Emma pulled up in the driveway, pausing for a few moments to look up at the house she'd grown up in during her teenage years. The evening light cast an orange glow over it, giving it a warm, welcoming look. A lot of good memories in this house, she thought, as she leaned her head back against the seat and smiled.
"Mooooom! Unlock the doors!" Emma's eldest, Henry, started pulling the handle of the car door. They'd been driving for a few hours, and she, too, was more than ready to get out of the car. Who knew a jeep could feel so cramped with 3 people in it?
"Come on, Leia, let's go surprise Grandma!" The two of them jumped out of the car and ran into the house, and Emma could hear them shouting and laughing inside. She lifted their luggage out of the trunk and heaved it up the porch stairs, the weight of the suitcases making the stairs groan under her.
"You know, I remember a time when those stairs made no noise at all." Emma glanced up and grinned from ear to ear. "Hey, Ingrid."
Ingrid walked over to Emma and enveloped her in a warm hug. "I wasn't expecting you guys until tomorrow."
Emma smiled into Ingrid's shoulder. "I know, we wanted to surprise you. The kids missed their Grandma." Ingrid pulled back to hold Emma at arm's length, frowning at her. "You make it sound like YOU didn't miss me…"
Emma started to protest, but then she noticed the gleam in Ingrid's eye. "Of course I missed you, silly." They hugged again before walking into the house. The kids were in the living room, looking at a photo album.
"Momma, that's you!" Leia said, smiling brightly at her, a gap in her front tooth. She'd lost her first tooth less than a week ago, and smiled at everyone just to show it off. Emma smiled back. "It sure is. I would've been about 17 there." Leia went back to looking at the album intently with her brother, chatting about the old photos.
Emma followed Ingrid into the kitchen and they started making dinner, using a recipe they'd perfected shortly after Emma's adoption was finalised. They easily fell into a rhythm, working around each other, almost like a dance; they'd used this recipe more times over the years than either of them could count.
The evening flew by quickly; eating dinner, playing board games, Ingrid telling stories of what Emma was like as a teenager. "Okay guys, bedtime." Ingrid announced when it got dark, creating shouts of protest from Henry and Leia. "Momma, pleeeeeease can we stay up?" they whined, doing their best puppy dog eyes at Emma. "We have a long day tomorrow, you'll need the energy." Emma said, then she glanced over at Ingrid. "I'm sure if you ask nicely, your Grandma will read you a fairy tale."
Emma tidied up the kitchen while Ingrid took them upstairs. When she came back down a little while later, she smiled at Emma. "They want you to say goodnight." Emma chuckled, making her way upstairs. She went into the bedroom and kissed both of their foreheads. Walking back to the door, she turned back to look at her kids. She smiled, feeling content, knowing that if it wasn't for Ingrid, she never would have had this moment. "Goodnight, guys." She whispered, before closing the door.