I laughed. Gram was starting to have trouble taking care of her house and the huge yard by herself, so Mom had insisted she move into the garage apartment to be closer. Dad had cleared out one of the bedrooms in Gram’s house and put Calla’s new crib together. Mom had redecorated one of the other bedrooms for Dylan and probably decorated Calla’s new nursery as well. Levi and Jude had driven the kids’ and my boxes of clothes, books, and toys down today. We’d all left at the same time, but they drove at twenty-five-year-old man speed, and I drove at mom-with-kids-in-the-car speed, so they got here first and unloaded my stuff for me. Thanks to my family, after we left here for the night, we could just go to Gram’s and get into bed. Just then I realized that I had a lot of work to do to be completely independent. My family had done too much for me. I sighed.

“I’m starving. Let’s go eat,” I said, both to end the conversation I was having with my mother and because I really was hungry.

“Okay, Lily. But we aren’t finished talking about this,” Mom said impatiently.

“Oh, I interrupted something heavy. You’re welcome, Lily.” Violet laughed as we headed down the stairs then through the great room toward the kitchen. Rose was at the counter attempting to make something.

“I smell cinnamon. What are you making, Rose? And where is my baby?” I asked as I sat down on one of the barstools at the massive butcher-block island counter in my mother’s kitchen. She had all sorts of hors d’oeuvres set up for everybody to munch on. My mother loved to entertain.

“Apple crumble, and Dad stole her. She went willingly though, the little traitor. Dylan is playing catch in the yard with Mark and Mara, Finn and Nick, and the brothers.” Violet took off, probably to try to steal Calla from Dad. Calla was adorable, but this was getting ridiculous.

“Where are the apples, Rose?” I saw nothing but crumble, nary an apple to be seen.

“I can sense your judgment.” She glanced at me with a smirk. “I am doubling the crumble because it’s the best part, and I halved the apple portion because I’m not in the mood to be healthy. I have ice cream to go with it. We can talk and eat. I’ve missed you, little sister.” She opened the oven and shoved the apple crumble in.

“Rose, I am ten minutes younger than you are. Get over the little sister stuff already.” I laughed as Dylan ran up to me and handed me my phone. Rose snatched him around his waist and swung him up in a huge hug.