the car and opened the door before Dylan had even unbuckled to lean in to pepper his cheeks with kisses. “Dylan, I’ve missed you, little bug.” She pulled him from the car and wrapped him up in a huge hug. “Today is snickerdoodle day, and I have a big one with your name on it. Go on inside. Grandpa is sitting on the big couch, and Finn and Nick are working at the counter.”

Dylan had a major sweet tooth; she didn’t have to tell him twice. He took off like a shot into the store with a huge smile.

“Hey, Vi,” I said as I lifted Calla from her car seat.

“Ooh, Lily! Give me that baby,” she demanded as she rushed around the car to snatch her from my arms. Violet had two kids of her own, twin sixteen-year-old boys, the previously mentioned Finn and Nick.

“Auntie Violet has presents for you, you sweet little thing,” she crooned, laughing as Calla wrapped her long wavy chocolate-brown hair into her drooly little fist and pulled. “Look how much she’s grown already. It seems like only yesterday we were in the hospital. She has her daddy’s green eyes and your red hair. I bet she’ll get your freckles too. She’s so cute I can’t stand it!” Her face turned wistful. “Before you know it, instead of pulling hair and drooling, she’ll be driving around in your car, asking for money and sneaking in after curfew.”

“I missed you, Violet,” I said, and side hugged her. Nostalgia kicked me in the gut as she wrapped an arm around my shoulder. Maybe it was good to be home.