“You too,” Jill replied as she melted further into the hug and rested her head on Kathy’s shoulder. She took several slow, deep breaths to stop any tears from forming.

Kathy pulled back and held on to her upper arms, staring at Jill for a beat with a grin. “You’re coming in, right?”

“If that’s okay. I brought dinner.”

“That’s so sweet. Isn’t that sweet, Reagan?”

“Yes, Mother. Very sweet,” Reagan replied teasingly as she shut the trunk.

“I’ll see you two inside. It’s too cold out here.”

Reagan slung a duffel bag over her shoulder and rolled a small suitcase behind her as she came to stand in front of Jill. “So sweet of you to bring dinner,” she said, her tone mimicking her mother’s.

“Stop it,” Jill replied, rubbing the back of her neck as she looked toward the house. “She hugged me.”

“Oh yeah. It’s kind of her thing.”

“But why?”

“She likes you.”

Jill cocked her head. “But she doesn’t know me.”

“Well, she knows that I like you so that’s good enough for her.”

“You like me, huh?”

“Most definitely.”

Jill smiled and leaned forward for a tender kiss. She let out a soft sigh as she pulled back, pushing Reagan’s hair behind her ear. “Hi.”

“Hey. It is very sweet of you to bring dinner,” Reagan whispered.

“It’s nothing. Here, let me take that bag.” Jill reached for the duffel and transferred it to her own shoulder.

“Thanks. Now take me to the food. I’m starving.”

“You didn’t eat on the drive?” Jill asked as they walked into the house.

“We had some snacks in the car but not nearly enough. It was only about a five-hour drive so we were able to make it home on one tank of gas. My mom’s rule is that you’re not allowed to stop unless it’s for gas or the bathroom. And don’t ever think about making those trips separate or else you get a huge amount of side eye and you lose control of the radio.”

“Wow. Lots of rules to the Murphy family road trips.”

“You have no idea. But maybe you can take one with us someday and find out.”

“I’d like that,” Jill replied, a light blush dusting her cheeks.

“Great. But since I wasn’t allowed to use the bathroom, I really, really need to pee. You can take the food into the kitchen and I’ll be right there.” Reagan kissed her warm cheek and dashed down the hallway.

Jill took a deep breath before taking the dinner to the kitchen and unpacking the containers.

“Let me get some plates,” Kathy said from behind her, making Jill jump a little.