Shawn glanced at me as we stood outside the Brady Pub.
"You ready for this?" he asked.
I glanced inside. It was cold out, with a few snowflakes falling, but inside, the pub looked warm and cheery. I spotted my parents, John and Marlena Black, talking to Shawn's parents, Bo and Hope Brady. Among them were other members of the Brady family and longtime friends and acquaintances. Everyone was laughing and hugging as they sipped on cider and eggnog.
I looked at Shawn and nodded. "I'm ready," he said.
Our five-year-old daughter, Claire, looked up as we talked. Shawn scooped her up in his arms.
"Time to go see everybody!" he said cheerfully.
The bells on the door jingled as we stepped inside, but with all the talking, no one really heard us. We had taken about three steps into the pub, not sure which direction to go in, when Hope saw us.
"Oh my goodness! Look at this!," she exclaimed. We were smothered in hugs and kisses for a moment before she stepped back to look at us. When she did, Bo joined in for his turn at some long-awaited affection.
"Well, Sailor Man, you sure do know how to surprise your folks," Bo said with a laugh. "Why didn't you tell us you were coming in for the holiday? Not that I'm complaining, mind you."
"It was sort of a last-minute thing," Shawn said, trying to hang on to Claire as she squirmed out of his arms. He was unsuccessful. She had saw my parents and was off and running to them before either of us really knew what happened.
Shawn laughed as she scurried away. "We weren't really sure what our work schedules were going to be like, or if the weather might hold us up," he continued. "We didn't want to get anybody's hopes up."
"Well, I couldn't be more thrilled to see you. All of you," Hope beamed.
"That goes for me too," my dad said. He shook Shawn's hand before giving me a huge bear hug. "I've missed you, Tinker. Missed you a lot."
I held him close. He still had the same smell and same strong arms that had made me feel so safe when I was little.
"I've missed you too," I said softly. Suddenly, I was re-thinking my approach to everything. But I also felt more secure, like maybe this was the right decision, and maybe I didn't have to be as ashamed as I felt.
Claire latched on to my dad's leg. They had always had a close bond, and she squealed when he picked her up and started tickling her.
"Great-grandma Caroline says there are some cookies in the back," she told him, widening her eyes expectantly.
"Does she now?," my dad teased. "Well, I happen to know where the best, sweetest, biggest stash of cookies are. Do you want to go find them with me?"
Claire laughed and nodded.
"Not too many," I cautioned. I smiled, knowing it was probably fruitless.
"Can I have my turn now?" came a calm voice from my left. It was my mother. She had been waiting patiently.
Without realizing what I was doing, I ran up to her and held her close. We stayed that way for a long moment, until she finally pulled away and held me by the shoulders.
"I've missed that," she smiled. "Come on, sit, let's talk for a bit, alright?"
I nodded. We took a table in the back, where it was less crowded and a little bit quieter. Without prompting, Caroline brought us each a cup of hot apple cider.
"You know, something told me not to put Claire's gifts to be shipped," my mother said, laughing.
I smiled. Our return to Salem had been complicated, and it really wasn't until a couple of days before that we had finalized our travel plans and decided how to tell our families about what was coming next.
"We really weren't sure if we could all make it," I said. "I'm just happy it all worked out."
"Do you know how long you'll be staying for?" she asked.
I sipped my cider. "It'll be a little while," I said.
I was looking down, and my mother tilted her head to get a better look at my face. "Honey, what's wrong? You look like something's not right."
I looked at her, then glanced around the pub. Shawn was talking to his uncle Roman, while Claire was now playing with Bo and Hope.
"There's just a lot going on that you guys don't know about yet," I said. "Now really isn't the time or place to get into it, but you'll all know soon, I promise."
That prompted a worried look on my mother's face. I put my hand on hers in a feeble effort to convince her that I was holding it together okay.
"Just know that I think coming back to Salem was for the best," I said.
She nodded and clasped my hand. "We'll talk soon?" she prompted. I blinked back tears and nodded back, unable to say anything more without letting all of my emotions get the best of me.